How To Survive Thanksgiving Dinner While On A
Diet
Author: Dorrie Ruplinger

It's the dreaded time of the year – the food filled holidays.
It's not that you don't like food. It's just the opposite. You
love food. But you are working hard to lose those extra pounds
you have been carrying around and you don't want the holidays
to undo all that hard work.

Many weight loss experts will tell you to not bother trying to
lose weight during the holidays and to just try to maintain
your current weight until after the holiday season. They
probably think that because the average person gains three to
seven pounds during the holidays that maintaining your current
weight means you are doing great. I do agree to a point. Being
able to not gain weight during the holidays is a pretty good
feat considering all the delicious foods many of us have
available to us in staggering amounts.

But I think a person can continue to lose weight during the
holidays without feeling cranky the whole time or feeling
completely deprived. I lost weight during the holiday season
and I have a friend who was so determined to lose the extra
pounds she was carrying around that she started her diet on
Thanksgiving Day (yes, on the one day of the year that people
traditionally pig out the most) and went on to successfully
lose 40 pounds and keep it off. And nobody was even aware she
was starting her diet that day.

So how did I survive Thanksgiving dinner while on my diet and
how did my friends successfully start her diet on Thanksgiving
Day?

It's all about choices.

First of all I'll tell you what I didn't do. I didn't have any
alcoholic beverages because I wanted to chew my calories that
day and not drink them, and because alcohol tends to weaken my
resolve. And I'm not the only person whose resolve weakens
after having a few drinks. Who do you usually see dancing on
top of the pool table or bar when you go out – a sober person
or a person who has had a few drinks?

This is what I did do:

•Had small portions of the foods I really like so that I
wouldn't feel deprived (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and
half a dinner roll).

•Had large portions of raw vegetables from the veggie tray and
lots of the steamed cauliflower and green beans that were
served that day.

•Drank lots of ice water.

•I love pumpkin pie and whipped cream but I ate a small piece
of it later on in the evening when everyone else was pigging
out on leftover turkey, potatoes, stuffing, etc. The pie along
with more of the raw veggies completely satisfied me and the
scale was still my friend the next morning.

This is what my friend did:

•Took reasonable portions of everything she really liked but
didn't go back for seconds and thirds like she did other years.


•My friend enjoys cocktails and she had a few, but to keep the
calories down she had Jack Daniels and Diet Coke which meant
each drink she had was less than 75 calories.

•That afternoon when everyone was watching football, she went
for a long walk.

•She politely declined taking home leftovers.

You can survive Thanksgiving dinner while dieting. And it
doesn't have to be a painful experience. Make smart choices,
have small portions of what you really like, skip the things
you don't really love, and fill up on the low calorie veggies
and salad. And, if the Thanksgiving dinner you attend doesn't
traditionally offer any low calorie foods like raw or steamed
veggies, don't be shy about starting a new tradition and
bringing them yourself.


About The Author: Dorrie Ruplinger is a featured writer for
http://www.LoseWeightForChristmas.com. Visit the website for a
free report on how to lose 10 pounds before Christmas.