Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! For those of you who “stuffed” yourself on that day - and perhaps the entire weekend - it is time to get back in control. As I’ve mentioned in the past few posts, my feeling is that Thanksgiving is not a day to diet. However this one day (or days) of overeating can cause some people to feel out of control. The key is to get back on track and not gain “eating momentum”. Take control before the holiday season really gets underway.

 Here are some tips to get back on track:

1. Don’t beat yourself up for eating more than you planned! This is the worst thing you can do as it usually leads to a hopeless feeling which will likely contribute to even more eating. Let it go and get back to your usual diet plan.

2. For those people who weigh themselves, it might be a good idea to avoid the scale for a few days. Even one day of overeating can cause a 2-3 pound weight increase on the scale. While part of this gain may be due to fat storage, the majority is fluid retention from the extra carbohydrates and sodium. You need to consume an extra 3500 calories on top of your maintenance calorie level (maintenance calorie level is ~ 1800 calories for the average women and 2100 for the average man).  Even if the scale showed a gain of 2 pounds over Thanksgiving, I would tend to doubt you consumed an extra 7000 calories in addition to your maintenance calories. This would mean 8800 calories for the average women and 9100 calories for the average man!                                                                          

3. Add in a few extra long sessions of exercise. Not only will this burn off some of the turkey day calories, it will help you feel better physically and psychologically.

4. For those of you who really overdid it and want a little jump start diet after your Thanksgiving  gorge, try a lower carb low sodium diet for 2-3 days. This will help you shed water weight as well as some fat. While I usually don’t recommend rapid weight loss or really low carb diets, there is no danger in following this type of plan for a few days. It can be motivating to see the scale drop by several pounds. You would then ease into a more realistic eating plan.

Sample meals for 1200 calories:                                                              

Breakfast: 170-250 calories  (pick one):  
a. egg whites with veggies
b. one slice of whole grain toast with 1 T. peanut butter
c. 1 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup fruit

Snack: 80 calories  (pick one):
a. 1/2 oz nuts such as 12 almonds, 20 pistachios. 14 peanuts, 9 cashews 
b. a string cheese
c. piece of fruit

Lunch: 400 - 450 calories (pick one):  
a. 5 oz grilled chicken on a salad, 2 cups assorted veggies, 1 T. oil and unlimited vinegar
b. 5 oz grilled salmon or skinless poultry and steamed veggies
c. egg white omelet with veggies

Snack: 70 - 100 calories  (pick one):
a. piece of fruit
b. string cheese
c. nonfat yogurt
d. 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
e. 1/2 oz. nuts as above

Dinner : 450-500 calories
5 oz lean meat, fish or skinless poultry, grilled or baked plain, no sauce with unlimited veggies, preferably steamed plain, salad, 1 T. oil somewhere in the meal

If you want an after dinner snack, move the morning or afternoon snack to this time

In addition: Drink at least 10 cups of water. No alcohol. No bread or other starch (except as allowed on meal plan).

Stay tuned for more tips on how to deal with eating during the holiday season!

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