This year at Thanksgiving

For me, Thanksgivings past have been spent in full-on PIG OUT mode. There are so many delicious options and so much of them that it was just a time for me to enjoy myself - I was in comfort mode. Comfort, I've noticed, is often paired with food for me. When Babe and I catch up on television shows we'll sit on the couch and I'll have to have something to eat - just the two of us in the quiet of our home (kids are in bed!) makes me feel so comfortable and cozy that it only makes sense that food be brought into the equation!

Dressing, baked macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, rolls, greens, pound cake, sweet potato pie - oh my! Lay that out in front of me Thanksgivings past and I would have easily consumed 3,000 calories in ONE meal. I'd be sure to hit it again on the Friday after - another 2,000+ calories in one sitting. Well this year at Thanksgiving things were different.

In August I started using the website myfitnesspal and I've learned a lot about myself and my eating habits since then. I've lost some weight and week after week I'm closer to my goal. So this "Turkey Day" I woke up and took some deep breaths before the festivities started, I didn't want any setbacks because of the holiday. I did a short but quality workout, used the website to enter the food I planned on eating with our family and friends - including drinks and dessert - and I knew that as long as I stuck to that plan I would stay within the day's calorie budget. I also planned on doing some "Just Dance" songs with the kids, a little exercise is good for everyone and every little bit helps!

So I ate what I planned on, except for the apple pie and vanilla ice cream I thought I'd want, and found that I can be in a comfortable setting (family and friends) and not have to overeat to seal the deal. We ate, cleaned up a bit, danced with the kids, then just hung out. Nothing about all the food in the kitchen said I had to be eating all day just because. THAT was new for me!

If nothing else I'm finding that the weight-loss website is teaching me so much, but most of all I am learning that all it takes is a little planning. Whether I'm going to the movies with the girls, eating out with Babe, shopping with my besty, or sitting down to a huge meal on Thanksgiving - planning will make all the difference in the world...and on the scale!