Make Those Calories Count

Savor your favorite foods this Thanksgiving…  

I love Thanksgiving. It’s a break from work to enjoy family and friends and an opportunity to soak up the last of our fall weather. I look forward to the warmth of the kitchen, the smell of cornbread dressing baking in the oven and the license to eat sweet potatoes for days. What’s not to love?

As a registered dietitian you’d probably expect me to be doling out advice on how to stay slim today… eat some carrot sticks or some bell pepper sticks with hummus? Yeah. Those foods are all great but that’s not what I’m here to say. Not today.

What I’m here to tell you today is to make those calories count! What do I mean?

Go for the foods you love at grandma’s house. Skip the store bought dinner rolls, dry macaroni and cheese and mealy mashed potatoes. Savor what tastes really good. This works over the holidays and everyday.

Now if you know me, you know I’m not big on calorie counting. It’s too much work and doesn’t always tell the full story. Around this time of year, I get lots of questions about how to stay slim over the holidays. I work a lot with people who want to lose weight all year long. The struggle is real. The thought of giving up your favorite foods forever is just too much to fathom. Thankfully you don’t have to. Just be selective.

Be selective. Eat the foods that are really worth it. Leave the other stuff right where you found it… laying around on the kitchen counter or lurking in the corner of the break room at work.

Simply ask yourself… Is it worth it? If it is, go all in. If not, save those calories for the next plate.

This year I am only making sides and desserts but I look forward to relaxing and enjoying time with some of my favorite people throughout the long weekend. What calories will you most enjoy this Thanksgiving?