Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ok, Ladies (and Gentleman), I know a few of you are out of the country, and as such you are immune to the food struggles that come with Thanksgiving (trying to give you a positive to cling to if you're feeling homesick!).

For the rest of us, here is a scary statistic according to the editors of Men's Health: The average American consumes 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving day. The folks at the American Council on Exercise say it's 3000 calories.

Either way, that's A LOT!

So, here is to wish you smart decisions. You can still enjoy Thanksgiving without giving in to your ultimate health goals. Count your calories while counting your blessings! Using the fact that it's Thanksgiving and there is a lot of good food as an excuse to overeat is dangerous and, frankly, dumb. We are all strong and we can have a great, enjoyable Thanksgiving without hurting our overall goals.

That being said, if you fall victim to overeating, for whatever reason, here are a couple of tricks:

1. Skip the turkey skin. That's where most of the meat's fat lives.
2. Drink milk with high fat foods. It helps your body eliminate fat.
3. Go for a long walk AFTER the meal. Heavy workouts before often make people feel entitled to eat a lot, because they burned a lot of calories in the day. But, to burn 3000 calories, you need to run for 4 HOURS at a moderate pace.Of course, running 5k before and then walking a couple of miles after dinner isn't such a bad idea ... unless you use it as an excuse to engorge!
4. Pillsbury crescent rolls have 110 calories in them.
5.  Half a cup of sweet potatoes, baked, is 90 calories - that's without marshmallows, butter, or brown sugar.
6. 3 ounces of turkey breast is 89 calories; 3 ounces of dark meat is about 165 calories. That's before butter is added (often used in roasting a turkey).
7. The leftovers are just as dangerous - that means multiplying the over eating by numerous meals. Think about healthy leftover ideas. (I posted a few here as well).

Overall, don't beat your self if you do go a little crazy. But at the same time, don't find yourself saying "It's Thanksgiving. It's supposed to be about a lot of food." Because it isn't.

It's Thanksgiving. It's supposed to be about being thankful. And I am thankful for the support y'all have sent my way this past year! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving