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Lee Hodo As I write this Monday night before Thanksgiving, here are my thoughts about the big day and my plan of attack: Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday. It's the beginning of the "holiday season," and the beginning of time off from work. What do I love so much about Thanksgiving? It's always been about the food. This year? I'm a little bit scared of it. As I'm writing this, I'm wondering if I'll be able to control myself this year. Will I be able to only take smaller portions? Will I be able to stay away from the desserts? Will I be able to get my fill and stop? Honestly, I don't know. But I think so. I really think I can do this. Here are the facts that I keep repeating to myself: The first bite of something will most often taste better than the last. Slow down and enjoy your food. You don't need a pile of dressing to know that it tastes good. Lord willing, this will not be my last Thanksgiving. I will be able to eat these foods again. I can have a small bite of pumpkin pie, and not half the pie. This isn't my last meal. Remember that sick feeling you got after Thanksgiving dinner last year? After every Thanksgiving? Not good. Control yourself. You don't want to feel that way again. The past few years for Thanksgiving, we've gone to a restaurant. One of those fancy buffets that have just about every different kinds of food and desserts you can think of. You kind of get into a mode of "getting your money's worth." I would get a little plate of salad too, just for appearances of course. This year the family decided to cook and eat at home again. I'm excited about this. I'm glad we'll all be eating at home this time around. It should be easier to control my portions at home. And it'll be easier to walk away from the table when I'm full. At the restaurant, I would finish and then I would usually start eating a little more or finishing the kids' plates. At home, I can just put my plate away and go watch the football game. So, here's my plan. We're going to get up Thanksgiving morning and go to the Dallas Turkey Trot. We'll be walking the 5K Fun Run portion of the event. We do it every Thanksgiving that we're home for, and we always have a lot of fun. I'm going to get small portions, load up on veggies, and - here's the most important part - slow down. I've always been a fast eater, but I'm going to slow down and really savor my favorite foods. I'm hoping that this will help me to tune into those hunger and satisfied triggers. That way I can get a little bit of all those things I like, and not over-do it. When it comes time for dessert, I'm not going to deny myself. But I am going to take smaller portions, and again, take it slow. I gained 0.4 pounds last week, but my fat percentage, hydration percentage, fat-free mass to fat mass ratio all improved. I need to re-asses my eating habits and focus on being more consistent with my exercise. And the really crazy part - two people last week asked me if I'd lost weight! To be completely honest, the question shocked me, then embarrassed me. I don't really like the attention (I know...I'm writing a blog. I should be used to the personal attention), but I was kind of proud that maybe the results are starting to show. I answered them that yes, I had lost some weight. I downplayed it some because I was embarrassed, but maybe I should've been more excited, more -- I don't know -- proud I guess. I am proud, but I guess I've been here before. As for after Thanksgiving... Well, the Turkey Trot went pretty well. It's funny because we've had high 70's, low 80's all week - until Thanksgiving morning. We woke up to rain and 50 degree coldness, yikes! The rest of my family has been battling strep throat all week, so they decided to skip it because of the cold and wet weather. So, I did the Turkey Trot alone. But that was okay, I still had fun. I wasn't really alone. There were several thousand other people there too. They blew the whistle to start the 5K at 9:00 a.m. By 9:12 a.m. I finally made it to the starting line. There were so many people and dogs and strollers it was really tough to get going. But pretty soon, it thinned out and I was able to get into a pretty good walking pace. I saw tons of turkey hats, a few people in turkey costumes and elf costumes, and only one guy running in his underwear. I narrowly missed stepping in dog poo a few times and made it to the finish line at 10:04. So I made the 5K in under an hour! Thanksgiving lunch went pretty well too. There was plenty of food, but I was able to keep myself under control pretty well. I probably still ate more than I should have, but I still think it went well. It was nowhere near as bad as it usually is. I had a plate of food, a small sampling of pumpkin pie, and I was done. We then went to see a movie, came back and watched the Cowboys lose, and then had leftovers for dinner. I wasn't hungry, but I still had a plate of food -- probably a mistake, but so it goes. One small victory - when we were leaving to head back home, we were handed a plate of leftover pie. I politely refused. So another holiday is through. I'm off of work for the rest of the week, so I've really got to focus on not snacking and eating all the time while I'm at home. It's easy at work, because I only bring food for the day and am able to spread it out. But I made a good start for the Thanksgiving meals, and I'm confident I can keep it going. More on Tipping the Scales: Eating Healthy is Harder Than I Thought The Art of Self-Control My Wii Told Me I'm Fat After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.
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