I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving day and dinner. If you are like me, you probably ate a little more than you should, especially in the dessert category. You may be thinking, “What have I done? I ate too much and feel like crap.” I know what you mean as I too have been stung by this feeling many times. Ironically enough, though we know we ate too much the previous day, we are probably having left overs today and through the weekend. This is the point where many may feel a bit guilty and regretful, but I say it is okay!!!
Why Is It Okay?
How can I say it is okay when we try to stick to our diets and exercise for the five days during the week, and we clearly didn’t do that on Thanksgiving? That is because Thanksgiving was an exception. I believe exception days are fine and quite frankly needed for the longevity of your fitness and good health. And guess what, Friday is part of the holiday weekend, so take today off too. No, I am not saying to go crazy and eat like there is no tomorrow. I am just saying that it is the holiday weekend and if you typically hold true to the 5and2Guy way, then having a longer weekend, of loose eating, a couple times a year isn’t going to hurt ya. What I typically try to do is eat a sensible lunch or breakfast, but be a little more loose with dinners since it is the weekend!!! But if you want to kinda keep things within reason, there are a few things you can do.
Keep Things Within Reason
It’s the weekend, yeah, even a holiday weekend, so don’t feel like you have to be strict. Like I said, you have to enjoy life too. But if you feel like you want to put some sort of limit on yourself, here are a few suggestions I have:
– eat turkey and for the lucky ones, ham too;
– eat vegetables, preferably the green ones;
– avoid breads, rolls, dumplings;
– limit how much room you have for desserts and limit yourself to one, maybe two pieces of dessert;
– avoid sugary drinks like very sweet tea, sodas, or juices;
If you avoid the bad things and eat more of the meat and vegetables, you will be better off. Again, this is up to you. My vote would be to eat what you want, but don’t go crazy. But if you really want to watch what you eat, stick to theses suggestions.
Conclusion
It is coming up on that time of year now. The time of year where we will be taking holiday vacations, time off from work, and having lots of foods around us to eat. I embrace this time of year and do my best to eat within reason, but I also enjoy the holidays, the food, and all it has to offer. What you do a couple times a year isn’t going to ruin your diet or put you far behind in your fitness goals. But if you believe you have to be rigid and not enjoy what life has to offer, then you may have to change your mindset. Diet and fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. You will have days you do great and days you don’t do so well. You just have to make sure there are more days where you are doing great than days where you simply eat and drink whatever you want.
Good luck to you all and may you have a happy holiday season!!!