Thanksgiving can leave you feeling like a beached whale or a sluggish hippo. That’s because people shove their faces with copious amounts of food until they can no longer move. Americans are glutinous, especially on Thanksgiving. How you recover after the big meal can actually influence how you eat for the rest of the holiday season.
Fitness and nutrition experts alike believe that it’s best recover from the Thanksgiving feast by building sustainable habits. Most people try to work out excessively or skip meals to balance out the absurd caloric intake. Not only is this not healthy or feasible, but it is also not a lasting way to be healthy, especially if you want to avoid weight gain during the holidays. We have some recommendations that can help you recover the right way after binge-eating on Thanksgiving.
Have A Plan For The Rest Of The Weekend
Anyone who has experienced the Thanksgiving feast knows that it is not a single day event. The excessive eating typically extends through the weekend, racking up calories from leftovers, sweets, and alcohol intake. To avoid the increased caloric intake over the weekend, develop a plan for each day after Thanksgiving. Whether it is a family soccer game in the backyard, movie day, taking a walk around the neighborhood, or a cold plunge in the swimming pool, having a plan keeps you from becoming bored. What do you do when you’re bored? You keep eating all day.
Keep A Wellness Journal
This practice is applicable for anyone who is trying to be healthy, but it is very beneficial for logging your food intake on Thanksgiving. When you have a document of how much you actually ate, you are more likely to eat better going forward. In a wellness journal, you can document everything from food intake and exercise to meditation and sleep. This makes you more aware of the current state of your health, which can propel you in a healthier direction. If you don’t want a physical journal, there are many apps that help you log these things.
Don’t Get Trapped By Mall Food On Black Friday
If you rush to the mall like a bat out of hell, don’t get trapped by the food court. For the most part, these food courts do not have healthy options, and people choose the quick and easy options so they can get back to shopping. Instead, pack some fresh fruit like apples, mandarines, and pears, all of which are in season, in a bag to snack on during the day. These fruits provide you with fiber that keep you full throughout your shopping experience.
Make Balanced Meals From Your Leftovers
If you continue to eat leftovers throughout the weekend, you’ll feel sluggish and run-down. There are ways to incorporate leftovers into meals without the meals being unhealthy. Chop up some leftover turkey and toss it into a lovely green salad. Top a quinoa Buddha bowl with leftover sweet potatoes and other sautéed vegetables. Cook some garlic, onion, and spinach, fold that mixture into leftover mashed potatoes, and sauté some potato spinach cakes.
Don’t Avoid Food In The Following Days
Contrary to popular belief, avoiding meals will lead to unhealthy binge-eating, which you already did on Thanksgiving. The best thing you can do to recover is to start your day with a healthy breakfast and continue eating throughout the day. Start off with a bowl of oatmeal, chia pudding, a green smoothie, or a simple fruit salad. The body reacts to routine and regular behavior, so continue to eat throughout the weekend without overindulging. Practice consistency throughout the remainder of the year and your body will thank you.
