At Venice Nutrition, we’ve written quite a few blogs and articles over the years on how to survive Thanksgiving while maintaining your health goals.  We’ve talked about how to best prepare for this food-filled holiday while providing you with realistic tips and tricks on how to enjoy the festivities without going overboard.  And of course we highly recommend that you read those blogs (“Thanksgiving- How To Stay On Course With Your Nutrition” and “Holiday Secrets From A Nutrition Coach and Chef”) to help arm yourself with realistic ways to feel your best this Thanksgiving.

As important as these blogs are, this year we decided to do something a little differently.  We wanted to help you on how to not only survive Thanksgiving, but provide you with a game plan for the next day!  For some, it takes only one day of indulging to fall off track, and that is why this blog is so important; use it as your blue print to stay committed to your health and get back on course to achieving your goals.  Here’s your day-after survival plan.

1.        When you over-indulge (as most of us do on Thanksgiving), your blood sugar levels spike, only to crash a few hours later.  It’s important to be aware that when your blood sugar levels raise and dip, you will feel the effects the next day (and possible for a few days after).  You may feel tired, cranky and crave carbohydrates more than usual.  If you’ve had alcohol, you may be feeling even worse.  Rather than give in to the crash and fuel up on more fat and carbs, the best thing to do the next day is to eat balanced meals one hour within waking and every 3 or 4 hours until you go to sleep.  The sooner you eat balanced meals again, the quicker you’ll get back into fat burning mode.  This will allow you to re-stabilize your blood sugar and get your body back into a balanced state, making you feel better sooner.

2.        If you’re the host of Thanksgiving dinner, you probably have a lot of not-so-healthy leftovers.  Try storing some of these leftovers in the back of the fridge (or in another fridge away from the main kitchen if you have one).  This will help you to avoiding “picking” out of the fridge.    Another option is to send home leftovers with guests.  The old saying, “out of sight, out of mind” really applies here!

3.       If you do want leftovers, aim for the healthier ones such as white breast turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and vegetables.  Watch portion sizes and try to create a balanced plate of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

4.       Drink extra water.  Chances are, you probably consumed more salt than you normally would at Thanksgiving, and may be experiencing some bloating.  Increasing your H20 intake slightly can help to alleviate this and ward off carb cravings.

5.       Don’t forget to exercise.  Even if you have only 20 minutes the day after the holiday, take the time to work out.  A power walk outdoors or a quick lifting session will rejuvenate you, burn excess calories and get your body back in fat burning mode.  If you’re feeling stressed from the holiday, a yoga video, meditation or a pilates class is a great way to re-center yourself.

6.       Make an extra effort to stay on track the following week.  If you’ve consumed too much on Thanksgiving, avoiding excess cheat meals and eating cleaner the following week can help balance the equation.

And lastly, remember Thanksgiving is meant to be enjoyed.  Even the fittest and healthiest people indulge occassionally!  The key is to get yourself right back on track as soon as you can.  Balance is always key to long term success.

We wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.  Enjoy!

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition Team