Don't Worry, Eat Happy!
If you’ve ever suffered from an eating disorder or have struggled with your weight for years, you’ll understand the stress that can come with holidays like Thanksgiving. When you’re eating such a big meal on one day, you can easily get overwhelmed with negative body image thoughts: Will I gain weight? Will this make me lose control? Will this get me off my healthy eating track?
We say stop the negative thinking! Holidays like Thanksgiving are meant to be enjoyed and you should get everything out of it that you deserve. Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and loved ones and it just so happens that it also serves as a day where we eat a huge holiday meal.
If you just can’t seem to put your weight worries aside, check out our top tips for embracing the holiday food in all its glory.
Remember: It’s only one meal
Sure, you’re likely consuming days’ worth of calories in one meal, but it’s very unlikely that just one meal will completely throw you off track. Thanksgiving only comes once a year and you should enjoy it! If you’re more worried about what comes after the big Thanksgiving meal -- those tempting leftovers -- remember one thing: everything in moderation. Having a few little treats a day for a few days following Thanksgiving is not going to make you gain a ton of weight. Just make sure to eat healthy otherwise and get some exercise, and you'll have no reason to sweat a few desserts.
Keep up your workout routine
As long as you’re fighting back against the food with intense workouts, a few calorie-laden meals are not going to send your weight into a tailspin -- trust us. We know that holidays like Thanksgiving can be exhausting and put you into a food coma (tryptophan anyone?), but don’t neglect your workout routine. Getting in a good run or a half hour on the stationary bike can help ease some of your food phobia in a major way and will allow you to have your cake and eat it too!
Remember: A few extra pounds won’t kill you
In the end, many of us do end up gaining a pound or two over the holidays. Sure, it’s a pain to lose it, but is it really that big a deal? Eating over the holidays is not going to send you to a weight gain place of no return, people! At the end of the day, we’re better than the number on the scale.
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