Real World 101: Life After College

Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays.

It’s impossible to be thankful and unhappy at the same time. The two emotions cannot coexist.  Thankfulness magically gets rid of every other non-happy emotion there is.

I want you to celebrate the great holiday, but let’s try to mindlessly eat a little less than we otherwise would.

Here's five ideas for you today!

Wear Your Best Belt. It’s a lot easier to stop eating when you know you’re full. One great clue is when your clothes and belt starts telling you, sounds obvious, but stopping when you're full is probably one of the harder things to do at the Thanksgiving table when everyone else is helping themselves to seconds. It will be easier to stop if you slow down, drink water, wear snug pants and push away from the table when you're done.

Save your Calories for Dinner. If you want to be a great guest and enjoy the meal the most, skip the hors d'oeurves. A great basic rule-of-thumb is don’t eat anything that doesn't require a knife and fork.

 

Focus on the Special Stuff. Don't waste your calories on large portions of food you can eat everyday. Limit the variety you have. Let's make a rule. Only two items on your plate at any one time. Having a lot of different items on your plate at once stimulates the appetite so therefore don't have 20 different things on your plate.

Small seconds are better than Big Firsts. Some people show their love through food. Research on memory shows that your Aunt Grace won’t remember how much you take, but she will remember if you liked it enough to take seconds. Especially if you announce it. Take two small helpings of key foods than one medium/large portion.

Forget the Post Dinner Snacks We won’t starve if we skip the late night turkey sandwich. Quarter up an apple. This is a great time to focus on the family and not on the food.

 
Most importantly, don't sweat it if you make a dietary mistake. We all will. And we'll have the other 364 days to do it right.