WASHINGTON 鈥� Thanksgiving is just two days away, when the resolve to avoid holiday weight gain gets tested to the fullest.
This is the second in a series of talks between 草莓传媒鈥檚 Mark Lewis and Debra Feinstein and Sally Squires, author of the Lean Plate Club鈩� blog, a former Washington Post health writer and Washington Post Radio contributor, about tips and tricks to avoid packing on the pounds during the season. It鈥檚 the , and 草莓传媒 invites all listeners and readers to join in.
The goal, Squires says, is 鈥渟imply about maintaining your weight from Thanksgiving to New Year鈥檚,鈥� which is a bigger deal than it sounds.
鈥淗ealthy-weight people put on a pound鈥� over the holidays, Squires says, and take it off in the spring.
Overweight or obese people 鈥� 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 two-thirds of us鈥� 鈥� put on about two pounds over the holidays, but more importantly, they don鈥檛 take it off.
鈥淪o, you get the idea 鈥� two pounds this year, two pounds next year 鈥� it starts to add up.鈥�
So how can you keep Thanksgiving dinner from wrecking our bodies? Do聽you聽have to sit there nibbling celery while everyone else gorges?
Not hardly, Squires says. A typical Thanksgiving meal is 2,000 to 2,500 calories, and 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not a huge amount. Serve what you want; enjoy the day. That鈥檚 what this day is about: It鈥檚 about enjoying food and family and friends and being thankful for all the things that we have.鈥�
Within that, though, there are a few steps you can take.
First off, start with soup, Squires suggests, even if it鈥檚 eaten sitting around the living room.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hot; you have to sip it 鈥� you can鈥檛 eat it fast,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 slowing it down, so that not only to you get to enjoy everybody who鈥檚 around you, but you also get a chance for your stomach chance to tell your brain that you鈥檙e being fed, so you don鈥檛 have to eat everything in sight.鈥�
When you get to the main event, you generally have plenty of options.
鈥淭he nice thing about Thanksgiving is, it has a ton of vegetables,鈥� Squires says, such as green beans, sweet potatoes and salad.
鈥淭hose are all really great foods, and often, most of us don鈥檛 eat enough of them. So here鈥檚 a great time to enjoy.鈥�
And when you do indulge, make it count.
鈥淩emember those special things that say 鈥榟oliday鈥� to you. I like to look around the table and say 鈥極K, what am I going to eat today that I鈥檓 not going to eat the rest of the year? If I didn鈥檛 serve pecan pie, my family would leave the table. 鈥� So it鈥檚 looking for whatever dish means 鈥榟oliday鈥� to your family.鈥�
Candied sweet potatoes, or stuffing, are good examples of foods that are Thanksgiving-specific, or close to it, so Squires says to have at it.
While you like to think you鈥檒l starve ourselves for days before Thanksgiving, then go without eating for, oh, a week afterward, that doesn鈥檛 happen, Squires says.
It鈥檚 important to be careful what you eat the rest of the day.
If you eat Thanksgiving dinner later in the day, Squires says, 鈥淗ave a reasonable breakfast and lunch, spaced out a couple of hours.鈥�
And don鈥檛 forget to budget in all the snacking you鈥檒l do while watching parades and football games 鈥� make it a lighter breakfast and lunch to allow for the snacks.
If you eat early, you will 鈥� hard as it may be to believe when you push back from the table 鈥� get hungry again.
The key then is to be smart with the leftovers: Make soup with any leftover broth, and munch on some leftover vegetables. And the food doesn鈥檛 have to tempt you all weekend.
鈥淵ou get to send leftovers home with [company],鈥� Squires says, and make lighter dishes such as soup, turkey tacos or more.
鈥淎nd don鈥檛 forget 鈥� you have a freezer. 鈥� Pop some of that leftover pie in there; salad doesn鈥檛 freeze do well, but sweet potatoes do, and so does turkey.鈥�
So, when should you step on the scale to measure the damage?
鈥淵ou might want to wait until Monday,鈥� Squires says.
If it turns out you鈥檝e gained a couple of extra pounds, she says, it鈥檚 not time to panic. For starters, keep drinking water to flush your system. But more importantly, remember that on Monday morning, there鈥檚 still more than a month until New Year鈥檚.
鈥淪tart thinking, 鈥楬ow do I get back on track?鈥� 鈥� Remember: the holiday is that one day; that鈥檚 what makes it special. It鈥檚 not a holiday every day.鈥�
In short, she says, reset yourself, get back on track, 鈥渁nd have fun.鈥�
You can email Squires聽questions and comments at sally@sallysquires.com.
