Hi LA Chubster! Thanks for starting this thread! Sounds like you had a nice, relaxed day. I admire your discipline on a foodie holiday–having your salmon, instead of turkey & all the fixins. Bravo for knowing what works best for you.

I, on the other hand, ate my “usual” on Thanksgiving Day, reasoning in advance that it was not a FD and that meal with my family is one of the things that makes my life worth living;) So, I indulged. My husband does the turkey & gravy, my daughter bakes the pies (pumpkin & apple) and I do everything else. I filled my plate, but did not go back for seconds this year, and had 2 glasses of Riesling with dinner. I haven’t weighed myself yet–will do that on Tuesday, my weekly weigh-in day (is that what you do–weekly weigh ins?)–and tomorrow is a FD, so I should be OK. To counter the turkey dinner, I did a lot of walking, so we shall see. We also went out for Mexican food last night…that’s usually my “splurge” dinner of the week. If I’ve gained any weight, I will go hard next week on calorie restriction on NFDs to reset. But, right now, my stomach is still way down and I don’t feel heavier. Crossing fingers this was a gamble worth taking…

I’m sure most participants here wouldn’t fault someone for indulging on a food themed holiday. The important thing is to get back on track the next day.

I had to work on Thanksgiving day, but the company provided food. At work I had a stuffed pepper (I think it was stuffed with rice and vegetables and I may have tasted some cheese) and some under-cooked (in my opinion) green beans. Was eying the pies but was able to control myself and stay away from them. I also snuck some turkey in a bag while no one was looking to take home to the dog.

I indulged a little when I got home with some Greek yogurt mixed with stevia and no calorie maple syrup, and a splash of vanilla. Then had a couple handfuls of mixed nuts. Very satisfying food day for me and made Friday fast day a little easier.

Bronx

I have to say, regrettably, I’m now seeing what my triggers are and where I have the least amount of self-control. Today was my FD and it didn’t happen. My resolve weakened because my daughter and I went out for lunch and I was unwilling to speak up about the FD, feeling it would put a damper on our lovely holiday week. I think it’s unrealistic to find a 200-calorie meal at a restaurant. Tonight, all my grown kids will be here for turkey leftovers, and I don’t want to miss out on that either. So, as I close out this holiday week, I managed one FD. Next week, we are back to our normal schedules and I’ll get back to it. Weigh in is on Tuesday, so I’ll see if I managed to stay even at least.

LA Chubster, a big thank you for all this good advice and encouragement. You are amazing! I look forward to your posts and I see your name pop up in quite a few threads with such thoughtful comments. Thanks to you I now have a strategy for restaurants. That’s brilliant. That way I don’t have to sweat figuring out the calories and just eat half of a protein, plus veggies. And, best of all, I don’t have to say “no” to those invitations on a FD. For me to make this part of a lifestyle forever, it has to be seamless and not disruptive to traditions, relationships, etc. That’s what diets do, and this not being a diet, makes it do-able and sustainable.

I luckily did not gain weight post-Thanksgiving–stayed the same–after my week of feasting. And, I do mean feasting. I had little discipline, except that I didn’t go back for seconds! I did move more to compensate, but I was prepared for a gain of a pound or two and just figured I would get aggressive this week. But, now it’s just back to the normal FD schedule. I like the “clean start” concept and it relieves a lot of angst over falling short one week.