Happy New Year

“An attitude of gratitude brings great things”

Yogi Bhajan

Right around the beginning of the month, I started working on this post.

I would jot down an idea or a tip and when I was compiling everything realized the list is rather long but can be summarized in a few concepts

1) Move

– Workout in the morning if you can

– If not, fit in a walk before dinner

– Start up a game of tag or football with the kids

 

2) Mindset

– know what is yours and what is not. You are not responsible for other adults getting along, being happy or what political party they belong to

-all of our actions start with our thoughts.

 

What do you want yours to be?

Let’s respond not react.

We do not need to take the bait over the reoccurring questions from well meaning, yet

misguided relatives or how everyone but you is having a perfect holiday via Instagram,

so let’s go eat an entire pecan pie.

 

-Be thankful.

For the holiday, the opportunity to have a day off from work and all that we have. Focus on the positive in your thoughts, actions and words.

3) Food

– eat a lot of vegetables, preferably without any sauces

– Water, water and more water

– Less alcohol or none

– Pick ONE starch

– Don’t pick, nibble or graze all day. It is entertainment.

 

Now specifics or the 30 others

4) The morning of: get up, exercise and eat a real breakfast. Don’t “save” your calories or start with pie as the day is a wash already.

 

5). If the meal is being served at lunch, dinner or somewhere in between be aware it will always take longer than the cook predicts. That’s just how the bird is.

6). Lay off the appetizers. Especially the nuts as they are super calorically dense and easy to overeat while watching the game.

7) Don’t sit in front of the appetizers ever. Make a plate and call it done. Then go and brush your teeth.

8) Offer to help the cook, take the kids or the dog for a walk to break up the day and to get a little movement going.

What do you really want

9) I recommend a green vegetable that isn’t covered in a sauce such as haricot vert with roasted almonds and a little lemon.

10) Once dinner is served, and you are CHOOSING to drink go for the white wine spritzer to reduce the calories.

11) Either type of meat with the turkey is fine. The dark has more fat so it will fill you up, but the white tends to be drier

12) Potatoes or a roll or yams not all three

13) Have the majority of your plate be green vegetables not in a sauce.

14) Before you start eating, take a moment to absorb everything and appreciate the effort that went into the meal.

15) Butter or gravy. You pick

16) Chew slowly and truly taste the food.

17) Drink water

18) Stop half way through and put down your fork

Ask yourself

19) am I still hungry?

20) am I still hungry for this?

21) how am I feeling in general?

If your family is bickering over the results of the mid-term election and you are numbing out with the mashed potatoes, we need to resolve it quickly by stopping eating. Get up,  go to the bathroom and remember how you want to feel at the end of today.

No Food Coma here!

22) Leave something on your plate. Ideally the starch

23) No seconds

24) Drink water

25) Go find the kids table and see what is going on. Odds are it is pretty fun.

26) Help clear the table

27) Wash the dishes

28) Dry the dishes

29) Delay dessert at least an hour. You don’t even know if you are truly hungry or reacting to the cage match that was happening at the adults table over the Supreme Court nominee.

30) If you are CHOOSING to have dessert, go for pumpkin it is the best of the worst.

The worst being pecan.

31) Whipped cream is better than ice cream. Less sugar

32) Decline all after dinner alcohol

33) I rarely eat dessert on Thanksgiving as the menu isn’t my favorite, instead I have hot water with lemon while everyone else eats pie.