Consider this before you pull on your Thanksgiving sweatpants.
The average American will consume a whopping 3500-4500 calories on Thanksgiving day.
So what are some ways you can combat the onslaught of unhealthy, albeit delicious calorie bombs lurking on the Thanksgiving table? Before you chow down tomorrow, consider these three simple ways to counteract the seemingly inevitable holiday weight gain.
Three ways to beat the Thanksgiving bloat.
1. If your house is anything like ours, there is a bevy of snacks set out long before the Thanksgiving meal actually begins. Intentionally use this opportunity to choose healthy snacks. It’s so cliche, but it’s true – garbage in, garbage out. Don’t waste your Thanksgiving calories on your snack choices. Make sure you are setting your body up for success by choosing fruit, nuts, or lean meat to snack on.
2. It’s dinnertime, so now what? It seems obvious, but portion control is critical! Just because Aunt Greta brought a gallon size bucket of sweet potatoes, doesn’t mean you have to eat half of the gallon. An easy way to gauge appropriate portion sizes is using your hand.
- Your palm determines your protein portions.
- Your fist determines your vegetable portions.
- Your cupped hand determines your carb portions.
- Your thumb determines your fat portions.
Small helpings mean you can successfully enjoy everything on the table without feeling the guilt and physical discomfort of overindulging.
3. And finally, choose to #optoutside. Originally started as an ad campaign by REI a few years ago, #optoutside means just that. Instead of pounding the pavement in search of the best deals, go take a walk, a hike, or dare I say it, a swim? Regardless, get your body moving to burn off some the excess calories from the day before.
Now go eat some guilt-free turkey!
Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.