Thanksgiving is on its way!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! How many of us tend to eat so much on Thanksgiving that we are miserable? We know that we do! And how many of us tell ourselves, "It's just once a year," or "It's Thanksgiving; this is what we do on Thanksgiving!" So instead of feeling miserable this Thanksgiving, let's help each other to avoid over eating.

Here are some tips and tricks from me and Dan that may help you avoid overeating this year.

Reflect on Your Emotional Triggers
For many of us, emotional triggers are the main culprit of our over eating tendencies. Holidays can intensify these emotional triggers because of the memories attached to them, both good and bad ones. Before you head to a party or dinner, take a moment or two to think about your favorite holiday foods and the memories attached with them. By giving mindful attention to your feelings, you maybe reduce the temptation to try to bring on happy feelings with an extra handful of cookies or to drown bad ones with a glass or two or three of eggnog.

In conjunction with mindful attention to your feeling, make sure you have a strategy in place so that even at your weakest point in time, you can overcome those emotional triggers or social pressures.

Have a Strategy
Before you head to the party or the dinner table, try one or all of these strategies to help you make healthier choices.

• Drink a glass of water before you eat. Ah, the classic "drink a glass of water before you eat" tip. But, it really does work. Water fills you up and also keeps you hydrated which helps to curb cravings.
• Start with the fruits and veggies. Many of us don't eat enough vegetables anyway, so take this opportunity to eat the healthier options first. By the time you get to the cheesecake and chocolate dip, you may find that you have less room to overindulge in high-calorie foods.
• Eat slowly and wait 20 minutes before you go back for seconds or dessert. From the time you are full, it takes about 20 minutes for your digestive system to get this message to your brain. By waiting 20 minutes, you might find you don't want seconds or dessert after all.
• Try small amounts of your favorite holiday treats. After you have had a healthy serving of protein, veggies and a carb (smart carbs like low-fat dairy, whole grain breads, fruit, corn, oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain pasta, root vegetables, and legumes), give your taste buds a little treat.
• Limit your alcohol intake. Many of us enough a little adult beverage every now and again, but there are many reasons to limit your alcohol intake. First, alcohol contains empty calories. Second, alcohol inhibits your judgement which can cause you to say "screw it!" and stuff your face with everything holiday sweet and treat in sight. Last but not least, there are significant health risks to excess drinking.
• If you do have more than one alcoholic drink, make a point to drink a full glass of water between drinks. It will slow you down, fill you up, and help keep you from getting dehydrated.
• If you are hosting a gathering, buy the low-fat cheese for snack trays and recipes. Also buy the lower calorie eggnog. If you make eggnog from scratch, use low fat or nonfat milk.
• Stick to your exercise routine or start one. And if you are feeling motivated, kick it up a couple notches during the holiday season.
• Make a list of all the reasons you do not want to gain weight over the holidays. Read the list every day and remind yourself of it whenever you are tempted to overeat.
• Don't deprive yourself. All in all, the worst thing you can do to yourself this holiday season is deprive yourself. When we put labels like "bad" or "can't have" on certain foods, we tend to be even more attracted to those foods and often set ourselves up for failure. If you have a small serving of your favorite holiday treats that are around only one time throughout the year, don't beat yourself up! Continue to make healthy choices a majority of the time, stick to your routine and workouts and enjoy yourself and time with your family and friends!