The BEST Holiday Diet Advice

Very simply....DON'T.

One of the questions I have often been asked at this time of year is: "how should I eat on Thanksgiving (or other holiday of your choice)?"

First of all, I am not a proponent of "diets" in the first place. Diets don't last and if you want results that last you're going to have to find a program that you can do indefinitely. That said, I don't have a diet to offer you in preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday, nor do I have a diet for you to follow afterwards.

Secondly, you do not need to "earn it." If you go into this week thinking you need to exercise more than usual to burn off a bunch of calories in anticipation of the feast on Thursday, it's another way to set yourself up for negative association between food and exercise. Stick to your normal routine, you don't need to double up on your workouts or anything extreme to offset the increase in calories this week.

If you make it a habit and adopt it as your lifestyle to eat healthy, mostly non-processed foods on a daily basis, then you don't need to worry about indulging a little extra on the holiday. Where people tend to get into trouble is where they "diet" their way to the holiday and are so hungry and deprived by the time the big day arrives that they can't help themselves from overeating and often binging which begins a cycle of guilt-diet-binge-guilt.

On Thanksgiving, focus on enjoying the moment and the people you're spending the day with. The food is nice, but if it's not your focal point, it will be less likely to be an obsession. A few things I urge clients to do just to keep things in check:

• Stay hydrated - drink lots of water this week and especially on Thanksgiving and the days following. This will help to flush out the increase in sodium that you are likely to consume which is partially responsible for the bloating you may feel after the meal. 
• Get moving! Take a walk after dinner or hit the gym the morning after. Movement will alleviate the discomfort of the increase in calories.
• Limit the alcohol. Inhibitions are down when you're drinking, so it can be easier to consume foods you normally would not choose. Alcohol can also lead to dehydration which can make you feel pretty uncomfortable. 

Enjoy your holiday. Don't overthink it and don't stress about it. If you focus on being balanced and not overdoing it, you'll be just fine.