Family Holiday Dinners - Big Meals - Big Plates - Stretchy Pants

Let's Get Started with a List: Some of these may not work if your not the host but I have other suggestions below if you are the Guest!

1. Wear pants with a zipper and a button, the less spandex the better!!!

2. Set a smaller plate for yourself.

3. Set aside vegetables that have been parboiled for yourself, before they get roasted with a ton of butter and or sugar.

4. Make more than one dessert option, scour the internet for point friendly options, there are Options out there!

5. Make your own cranberry sauce, simple to make with cranberries and monk fruit sugar substitute add a can of pineapple tidbits...yummy and not calorie budget blowing.

6. Instant gravy mix is a wonderful option (sodium reduced is a better choice). I am not a fan of processed foods but this choice will allow you to indulge instead of using pan juices which may contain a lot of excess fats. If you are able to cool and skim off all that additional fat, then kudo's have at it!

7. Stick to the white breast meat and toss the skin!

8. Stuffing is a tricky one, some "save" all their decadence of the meal for the stuffing and potatoes, others spend it on dessert, some just throw in the towel on the whole meal. I make a separate stuffing for myself with whole grain bread, lots of celery, mushrooms, onion, seasonings, chicken broth and egg to bind it. I bake it in a separate bowl in the oven and add some gravy at dinner time. Not quite the same as the butter, sausage stuffed in the bird juicy version but heh, learn to cope LOL

9. Keep rolls and butter OFF the table...nobody needs them..there is already too much stuff..ing on the table already!

10. Yes to the pickle tray, finally something we can all embrace!

11. Vino? Fortunately I left my drinking days behind me in Italy but there is nothing to say a glass of wine or wine spritz won't do you good especially when you have been slaving in the kitchen all day or the past couple of days and you are surrounded by FAMILY. So have one...or two just make sure you've cut the turkey first :)

Now if you are a Guest then a few suggestions would be as follows:

1. Still wear the fitted pants - with zero stretchy!!

2. Offer to bring an alternative dessert PLUS another side dish that you know that you can indulge in guilt free!

3. If you are a relative or on good terms with the cook, ask if they can set aside some of the par-boiled veggies - I personally would never have an issue with this type of a request, it is easy to accommodate if I know in advance and all true hosts want their guests to be happy at the table.

4. You may think you cannot bring your own gravy but if you LOVE gravy and know the hosts serve only super rich fatty gravy, you can always fib an allergy and bring your own jar** depending once again on your rapport with the cook.

5. Potatoes and stuffing are going to come down to choice; either practicing portion control or just resetting your focus on tomorrow and enjoy todays meal and the hosts hard work and that's that.

This is really what it all comes down to, and that is choices. I am a firm believer that if you have choices in life then you have everything. Even when it comes to this journey of losing weight, massive amounts of weight I had choices which made me feel more in control of the outcome. Being lesss overwhelmed by the daunting task of losing 175lbs I chose to lose 10% of body weight, instead of focusing on having to lose it all at once. Every day choices put you in the driver seat, in control of where you are going, not just how far but also how fast. The same applies to what kind of ingredients you incorporate and meal choices, or how you are dressed for that occasion. You might snicker at my suggestion about the stretchy pants but if I go to a big dinner already with the mindset of knowing that I am going to waddle away from that table because I am going to eat until I'm busting, instead of enjoying until I feel comfortably full, then who am I punishing? Who am I rewarding? What am I choosing? Am I just following a pattern of behaviour? Probably, because I reached 320 lbs before I finally made up my mind. I had to stop choosing to find excuses. It was a choice.

So weigh your options, take control of your decisions - eat the stuffing, drink the wine or skip the potatoes and pass on the pumpkin pie. Just focus on why you're doing this and above all - Enjoy Every Loving Spoonful -