It’s that time of year again…. time to give thanks for everything that we have, time to be with friends and family and of course, EAT! This is the time of year that personal trainers like me are one of two things, either extremely busy or extremely slow. People have good intentions when it comes to exercising and being healthy but this time of year, we all have a way of letting things fall by the wayside just a little…or a lot. Most people want to enjoy their Thanksgivings without the pressure of having to count calories, watch what their macros are for the day or calculating their calories. I’m more of a realistic trainer and everything that I’ve just mentioned, I totally understand that mentality of the individuals that embrace this mindset. I always say that food was meant to be enjoyed and on Thanksgiving, many people look forward to foods that they may not have the luxury of being able to eat all year, so we tend to indulge ourselves, right?! Well, let me be one of a handful of trainers to say, don’t worry it’s okay. We’ll get through this together. But John, how? Well, the first thing to do is to STOP IT! It’s not life and death and eating a little bit more isn’t going to hurt anything. Also, if you’ve chosen NOW to start worrying about the food you’re consuming and in what quantities, you may need to re-evaluate your game plan. You should have started monitoring things waaaay back in January, not November. For some people, fighting the battle of the holiday bulge isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do but here are some tips to make eating better and keeping more positive habits during the holiday season.

DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP. You’re only human and one of the things that makes us human is eating. It’s amazing how many people beat themselves up on a daily basis because their weight isn’t a certain number on the scale, or their clothes are a little bit tighter than usual. You deserve to be happy above everything else and if eating the foods that you want is going to keep you on the up and up, go for it. What you do need, is a gameplan to becoming more aware of the foods you’re eating and in what amounts more often.

THE SCALE IS A DAMN LIAR. I heard once in a comedy show that men have a great relationship with their bodies as opposed to women because we don’t worry about how people perceive our physique and how we look. WRONG! I’m one of the worst and I know a lot of other men feel the same way, just because we don’t vocalize our struggles as much doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. What usually is one thing that is a constant reminder and discourager is the dreaded scale. Every few days or every week, people stand on this thing and wait for a reading. The reading mentally dictates how we see ourselves from a physical standpoint until the next time we perform this task. The scale is just that, a tool to utilize to give us an idea of how we want to start or continue to make healthier choices for ourselves. It’s not a death sentence. It’s not supposed to discourage you, although I understand why it does. We have certain expectations before we step on the scale as to what our weight should be and if it isn’t that, then something’s wrong with us that needs fixing. This is totally not true and during the holidays, it’s best not to even step on the scale. Put it in the closet until the urge has passed to monitor your weight around the holidays.

CHOOSE HEALTHY OPTIONS AT THANKSGIVING DINNER. One of the things that you can control is the foods you’re choosing to eat during those holiday dinners. Instead of eating the greasy, carbohydrate-loaded fattier foods, choose foods that are leaner and less dense in volume, so you won’t feel as bloated or ‘stuffed’. There’s no rule that says you have to eat a little of everything at the table or just the foods that are cooked in vegetable oil either. You control your own meal-planning and on the holidays, it’s imperative to implement it, especially if you feel that gouging yourself is going to make you more depressed the next few days afterwards.

DRINK WATER! In ways of drinking around the holidays, for many people, water is the last thing that would be considered to go with Thanksgiving dinner, so usually we opt for sodas, wine, beer and sometimes, hard liquor. Facts: not drinking alcohol won’t make you a pussy. Annnd, you don’t need alcohol to enjoy the atmosphere or the company either. Alcohol contains carbs that tend to linger long after we’ve drank the alcohol of our choosing so that’s another deterrent from drinking right there! The holidays are hectic enough with everything that we have to do, make sure a DUI isn’t one of them. If you are drinking, be an adult and use your head, drink responsibly.

PACE YOURSELF. During Thanksgiving, we tend to speed up our eating to savor the tastes of the food that we ingest. Did you know that if you just slow you’re eating down, you’ll consume fewer calories? No, it’s true. Eating slower gives your brain the needed time to receive the signal from the stomach that it’s full. So slow down, take a few seconds to listen to Aunt Ida’s story about her casino trip in between bites and enjoy the gift of fewer calories.

TAKE A WALK AFTERWARDS. Dinner is over and what do you do now? Take a walk sounds like a good idea! Burn some of those calories off after dinner with a brisk or not so brisk walk with your family. Make it a new Thanksgiving tradition that the whole family will benefit from!

The holidays can be a particularly stressful time of the year for many people thinking about the responsibilities of the holiday and the meal they are preparing. If you wish to be proactive, plan out your meal from start to finish, what foods you are going to eat and what amounts. It may seem a little pretentious but if you are serious about keeping your weight down this Thanksgiving, you’ll put in the work. Don’t let this Thanksgiving be the holiday that ruins your fitness goals!

John J. Schessler, Jr. is a Pittsburgh-based Personal Trainer, Men’s Health Coach, Motivational Speaker and Writer. He is also host of the podcast, “Flip Your Script”, available wherever podcasts can be downloaded. John has been working in the fitness industry for over 15 years and continues to enjoy helping people become the best versions of themselves. For personal training or speaking inquiries or bookings, please email pghwellnesspt@gmail.com.

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