Thanksgiving Survival Guide: 4 Tips to Avoid Total Diet Destruction

If you’re feeling anxious for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast, you’re not alone in fearing that the overabundance of food may throw off your diet stride. Thanksgiving is a day full of family, festivity and feasting, but with the decadent food and plentiful dishes, it can be difficult to avoid overdoing it and eating away all of your weight loss progress. Worrying about attaining Thanksgiving survival without destroying your healthy diet is inevitable.

You can still enjoy all of your favorites at the table this year—but in a smarter way, so you can stick to your weight management without any setbacks. Avoid the typical Thanksgiving temptations and keep yourself from overstuffing with a few simple tricks to ensure you enjoy the day without getting off track with your healthy eating habits. We promise Thanksgiving survival is attainable through a few simple steps!

Here are four simple ways to reach Thanksgiving survival without sabotaging your diet:

1. Stick to one serving and avoid seconds.

If you want to indulge in all of your Thanksgiving favorites this year, you should strive for single portions of everything. You can start with the turkey and eat everything down to the green beans, but just make sure you stop yourself from going back for more. Indulge in one serving of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, stuffing and gravy, but make sure to eat slowly and think twice before seconds. Instead of getting seconds (or thirds), you can offer to start doing the dishes or check out the game on TV. Avoid refilling your plate at the table and you will thank yourself later. Remember—you can also have leftovers the day after to relive the glorious holiday meal!

2. Maintain your regular diet the day of.

Many people make the mistake of fasting the day of Thanksgiving to make way for the copious amounts of calories at the feast. It’s a better idea to stick to your routine by eating your regular meals as you normally would. Eat breakfast the morning of, and depending on when you eat the famous Turkey meal, you may need to sneak in another small snack in place of any unnecessary appetizers, chips or drinks before the meal. Sticking with your normal diet schedule will deter you from overeating during dinner, so you can stick to sensible portions without the urge to eat in excess.

3. Choose a smarter option for dessert.

Instead of skipping dessert this year to make peace with your diet demons, satisfy your sweet tooth with a diet-friendly option instead of reaching for the notorious diet pitfalls of pie and ice cream. Check out these healthy dessert recipes that are perfect for Thanksgiving! >

4. Cook your own veggies the RIGHT way.

No matter where you’re spending the holiday, you should be able to pre-cook your own veggies so that you can have some healthier options on the table to choose from. Avoid the regular Thanksgiving Day-style vegetable dishes and casseroles, which are often made high quantities of sugars, bad fats and other extras you should be avoiding—especially while trying to lose weight. Bring your own roasted carrots, baked sweet potatoes or steamed green beans to make sure you pass on some of the overindulgent sides. You’ll still get to enjoy all of your favorite holiday flavors—but in a healthier and more nutritious way so you can stay on top of your weight management.