In less than a week, most of America will sit down to consume a potentially 3000 calories late lunch. I have a million tips on how to eat well during the holidays but have found that people really do not want to hear them. They want to be told that they can stuff their face and go back for dessert seconds. I have good news because you can. One day is not going to wreck your diet!
If you plan to eat that many calories, my best advice is to start preparing now and practice some good old moderation. If you really want to learn how to cut calories, you can check out this article from last year here. Add some extra time at the gym, skip your beloved desserts and carbs at night. If you follow this plan for even a few days, you’ll lose some water weight and even leaner the night before Thanksgiving, the most popular reunion night of the year.
FITNESS PLAN
Here is a blog with tons of suggestions for how to offset the extra calories the day of Thanksgiving but below is a plan if you are willing to do some work ahead of time.
Friday: Long Run around the Charles River – 6 Miles
Saturday: Pilates Fusion Class at Equinox
Sunday: 30 minute booty call* plus 60 minutes of Yoga
Monday: 30 minute booty call* plus Exercise Class at the Gym like Barre Burn
Tuesday: Cardio Pilates at Equinox
Wednesday: 30 minute booty call* plus strength train on my own
Thursday: 5 mile TURKEY TROT – My Mother’s Town doesn’t have one so I’ll probably create my own 🙂 I’d rather run farther than a 5K anyway.
*The booty call is part of my diet and fitness plan as called for in the Tone It Up diet. It’s 30 minutes of cardio right when you wake up before you eat. If I have an intense workout, I usually eat something before but if it’s just a light 30 minute jog, I will not. If you have trouble working out in the morning, it’s OK to just walk, do the elliptical, a yoga DVD, it’s just getting your body moving before you put nutrients back in.
FOOD PLAN
As far as food goes, I’m going to be following a diet the is close to the Tone It Up 7-day Slim Down. To get more daily meal you can check out my other programs.
Breakfast – Protein Pancakewith GrapefruitLunch – Can of tuna with lettuce greens, 1/2 sweet potato, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, humus and balsamic vinegar. AKA my favorite salad
Snack – Pumpkin peanut butter with celery
Dinner – Grilled Chicken with Asparagus (Might have some brown rice or sweet potato)
Snack – Candy Cane tea with Stevia and Almond Milk
For more meal ideas, visit my recipe page or check out the college diet page.
Do you plan your Thanksgiving strategy ahead of time or do you just go all out and worry about it later?
I planning on working my booty off this week, and will be running a 5K Thursday morning. I don’t intend on stuffing myself silly, but do plan on enjoying myself. Eating foods that I only get on thanksgiving and having that one dessert I really want.
Before Thanksgiving I usually try not to think about it much. I find it too stressful and if i plan too much around it i get all anxious and irritated. Also, I find that I eat less on the actual day if I feel like it just sort of snuck up on me. So I the week before I try to keep busy and concentrate on the immediate stuff on my ‘to do’ list.
Also, Canadian Thanksgiving was mid October and I managed to bypass the whole thing because I didn’t have the funds to go across the country back home. I thought it would be nicer with having less stress around the whole Thanksgiving meal/celebrations thing but I was actually pretty lonely. SO, what I’m trying to say is that although most of the Thanksgiving hype might be annoying and stressful sometimes, Thanksgiving without any of it is worse.
I am not crazy about Thanksgiving food so I doubt I will go overboard. I was asked to make dessert and even though I am making pumpkin cheesecake I will be able to make a couple of healthy substitutions and nobody will notice 😉 But I know there will be lots of savory appetizers, which I love, and my hubby bought me some pink champagne that I’ve always wanted to try, so I think running a 5k in the morning will definitely help me offset some of those extra calories! I am also working out and trying to eat light this week!
Who do you like to take tabata from at equinox? I’m a member and have been wanting to try a class!!
Hi Sarah,
First i would like to tell you that i really want to get fit! I am in high school and have a lot of time taken up by that and then homework. I am not much of a runner. So cardio is not my favorite thing to do. I used to work out 3 days a week doing cardio and weight lifting and training. Now i’ve stopped. I don’t like healthy foods, so i don’t eat healthy. I really would like to tone up my midsection and thighs. I’m not over weight. I really just want to tone and loose about 5-10 lbs. If you could help me with this, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks! (: