What’s Your Thanksgiving Game Plan?

We are less than a week away from one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, where I get to spend some high quality time with my family, watch some football (even the Cowboys ;), and partake in an array of foods that keep me going for days. This is certainly one holiday for most where typically the gloves come off and it become a free-for-all of eating and a lot less movement, and to be honest, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It is a time to be thankful, social, and enjoy moments of relaxation amongst the chaos of cooking, preparing and weaving through the hoard to get the food you want 😉

But it is also a time where many people can become very anxious, particularly over the amount of calories they may consume, the disruption to their weekly routine and/or even a change in their normal exercise/activity that follows over the course of 1–4 days through the Thanksgiving weekend.

However, the one great thing about Thanksgiving is that we know exactly each when it is arriving, it’s not a surprise to any of us. And because of this, we can plan accordingly to help reduce or remove any anxiety that may develop as a result or what “may” happen over those days. Now, if you have been conscious about scenarios such as this for some time, you have probably prepped and maintained some great habits to keep you in a positive position regardless of the upcoming holiday. But if you haven’t, there is still ways you can have a great week and weekend and have zero guilt or anxiety about anything that happens.

Do you have a Game Plan between now and then?

If you have been following me for some time you have probably heard me ask this previously, but one of the biggest downfalls of many individuals, is not planning or preparing. And this is for just normal weeks. It’s not hard for most to fall into a fly by the seat of our pants routine, or even plan for a couple of days then wing it for the rest, but we know that those that have some semblance of a plan each week adhere to it more often and by virtue, have more success.

So what is your game plan? If you are not concerned in any capacity about the Thanksgiving holiday then this may not apply, go have fun and enjoy everything you do. It has been well documented how much body weight people may increase over holidays such as this and as a result it can cause some hesitation and anxiety around it. If you are concerned in some capacity, whether you are looking to maintain your current weight through the next couple of weeks, or maybe you are still working aggressively to lose weight through to the end of the year, then this is definitely for you.

The Days Leading Up to Thanksgiving (Very Important)

What does your schedule look like over the next 6 days? What are your workout days? Where can you take advantage of getting exercise or more movement in? Are you taking the whole week off which presents more opportunities to workout/move?
When do you leave and get back from Thanksgiving (if you are)? Use this as a way to pre-empt some movement before and after as well as food decisions.
What meals are you planning to have between now and Thursday? Are they structured to help facilitate a potential calorie deficit? A pre-cut so to speak.
What is a short term goal you can work toward over the next 6 days?

Thanksgiving Day (some Importance)

Can you get a workout before you leave Thursday morning for those traveling?
What is the expected menu look like for Thanksgiving? Have you had discussions with whomever is prepping the meal? Is there any input you can have to help your goals?
What time are you eating? Can you plan your earlier meals in the day from both a volume and time standpoint to cater to higher volume eating later AND potentially a typically later eating time point that may occur. I would caution you NOT to go into the Thanksgiving dinner being too hungry as it often leads to overconsumption.
What are the protein options that you can prioritize?
What are the areas that concern you the most?
What are your expectations for how many helpings you may have?
What snacks are going to be present? What can you do to account for these?
Where will you sit/stand mostly? Will you be involved in the cooking and around the food all the time or can you move to other areas?
Who are your food pushers? YES, you may have people around you that will try to encourage you to eat certain foods?
What is your expectation from an alcohol standpoint? Are you going all out all day, a couple here and there, or holding back?

Days after Thanksgiving (Most Important)

How quickly can you get back into your pre-Thanksgiving routine?
What do the leftovers look like for you, and how can you plan structured eating quantities around that?
Plan to get your first workout or movement in as soon as possible.
Do you have any repercussions from Thanksgiving? Sleep issues? Hungover? Bloat and Digestive concerns?
What do you need to account for in the meals and movement after Thanksgiving to help with this.
What’s the Game plan for that next week to help stay on your goals.

There are many more questions that we could dive deeper into here, but the biggest takeaway through all this is that you are mentally aware of what’s taking place right now, what’s about to take place on Thanksgiving, and what you need to do post-Thanksgiving to stay on the path you want. You certainly shouldn’t be having any weight loss / food anxiety while you are enjoying this holiday, but I know a lot of people do.

If you can structure a game plan and execute it, even at 80%, you will achieve a success week leading up, through and beyond, Thanksgiving that will still allow you to maintain your focus and achieve the goals you want.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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