Stuffed – State Of The Turkey
Posted by terrepruitt on November 23, 2010
For many of us, Thanksgiving is almost here, at least in the United States. For many, Thanksgiving is about food. Turkey dinner. I am not saying that giving thanks is not done, I am just saying that sometimes dinner is a very high priority. With the holidays is seems as if there people give themselves permission to over eat. Sometimes it is not even conscious. Eating is such a social thing sometimes we could be doing it and not even really be aware. So in order to help ensure that it is really only the turkey that is stuffed this season remember all of the party eating ideas that you have heard.
—Drink a lot of water.
This will help keep you full and hydrated. Plus if you always have a full glass people will not ask you if you want a cocktail which typically is a high calorie drink.
–Position yourself away from the appetizers.
This can minimize the talking, grazing, listening, grazing, laughing situation that sometimes results in standing right next to a table full of finger foods.
–If you are hungry BEFORE the event, eat.
Eat something really filling and healthy. The idea is that you will be full when you get to your destination and be less likely to graze at the appetizer table or fill up on unhealthy choices.
–Give yourself extra incentive to stay away from the holiday cocktails, by being the designated driver.
Then you can easily say, “No, thanks, I’m driving.” And not have to fight off that well-meaning bartender that loves to make certain everyone is having a great time (with a drink)!
–Fill your plate with salad and greens.
Then barely use the salad dressing. This will help keep you plate too full for a lot of the higher calorie items and help keep you full.
–Don’t fill you plate with vegetables that are in a casserole, cream, or covered in sauce.
The other ingredients in the casserole, the cream, and/or the sauce will make that veggie more calories.
–Take a bit of everything you want from the beginning.
Don’t fall into the “oh my plate is too full, I’ll go back for it”. Just take enough of everything to allow you a taste without planning on going back. Often times we are full but since we said we were going to go back and get something because we didn’t try everything, we do. We go back for that one thing and often times end up getting additional things because they were good. So we end up with even MORE than we had planned.
–Scope out the food before you start filling your plate.
You know what I am talking about. You’ve done it, you’ve heard other people say it, “Oh, I wouldn’t have gotten so much of the xxx, if I’d had known there was yyyy.” So if you have a buffet style meal, walk the line. See what there is make a plan. If it is a sit down where things are passed, you can still see what is being served before you take a huge helping of one thing.
–Be mindful.
Be aware of what you are eating AND drinking. If you really want that pie a la mode, then maybe a small spoonful of mashed potatoes will do ya, instead of the heaping spoonful. Also, being mindful has to do with your individual health goals.
Maybe you aren’t a calorie counter, but you do work to avoid the Transfat . . . so that means you might opt for the ice cream or plain pie instead of the low-calorie non-dairy whipped topping. Just because it is the holidays and we are celebrating doesn’t mean we have to throw away our good eating habits. Enjoy, but do it consciously. Don’t end up stuffed like the turkey.
FYI: I will be having my regularly scheduled Nia classes. Wednesday at 9:30 am in Willow Glen (day before Thanksgiving) and Friday at 9:30 am in Los Gatos (day after Thanksgiving). —Thanksgiving 2010
This entry was posted on November 23, 2010 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Food. Tagged: cocktail party, designated driver, dinner buffet, dinner party, grazing, Los Gatos Nia, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia Los Gatos, Nia Willow Glen, party tips, pie a la mode, social eating, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 2010, Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving Nia Classes, transfat, Turkey dinner, Willow Glen Nia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
John Pruitt said
lol, These do make a lot of sense and they are counter to what I normally do. I was just thinking about “Position yourself near appetizers” and “If you are hungry, avoid the bread. It’s a trick!”.
Your list is good to think about before hand so that a person can have a plan and through that, willpower. I’m happy that you are my gentle reminder to eat better. I thought it would have been an act of congress to get me to stay away from Taco Bell and in the end it was your sandwiches which are a lot more healthy to boot.
Thanks for looking out for people honey 🙂
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terrepruitt said
Oh man! You have different tricks. I should have been specific with the goal of the tips and tricks.
Your goal IS to get “turkey stuffed.” And you only avoid bread so you can fill up on meat! Silly Meat-eating Wabbit!
I am glad that you just eat what I serve you and that includes salads and veggies. I am really shocked that you no longer LOVE Taco Bell as much as you used to. That is just amazing. I am glad you attribute that to healthier eating. I do believe the ingredients in a lot of foods—especially Fast Food—-have an addictive quality to them. So the more you eat the more you want and the less you eat the better you break the addiction.
XOXOX
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SuziCate said
Your hubby is funn! For the first time, I did not overdo and stuff myself on Thanksgiving…I was comfortably full, wined out instead of dined out!
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terrepruitt said
Yeah, my hubby is funny. I didn’t stuff myself either. I don’t like the usually Thanksgiving food faire so it is easy for me to avoid a lot of it.
Isn’t it great to just be comfortable instead of have that I-can’t-move-because-I-am-so-full feeling? I like that.
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A Book Tree By Simon « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
[…] to try to work it off. Many websites give you advice on how to avoid over indulging at parties, I posted one myself last year. They are articles of advice on how to keep motivated during the holidays […]
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