Calories in Your Thanksgiving Meal

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. It is shocking that it is here so soon....but I have been saying that all year about every holiday. 2010 has zoomed right on by, and in a little over a month will be gone.





Lets talk about your Thanksgiving meal, and how many calories and fat grams will be in it. Of course this is one of those times that we let go of our limiting the calories, and eat more than we normally do. It is a special day of celebration, eating and drinking more, is expected.





There are a few things that you might want to know before you over indulge on this holiday. For instance; the average Thanksgiving meal has around 3,000 calories, and 229 grams of fat in it. Remember, that is just for "one" meal, not including what you eat after wards or before your holiday feast.



If you base your calorie intake at 2,000 a day maximum, clearly you will be over your max with this one meal. The average person should not have more than 80 to 100 grams of fat per day, so you can see that 229 grams of fat are excessive.





If you wanted to exercise this meal off you would have to walk approximately thirty miles to do it. That my dear friends would take you six to ten hours to get it done. You could run it off, but you would have to run for four to five hours straight to achieve that kind of caloric burn. You could bike it off too, but be prepared to ride about 80 to 100 miles in order to burn that kind of meal off.


One thing you can do though, is down size your portions. Down sizing is all the rage these days anyway so, eat half of the mashed potatoes and gravy you would normally eat. Take larger portions of salad, or food items that have less fat or sugar in them. Have half the dessert that you would normally have, and stay away from snacking on cookies and such.


If you are one of those that eat celery stuffed with cream cheese, you might want to know that each celery stalk with cheese is approximately 45 calories, having just four of these adds almost 200 calories to your meal. Snacking on a half of a cup of mixed nuts, which many do for their holiday meal, is a whopping 440 calories. Just in those two snack you can add over 600 calories to your meal, and you haven't even started with the main course yet.



You can throw caution to the wind on Thanksgiving, and eat what ever your hearts desire, but understand the consequences if you are trying to lose some weight. This meal will throw you off track if you don't use some constraint. Most people do not like the feeling of being overly full after a meal like this. It can be quite uncomfortable and make you fell tired and bloated. Showing a little constraint can cut down on your calorie intake, and help you to feel better physically and mentally.



Its up to you, as it always is, to decide how you will proceed during your holiday eating. Are you going to gain that extra five to ten pounds that will make you unhappy? Or are you going to use some discipline by reducing the intake of "too" much unhealthy food this year, and feel good about your self after the holidays have come and gone?


You can still enjoy these fun foods by eating smaller portions. Moderation is the key. You will feel better both physically, and mentally, by exercising your will power, discipline, and desire to achieve your weight loss goal.




I hope your Thanksgiving is full of fun, family, loved ones, and healthy good food! Enjoy!!



Till Friday,
Queenie