Avoid Gaining Weight Over Thanksgiving

Eat Breakfast: If you start your meal feeling famished, you will have a more difficult time listening to your body and controling your eating.  Beginning your day with a light breakfast will help you to feel less hungry when you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner. 

Drink a Glass of Water Prior to Eating: This too, will help to fill your stomach prior to your meal and will therefore help you to avoid eating large amounts of food. 

Police Your Portions: Take smaller portions of food and try to avoid going back for seconds. Also, Connie Diekman, MEd, RD, former president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) suggests, “"Don't waste your calories on foods that you can have all year long, Fill your plate with small portions of holiday favorites that only come around once a year so you can enjoy desirable, traditional foods."

Slowly Savor Your Food: Experts say that eating slowly, putting your fork down between bites, and tasting each mouthful is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your meal and feel satisfied with one plate full of food. Choosing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, salads, and other foods with lots of water and fiber add to the feeling of fullness.

Space Out Your Thanksgiving Meal Throughout the Day: One suggestion is to eat Thanksgiving dinner, and then go on a walk as a family prior to eating desert. This will help you to avoid eating numerous large meals throughout the day (Thanksgiving at mid-day, and dinner that evening). 

Don’t Sleep It Off: Moving more than usual -- a game of touch football in the front yard or a marathon of shopping on Black Friday -- will help compensate for any little indulgences.

Be Realistic: The holiday season is a time for celebration. With busy schedules and so many wonderful dishes, this is a good time to strive for weight maintenance instead of weight loss.  One expert says, “Shift from a mindset of weight loss to weight maintenance. You will be ahead of the game if you can avoid gaining any weight over the holidays."

Focus on Friends and Family: Thanksgiving is not all about the food.  Try to focus less on the buffet, and more on the celebration of coming together with friends and family. 

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/10-tips-for-a-thinner-thanksgiving?page=2

http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blturkeydaytips.htm