Marine Corps Base Hawaii -- Thanksgiving is a week away. Visiting family, going to parties and indulging in a huge array of food is right around the corner. Thanksgiving dinner is widely known as a meal where people “eat their body weight in food and drinks,” but it doesn’t have to be that way. Anyone can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal without adding a new notch to his or her belt.
The average Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, a various array of pies and a few alcoholic beverages.
This turkey day dinner is around 3,000 calories and 229 grams of fat. That’s more than double the calories and more than three and a half times the daily-recommended amount of fat. Those 3,000 calories are equivalent to five and a half Big Macs and 229 grams of fat is equal to eight cups of ice cream.
To burn this entire meal, a person would have to walk over 30 miles according to http://www.scu.edu.
The average person gains one pound of fat, approximately 3,500 calories, during the holiday season, while an overweight person can gain around five pounds. Throughout the next year, the person usually doesn’t lose that extra weight.
This one meal can almost add a pound to a person’s frame permanently. That is just Thanksgiving. Don’t forget there is also Christmas, New Years and other various holidays and parties throughout November, December and January.
During the holiday season it should be a person’s goal to maintain their weight, not lose weight, since most people usually gain unnoticed weight. It is recommended to wait until after New Years to work towards weight loss.
Four tips to keep from over indulging are to stay hydrated, don’t arrive hungry, pre-plan and survey the buffet. Drinking plenty of water will keep those hunger pangs under control, helping manage overeating.
“Don’t starve yourself before dinner,” said Beckie Page, personal trainer and assistant manager for Semper Fit Center gym. “Drink lots of water. Have some fruit like an apple beforehand to keep from over-eating.”
Everyone should eat regularly throughout the day to keep from stuffing themselves at dinner.
“Portion control is important,” Page said. “When I eat I use a small plate and never go back for seconds.”
Pre-planning how much one wants to eat or drink can also help keep from overindulging once the food is laid out on the table, according to http://www.scu.edu. Before actually piling food onto that plate, it is recommended to survey the buffet and search for lower calorie choices and decide what foods are a must and which are a lust. By doing so a person could cut out empty calories.
“Empty calories are the worst calories,” Page said. “You can substitute fatty ingredients in grandma’s famous pecan pie or garlic mashed potatoes without sacrificing taste. There’s websites like http://www.foodnetwork.com that can help find healthy substitutes or recipes. And I’m not saying to go and eat a tofu turkey, just substitute a few ingredients and make it a healthier meal.”
For the Thanksgiving cook, there are many substitutes for the fatty oils, heavy cream and butters according to http://www.uthouston.edu. By avoiding those extra calories, the diners can worry less about what’s on their plates and enjoy the meal. Dark meat and the skin of the turkey hold the most calories and fat so serving only white skinless turkey can save diners unneeded calories. Gravy can be made from fat-free turkey broth instead of the fatty drippings. Using the potato skin in mashed potatoes can add fiber and replacing whole milk with skim milk will lower the caloric content. Replacing stick butter with whipped butter and replacing pie crusts with cinnamon gram crackers eliminate useless calories.
“Everyone has to have a cheat day,” Page said. “Think treat not cheat. You can workout the morning before. You can even make it a family activity like a family run or participate in a turkey day run. Do a fun workout and totally enjoy your dinner. Don’t cheat yourself on Thanksgiving.”
After dinner many people gather in a room and lounge around and talk. Why not change that and start a new tradition of going for a walk after dinner, playing football or taking the children to the park to play, according to http://www.scu.edu. Being active this Thanksgiving can help burn off a few of those gained calories.
Also, Nov. 29 is the Turkey Burn-Off at the Semper Fit Gym from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Anyone 12 or older can participate and win prizes.
Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and friends and being thankful. By using these tips and information, anyone can enjoy their meal and avoid gaining a few pounds.