Feeling like a stuffed turkey? 5 tricks to get back on track after Thanksgiving
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The average American adult consumes more than 4,000 calories on Thanksgiving.
Four. Thousand. Calories.
We’ll let that sink in for a moment.
The reality is you’re going to eat stuffing and potatoes and pie. The key is to take the time to savor the flavors and enjoy the day with family and friends, but … remember that Thanksgiving is a holiDAY, not a holiWEEKEND.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up five simple tips to help you get back on track once you’ve gobbled your way through Thursday and wake up ready to detox (or at least get back to normal) on Friday:
- Start fresh right away. Instead of having pie for breakfast (we’ve all done it!), start your day with fruit and oatmeal or a veggie omelet. Drink an 8- to 10-ounce glass of lemon water with breakfast to kick-start the detoxification process. Interested in a full two-day, detox meal plan? Check out this one from Men’s Fitness.
- Don’t even think about skipping meals. Not into a full detox? That’s OK, but skipping meals to make up for indulging Thursday is not an option. You’ll do more harm than good by dipping below your normal calorie intake.
- Restock your shelves. Head to the store and load up on healthy foods. Then, when you get home, move the leftover mashed potatoes to the back of the fridge and keep the good stuff front and center. You’ll be more likely to grab that apple for a quick snack if it’s right there when you open the refrigerator door.
- Cook dinner at home. It’ll be tempting to go out Friday night when you consider how much cooking you’ve done or if you’ve been out scoring Black Friday deals, but try to avoid it and all the extra calories that come along with such a meal. Instead, make a light dinner (think fish!) that won’t leave you feeling like you just ate another Thanksgiving feast.
- Move, move, move. Finally, make time to hit the gym, go for a run or work on your yoga practice (these poses from Popsugar.com specifically help with digestion. Yes, you might have family in town, but make time to do what you need to do for you—or invite them to come along and create a new post-Thanksgiving healthy family tradition!
