Worried about overeating on Thanksgiving? Well, there's no need to worry.
Stay calm, and read these 10 ways you can prevent yourself from overindulging this holiday:
1. Refrain from drinking alcohol before eating.
Do you remember those drunken nights out when you can't help but indulge in burgers and fries at 4 am, and it tastes extraordinary?
Exactly.
Drinking alcohol can lower your self-control and increase your appetite.
Trust me; you don't want it to happen on Thanksgiving.
If you drink before eating anything, these cravings will surface even faster.
2. Choose clothes wisely.
Don't wear clothes that are too loose.
Instead, wear clothes that are comfortable, but also reasonably constricting around the waist.
That way, you can be aware of what's going on with your body as you eat.
You will be able to tell how much you've eaten compared to your intake on an average day, and hopefully, you'll stop before any button is broken.
3. Drink lots of water.
Drinking water is not only good for hydrating your body, but it can also prevent you from being in starvation mode and subsequently eating more than you should.
As an extra bonus, it helps you with digestion and skin problems in the long-term.
4. Brush your teeth.
It's common to brush your teeth after meals, as it gives you a fresh taste in your mouth and helps you avoid snacking.
So, you can totally apply this to a Thanksgiving meal.
As they say, nothing tastes that good with toothpaste lingering in your mouth.
5. Have all of the food on your plate.
If you get all the food you want on your plate, you can have a balanced meal.
This will also make you watch how much you eat by counting the number of times you finish your plate completely.
By using this method, you can also try everything in moderation and know if your meal is healthy enough.
6. Eat slowly.
Eating slowly is not only good for your digestion, but it can also trick your brain into thinking you are eating a lot.
This will prevent you from adding more to your plate.
It's best to match people's eating speeds so you don't finish too early compared to everyone else.
You also won't have to rush yourself when the rest of the table is getting up.
Plus, if you eat slowly, you can actually enjoy the food for how delicious it is, instead of how much you can eat.
7. Chat with people.
Like eating slowly, if you chat with other people, it will remove your focus away from eating and slow down your speed.
Moreover, you are bound to eat the same amount as the people around you, if you actively engage with them during the meal.
Thus, with this logic, your best strategy is to sit next to someone with the similar body type and size as you, preferably someone who eats healthy.
8. Sit away from high-calorie food.
If fruits and vegetables are sitting in front of you, you will be prone to choosing them over the high-calorie food that is placed far away from you.
Plus, by the time you finish the healthy dishes, you might already feel too full to have too much of the high-calorie food.
9. Stop before you feel too full.
The most horrible feeling is eating until you're so full, you have trouble breathing. Don't make this mistake.
As soon as your body signals to you it's had enough, stop immediately.
If necessary, get up from the table, and do something else. You will thank yourself later.
10. Have the right mindset.
There are two things you need to remember to prep yourself for before and during the day.
Firstly, a Thanksgiving meal is just like any other meal.
Second, it's okay to eat a bit more than usual.
The logic behind this is if you treat this day as a super special day and think it's your last or once-in-a-year chance to have certain kinds of food, you will be much more likely to have the urge to eat as much as you can.
On the other hand, if you are too extreme about restricting food on the day, just like any other crash diet, your mental energy will quickly be drained.
By dinner time, you will overcompensate by eating whatever is in sight.
Even if it's your favorite holiday, it's also just another Thursday, and you can cook Thanksgiving food any day of the year if you'd like.
It's a holiday, so just accept you will eat more than usual, and know it's okay to do so.
Don't beat yourself up too much. There's always tomorrow to work on losing the weight.
