The Ultimate Thanksgiving Day STAY-LEAN Routine
The Quick Cut:
Studies show that average American gains between 10 - 15 LB during the holidays.
Overindulging on Thanksgiving is one reason why.
By following a smarter Thanksgiving day routine you can enjoy this day while minimizing the impact it has on your weight and health.
Through a combination of proven but easy-to-do strategies that combine mindfulness, exercise, smart snacking, and meal timing, you'll get to enjoy Thanksgiving, and the holidays, without the associated weight gain or guilt.
This guide will show you how to be smarter on Thanksgiving Day and beyond.
The Long Slice:
Did you know that the average American gains between 10 - 15 LB over the holidays?
Thanksgiving, which is a holiday with a lot of eating and drinking, is one contributor to this stat.
If you’ve ever felt like you overdid it on Thanksgiving. You’re not alone. The good news is that it’s possible to still enjoy this special day with overdoing it or having it set back your health.
This year, instead of giving in and gaining unwanted weight at Thanksgiving, you’re going to conquer the ‘waistline challenges’ this holiday poses and go into the rest of the holidays like a fearless warrior, instead of a gluttonous guilt-bearer.
Why You'll Love This Guide
By making a few adjustments to your routine on the day of Thanksgiving (and the Friday after), you’ll be able to eat, drink and be merry, without sabotaging your weight loss goals.
Another thing you’ll love about this guide is that it’s multi-purpose. You can use it to keep unwanted weight off anytime you’re facing an event where, like on Thanksgiving, food is the main focus. This includes weddings, sweet sixteens, birthdays, graduations, etc.
Set up your day like I describe below and you may even LOSE WEIGHT on Thanksgiving (shocking, I know!). 😃
Here’s what I want you to do…
In The Morning: Short Meditation and Fasting
Meditation
As soon as you wake up, start your day off right with a short meditation. If you don’t live alone, lock yourself in a room for 5-10 minutes to clear any thoughts and focus on the day ahead.
Close your eyes, take 3 deep belly breaths and every time you exhale focus on your breathing only. Let go of any thoughts, feelings, judgments, opinions, etc. that cross your mind and let them just float away.
Then, once you feel centered, focus on what you’re grateful for. Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks so give thanks for all that you have.
This will allow you to attract more of what you're grateful for.
Focus On Your WHY
During this meditation, you may also want to think about your ‘WHY’ (i.e. why being your fittest and healthiest matters to you).
How does being your fittest and best help you forward your purpose in life? Purpose is meaningful, and meaning is motivating for humans. Connect with this today, and every day.
Do My Morning momentum Routine
Another really great way to start your Thanksgiving is by doing my Morning Momentum routine. I created this 10-minute session to help you get mindful and physical first thing in the morning.
You start with some breathing and meditation. Then, you warm up the body and get your metabolism going.
You end with some yoga poses and will empower your mind and body for the day.
I recommend this to all my fitness coaching clients as a great way to start their day. I’m giving it to you now, for free, as my way of saying ‘thanks’ for reading my Thanksgiving guide. 🙏🏻🙂
Fast/Eat Nothing
After meditating and/or doing my Morning Momentum Routine, I want you to skip breakfast. You will not eat until Thanksgiving dinner (unless it’s very late in the day).
In the morning you can have water, black coffee or unsweetened green tea, which boosts your metabolism.
By not eating in the morning, you’ll be doing intermittent fasting, which is beneficial for many people. It helps with fat loss, improves, insulin sensitivity, brain function, and has a host of other health benefits.
Note: While Intermittent Fasting is tolerable for most people, if you have a condition that prevents you from fasting, then you may want to eat something. Ideally protein and fat only; little to no carbs at this meal.
Two Hours Before Thanksgiving Dinner: Work Out
I suggest you work out as close to Thanksgiving as possible, but if you can’t for whatever reason (e.g. if you’re hosting and need to prepare) then get a fairly intense workout in first thing in the morning, right after your meditation.
The closer your workout is to dinner time, the better.
According to statistics, most US households start their Thanksgiving Dinner between 1 and 3pm.
So if you can get a work out in close to this time, at noon, for example, this will be very beneficial.
That’s because working out intensely boosts your metabolism and keeps it elevated for several hours.
This will create an extra caloric ‘budget’ for all the food and drink you will be consuming later that day.
As far as what type of workout to do, I realize this day is busy for many people and anything is better than nothing. If you can get a weight training session in, that would be best.
But if you’re short on time, giving it your all during a 20-minute High-Intensity Interval Training session with my Motion Traxx app is a solid plan.
