By Mimi Swoboda
An average Thanksgiving meal contains approximately 3500 calories. To put this in perspective, the average daily caloric intake varies between 1200 and 2000 calories. How do we realistically manage the impact of consuming in
one meal double what we should be eating in a day? While we definitely couldn’t eat like this on a daily basis, with proper knowledge and preparation, one meal shouldn’t put us back in our fat jeans, even if that meal does hold the same amount of calories as it takes to gain a pound.
Limiting the impact of a holiday meal is done the same way weight is lost and maintained – diet, exercise and willpower. Good food choices are key to limiting the caloric impact of your meal. For example, if you eat a slice of pumpkin pie rather than a slice of pecan pie, you will save yourself 200 calories. Instead of having ¾ of a cup of Sweet Potato Casserole at 624 calories, have a full cup of mashed potatoes, made with whole milk, and take in only 120 calories – that’s a 504 calorie savings!
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To burn the calories you will consume in your Thanksgiving meal, you need to be realistic. There’s no way you are going to burn these all in one day. To burn 500 calories, a
160 pound person could do Zumba for 6.5 hours, jump rope for 4 hours, jog for 5 hours and 45 minutes, or walk 39 miles. Seeing as none of these options are desirable, it makes more sense to add a few extra workouts into your schedule for the week preceding and following your holiday. Many of the local YMCAs will be hosting “Work out before you pork out” classes, varying in format, on the morning of the holiday. Another way to combat the binge via exercise is to already have an established workout routine, which helps raise your metabolism, allowing you to more adequately burn these calories.
Allow yourself to enjoy your holiday. Don’t worry so much about calories that you can’t appreciate the bounty of delicious foods on your plate! Make smart choices and small sacrifices. Make sure half of your plate is filled with
salad and veggies, limit yourself to one roll, and eat slowly so that you fill up more quickly and can really appreciate the flavors. Or, you could do none of this and make black
Friday your fresh start. Either way, have a fantastic Thanksgiving and be good to yourself. Bon Appetit!
Mimi Swoboda is a Personal Trainer at the St. Charles
County Family YMCA. She is certified through the American College of Sports Medicine. Personal Training Sessions are a powerful way to receive the personalized motivation needed for optimum health. Contact your local YMCA for details, or call the St. Charles County Family YMCA at 636-928-1908