Just as luck has it, you made it through Halloween and resisted the candy being pushed towards you. You’re feeling strong and cruising successfully right along with your healthy eating plans. Then it hits you. It’s November and Thanksgiving starts to creep into the forefront of your mind.
You may even start salivating just thinking about the turkey, gravy, dressing, green bean casserole, and pie you will be eating. Yea right. Like you’ll be able to stick to your diet now! There is no doubt, the holidays are certainly full of unhealthy temptation which are seemingly constructed with the sole purpose to derail your journey to a slim, trim, and, most importantly, a healthy new you. But don’t fret, you are not doomed. I have some helpful suggestions.
Smaller servings. We all struggle with serving sizes. That’s the problem with America, there is a lot of food (especially really good high calorie and high fat food), dinner
plates and utensils have grown in size, and ultimately as a nation, so has our bellies and our health bills. So what is a person to do? To start, serve up on smaller dishes such as salad dishes instead of the modern conventional dinner plate. You will have less of an area to work with which translates into piling less food onto your plate. Next, make the switch to using smaller utensils as well. The small plate equates to smaller portions and the smaller fork means smaller bites. This helps you to control how quickly you are eating without having to focus on it real hard.
Relax and enjoy. The slower you eat, the less you eat. Why? Because it takes about 15 
minutes for your brain to register the feeling of being full. Think about how you can scarf bite after bite of food down with ease, then about 15 minutes later you realize you are so full you are sick and you can’t even fit one more bite in you. It’s that waiting period until you recognize you are full that gets you!
Hydrate. Another trick to aid in slowing down the eating process is to be sure to take sips throughout dinner. Try to stick with calorie free or low calorie options like water, unsweetened tea with a lemon, or crystal light. If you like to enjoy a glass of wine like I do, make it into a wine spritzer which can be made of a little lemon or orange zest, sparkling water, and a white wine like Pinot Grigio to control the calories.
More talking, less eating. Also, don’t forget to chat and catch up with the loved ones around you. The more talking the less chewing you will be doing so you get to socialize and pace yourself during your meal. That is a win win!
I know there are other ideas out there – what would you add to this list?