Note: If your Thanksgiving Dinner is later in the day, like 6 pm for example, then I want you to still workout close to dinner time, but do have a light lunch so that your fasting period does not stretch for more than 16 hours or so from the previous night’s meal. Your light lunch can consist of veggies, lean protein or eggs, and a limited amount (i.e. one serving) of healthy fat. Avoid carbs at lunch.
Right Before Thanksgiving Dinner: Alkalize the body and Have a Snack
Lemon Water
Right before Thanksgiving Dinner we’re going to alkalize the body and help balance out any acidity and inflammation that will be caused by having what I playfully call the ‘7 Deadly Sinful Foods’ that most likely will be offered at Thanksgiving Dinner (i.e. Alcohol, Fried Foods and Unhealthy Fats, Sugar, Dairy, Corn, Soy and Gluten).
Create and drink this little concoction:
8 oz of water
Half lemon
Pinch of baking soda
Greens Powder
Then, alkalize the body further by having another 8-ounce glass of water with a greens powder supplement.
A greens powder I like is Organifi.
It tastes great and contains numerous superfoods that will alkalize your body and help you quickly get the equivalent of a full serving of veggies, which may be in short supply during Thanksgiving dinner.
Also, before dinner, take a serving of probiotics to help your gut prepare to digest the big meal ahead.
Have a Snack Before Dinner
Finally, I would actually eat a little something BEFORE going to the Thanksgiving dinner.
Having something light and showing up with a partially full stomach will have many advantages:
First, it will prevent you from showing up famished and gorging everything in site as soon as you arrive.
Second, it will allow you to reduce the impact of alcohol on your waistline, which is usually served at the start of dinner.
Now, you want to avoid eating too much here or you’ll risk going to Thanksgiving dinner and not eating what’s served and be called ‘rude’ by your host. 😄
But a quick, healthy snack, like a half-serving of plain oatmeal with water and cinnamon, for example, will allow you to show up with a semi-full stomach while leaving you room to eat.
At Thanksgiving Dinner: Set a 'Limit' Beforehand
Right before you get to your host’s house (or if you’re the host, right before people arrive), I want you to take three deep, centering breaths again and visualize practicing discipline and self-control during the dinner.
You can refocus on your WHY that you connected with during your morning meditation.
You can also commit to a number in your head (or ideally, tell someone), in terms of how many drinks, plates, desserts, etc. you will commit to.
For example, you can tell yourself, your spouse, etc. 'I will limit myself to two drinks today.'
Remember how practicing some self-control and discipline supports the life you want to live and forwards your purpose in life.
Since you meditated and empowered your mindset early in the day, being mentally strong and making the right choices during Thanksgiving dinner will be easier.
Speaking of which…
Handling Alcohol and Dessert
Having drinks and dessert is always fun. At the same time, we want to do it smartly because they too much of either one can get our waistline going the wrong way. So having these in moderation, and NOT on an empty stomach will help lessen their impact.
As a general guideline:
It’s better to have a glass than a whole bottle of something, and it’s better to have a sip than a glass (if possible).
The same goes for dessert. Having one serving of pie, is better than having two servings.
Having a forkful just to taste it, is better than having a whole slice.
Of course, turning these down is not always easy, and I still want you to have fun, but if you can limit these two categories, this will be beneficial towards surviving Thanksgiving dinner with your fat loss goals unscathed.
After Thanksgiving Dinner and BLAck Friday
After having a big dinner, like at Thanksgiving, you can 'help' the body digest the big meal by having some digestive enzymes or some ginger.
The day after Thanksgiving - Friday - skip breakfast again, get meditation and a workout in again, and have a light lunch consisting of a lean protein and healthy fat, with little to no carbs at this meal.
So, yeah, I’m asking you get into a bit of a routine on Thursday and Friday of this holiday so that you can minimize the impact it may have on your body fat levels.
Unconscious eating and drinking at Thanksgiving can set many people back in their goal to lose weight or at least maintain it.
However, you can avoid this fate by following the steps above.
Happy 'giving thanks and staying lean.'
P.S. If you'd like to learn more about my team and I help professionals over 40 look, feel, and perform their best by upgrading the metabolism and mindset - DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND - I’m happy to tell you more.
Start by booking a quick call now on my calendar with this link.
Important disclaimer: The suggestions in this guide are not considered medical advice. They are for informational purposes only. You agree that by applying any of the suggestions made on this website you do so at your own risk. Please consult with your physician before taking on any new eating or exercising routines, including any routines or information found on this website.
