Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Eat Guilt-Free on Thanksgiving


Use these 5 strategies, and your meal won't ruin your waistline

Thanksgiving was created for indulging, so go ahead and do it. Here are five tricks to help you savor the feast guilt-free:

Start the day with this 20-minute, no-gear workout. You can do it at home or at your in-laws' to burn off some of the calories you'll consume later. Or go for a walk or run—any excuse to escape your crazy family is a good one, right?

Eat off of smaller plates. Less food will look like more, so you'll be more likely to stick to reasonable portion sizes. And fill up half of your plate with veggies—either naked ones, or try these slimmed-down versions of green bean casserole and candied sweet potatoes.

Have a little dark meat, if you want it. An ounce of dark turkey meat contains just 8 more calories than an ounce of white meat, and the extra fat will help you feel fuller. Plus, only a third of the fat is saturated, and 86 percent of that has no impact on cholesterol, or raises HDL (good) cholesterol.

Savor dessert. Pumpkin pie (sans whipped cream) is one of the best picks since it doesn't have a top. Leave a little crust behind, and you'll skinny it up even more.

Stick to your normal (and healthy) workout and eating plan on the days leading up to and following T-Day. Sure you know it, but a reminder never hurts (and neither does thinking of your holiday LBD you want to fit into).

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