Thanksgiving!! I’m Going In!!

Nutrition: Old School Style! (The Days of Deprivation Are Over)!

I traveled extensively but never lost my Southern roots. One of my favorite holidays of the year is Thanksgiving. It is a time of celebration where people are generally happier around the world and gather together to enjoy the day or weekend. The Thanksgiving festivities are a welcome moment; it’s an invitation to settle into the coziness of fireplaces and toasty beverages.

Thanksgiving is snuggled in one of the greatest times of the year… the fall. Fall (my vote for nature’s most beautiful season) is experienced when all the green leaves on a tree suddenly turn shades of burgundy, gold, red, and burnt orange. Isn’t that amazing? No need to paint them, decorate them or alter their colors in any way. One seasonal change on the calendar and voila! The scenes in our neighborhood and communities look picturesque. The temperature drops daily and my heart feels warm and fuzzy all over, with an urgent need to make homemade soup in a crock pot. I’m such a fall baby.

Thanksgiving is forever linked to incredible times of connecting with loved ones. For some of us, our families may have to travel a great distance to be together. For others, a trip to the hosting house is a casual walk down the street or less than a 20-minute drive across town. Preparation for the festivities began earlier in the week. The turkeys were purchased and some of the relatives have agreed to bring their favorite meal contributions for the day. Is there someone in your family that can make the best candied yams ever? Or a mean pan of homemade mac and cheese that always runs out every year? I mean, why don’t they just bring two pans, right? And ever since I’ve had fried turkey, I can’t seem to go back to the traditional bird.

All of us have a special dish we love that reminds us of… old school Thanksgiving. What is old school Thanksgiving? It’s reminiscing, taking a walk down memory lane. It’s time spent thinking about certain habits that are significant to our family on this particular holiday. Can I share that for some, these memories are loaded with laughter, while for others it may be a real struggle just to get through the day?

One thing that remains the same for Thanksgiving is the food. In my nutrition class, I explained that it would be incredibly ridiculous to expect someone to have a salad as their only meal on Thanksgiving Day! I would have been laughed off the platform by my clients if I made a crazy request like that. We have grown up accustomed to specific foods that are associated with this holiday. Your family and friends are in the living room and kitchen screaming at the TV while watching football on Turkey Day. They are devouring buffalo wings and nacho cheese appetizers. Everyone is having an absolute blast. During the holiday, I asked that each individual in the group commit to my Thanksgiving Challenge. Requirements:

1. Eat a genuine Thanksgiving meal.
2. Exercise for 30 minutes on Wednesday pre-Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day and the day after.
3. Eat whatever you desire as long as it fits on the smaller plate. No fence around the plate is allowed and cannot be piled vertically. (above pic)
4. For dessert, eat a small slice of cake, pie or favorite dish.
5. Absolutely enjoy time with your family and friends and try to be more engaged in spending time with them.

The challenge is whether the person can be more mindful of the “amount” of food they are eating and still have a great time with their loved ones. Throughout this book, you have heard the words smaller chunks with the intent to consider small changes. Small changes that are well thought out can have a significant impact on your health and wellness goals without being too dramatic.

Priority One Mindset: The larger plate in the pictures contained everything I used to eat on a regular Thanksgiving plate. The smaller plate used to be for desserts that consisted of one slice of pound cake, sweet potato pie and pecan pie. In the past three years, I have decided to continue to enjoy my desserts but eating only a slice of one of my favorites. Or I would share a few bites of dessert with a family member on the same mission. At the end of the day, I didn’t feel full or stuffed, but quite satisfied.

Our primary theme throughout this book is becoming Priority One. Our secondary theme is processing our reprioritization goals in smaller chunks. We don’t have to sacrifice all the things we like. We simply need to make them fit into a more successful lifestyle. For many who love a good hearty meal on a holiday, there’s no need to be deprived of a meal you associate with family, friends, love and connection. These are characteristics of old school style eating.

For three years, all the groups participated in the Thanksgiving Challenge and no one ever felt deprived. Old school style eating is enjoying the childhood dishes you grew up loving. Now they can still be the talk of the holiday with a few tweaks and a Priority One mindset. Can you see yourself giving consideration to a smaller plate challenge? This challenge can be for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries or any day on your calendar. Laugh, eat, have fun and be mindful of the quantity. Those are win-win combinations that will have you ending the day like a champ and taking your nutritional journey to a whole new level.

Reflection: What is your go-to item you must have on Thanksgiving Day? Everybody has at least one. Who is the family chef who makes this dish? How does it relate to you when you eat it? Do you close your eyes on the first bite, throw your head back? Or are you a side-to-side head shaker as you partake?

Could you see yourself trying the Thanksgiving Challenge? If not, is there a particular day or event you would consider the small plate meal as an option? Maybe at a wedding, reunion, picnic or retirement ceremony? You are worth the adjustment without the deprivation. Allow me to say that again. You are worth the adjustment without the deprivation! Changing a nutritional mindset is real life and I totally believe you can meet this goal with great success.