During the holiday season it is easy to pack on the pounds. Between visiting families, parties with friends and all of the food gifts that get dropped off at the office it is no wonder people gain weight. According to Natalie Digate , thanksgiving has become a ritual to overeat and indulge and then lounge and be lazy the rest of the day (1). Thanksgiving has become about the two F’s, food and football. This combination, if done the wrong way, can be destructive to reaching weight loss goals.
In the same article, it discusses substitutions for your thanksgiving meal. With proper planning you can ensure that you won’t become derailed this holiday season.
- Make some easy Turkey day substitutions.For example:
- Eat the white meat without the skin instead of the dark meat with skin and shave off 190 calories.Turkey — white meat, no skin (6oz): 180 calories, 3g fat
Turkey – dark meat, with skin (6oz): 370 calories, 20g fat - Make your own cranberries rather than the jellied stuff and save 120 calories.Cranberries (boiled in sugar) (1/2 cup): 100 calories, <1g fat
Jellied cranberry sauce (1/2 cup): 220 calories, <1g fat - Cut the marshmallows on your sweet potatoes and instead add a little bit of spice to save 100 calories.Sweet potatoes, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg (2/3c): 200 calories, 3g fat
Candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows (2/3c): 300 calories, 3g fat - Skip the green bean casserole and instead just steam some green beans and cut 110 calories.Steamed green beans (1/2C): 20 calories, <1g fat
Green bean casserole (1/2C): 130 calories, 7 g fat - Choose pumpkin pie over the pecan pie for dessert and decrease your caloric intake by 160 calories.Pumpkin pie (1/8 pie): 340 calories, 15g fat
Pecan pie (1/8 pie): 500 calories, 25g fat - Add it all up and you find that you’ve saved yourself 650 calories.
More Healthy Total: 850 calories, 23g fat
Less Healthy Total: 1500 calories, 56g fat
- Eat the white meat without the skin instead of the dark meat with skin and shave off 190 calories.Turkey — white meat, no skin (6oz): 180 calories, 3g fat
If your still on the fence about making a weight loss goal, then you should seriously consider starting now before the holiday season sabotages your waistline. A proper nutrition program that combines moderation and ease may be the ticket to the weight loss show.
1) Digate, N. (2011). “How Can I have a Healthy Thanksgiving?” American Council on Exercise. http://www.acefitness.org/article/3303/?utm_source=Health%2BeTips&utm_medium=email&utm_term=November%2B2011&utm_campaign=Consumer%2BOutreach&CMP=EMC-HET_1111
