Thanksgiving Eve prep (Day 89)

Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving?

We have 13 people coming tomorrow (7 kids and 6 adults), so I’m doing a lot of prep work today and having fun with it! I made my oopsie rolls ahead for my stuffing, have the Velveeta fudge prepped, and I have some of my caramel apple cheesecake stashed in the freezer! I am going to make my cranberry sauce today, too. [recipes in the word links]

I am feeling so spry  I even braved going to the store (it was crowded) and managed to throw a yam without meaning to. It was all so exciting in the produce aisle! I even saw a friend of mine and made a friend when I threw the yam. Every day is an adventure.

Ready for Thanksgiving? Just a few thoughts that I am going to put into my head to help me. If they help you in any way, that is great!

• Be true to who you are and to your chosen lifestyle. If you are taking the day off from eating sugar-free, gluten-free or low-carb, take the time to really savor each bite of food you put on your plate.
• Sit farther away from the starchy or sweet foods so temptation makes you work just that little bit harder for seconds. Better yet, set some aside for yourself for later on a plate so you don’t feel you have to eat it all now or miss out on leftovers. There’s no feast or famine response at your table that way.
• Most importantly, keep track of everything you eat and pay attention to how you feel afterwards. That stuffing might make you feel miserable, but maybe yams are your new best friend in a side. You never know until you experiment!
• Most of all, leave the guilt behind and look at your meal as a scientific experiment. Don’t experience regret or guilt. It’s just another meal choice. Enjoy it and move on.
• When you can, eat when hungry, stop when no longer hungry, and focus on flavors and textures. I find the first two bites of something taste better than the next 5 or 6. Or twenty. Or the entire pan. Plus you savor what there’s less of.
• It’s just food. Cranberries are sold year-round. You can make a pumpkin pie any day of the year. Those dinner rolls will still be around in May.  Fuel your taste buds and your marvelous body machines, and know you are fabulous!
• Eat off plan? It’s not really off-plan. Not if you consider that your food lifestyle includes occasional meals where you plan to experiment with how you feel. To me, every meal is on plan, even if it’s carby, starchy, or sweet. In the end, you have to love your lifestyle or it’s not going to be one you’ll want to stick with.
• Take a walk after dinner. Enjoy the leaves and the lovely fall weather and start a new tradition! If you have kids, see who can find the prettiest leaf.
• Remember, you weigh in Monday. If you eat off plan, keep realistic expectations about the scale is going to say. Never use temporary inflammation/weight gain to beat down your spirit!

Now on to how I’ve been doing with our Mid-Year Challenge… Be sure to do your thing. I am thrilled share my progress and thoughts, but I’m not the person you should necessarily look to for dieting advice (I’m not a paid nosh-a-titian). Be sure to subscribe for updates by adding your email right (in the sidebar) or through Feedburner in the title bar up top. You can also click the tab up top that says Mid-Year Resolution for regular updates.

Thursday, November 22

I ate this:
Breakfast: Jimmy Dead breakfast sausage patties
Lunch: 1/2 of a huge Taco Star Super Nachos minus the chips
Dinner: A bite of cranberry sauce to sample for tomorrow + cottage cheese + a lot of green olives + shredded Parmesan cheese + sunflower seeds

Exercise: Cleaning and making pies to take to neighbors.

Notes: The weather today is so pretty! I love throwing open the windows to let fresh air rush through the house. Today our homes are sealed up so tight. When you can, open a window and let the air come through.

What I learned:

I am so excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Because I’m not focused on the ensuing food coma of years past, I am going to take the time to thoroughly enjoy my friends and family. That’s what special occasions should be about, right?