Thanksgiving is creeping up upon us and we all know what that means.  It’s a time to stuff ourselves until we are absolutely miserable to where all we can do is barely make it to the couch to nap or go into a food coma and be anything but present or fun to those around us.

Here are my top 5 tips to help you get through Thanksgiving without feeling stuffed and miserable.  And for some, let me just add in that being with family, sadly, can be miserable and it can be an opportunity for us to get triggered or upset with or without any good reason.  So, with that in mind…

1)  GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE and more GRATITUDE.  Did you know that your brain cannot process fear and gratitude at the same time?  Which means, when we are triggered – in other words –  upset, annoyed, irritated or angry (possibly with family members), the best thing for us to do is to go to a place of gratitude.  Even though we don’t necessarily feel fear in all of those circumstances, it is hidden somewhere underneath, so practicing gratitude as much as possible during Thanksgiving is not only great for keeping your cool, but also certainly fits right in with the theme of the holiday 😉

2)  More protein & veggies and less carbs – Do you ever stop and look at how much protein you are really taking in each day?  It would be great if you were getting 60-80 grams a day.  I’ve heard in Asian cultures, they get closer to 100 grams a day and don’t even have a word for hot flashes!  Two eggs in the morning is only 12 grams if that tells you anything, so try to look for other great sources to bring in more protein throughout your day, especially in the morning.  This will help stabilize your blood sugar for the day so you get less crashes.  There are some great non-meat sources of protein as well if you are vegetarian or would like to bring in more protein, along with your meat.  Orzo and quinoa are some great sources of protein that I’ve been loving lately.  Both are great as sides or in a salad.

3)  Know when enough is enough when it comes to eating.  A great way of doing this is to slow things down.  When we are shoving things into our mouth so quickly, a lot of times we can keep going longer than if we take it slow and enjoy what we are eating.  It’s another great opportunity to go back to #1 and appreciate and have gratitude for the wonderful food you are eating, that you have food on the table and possibly friends or family to eat it with and company to enjoy.

4)  Go on a walk right after you eat your biggest meal.  It’s the last thing you will want to do, trust me.  But, it’s also the best think you could do for yourself.  If you could make it a goal to walk after EVERY meal, even better!  This is actually the best thing diabetics could do as well because it helps stabilize your blood sugar so you don’t get the crashes and ups and downs from your food turning into sugar.  Give yourself this gift after that big meal that may be in your future this week!

5)  Practice turning your focus to others and try to have fun, even if it’s hard in some cases.  If things with the family get tense, try to lighten the mood a little.  If anything, even if you are the only one, try to bring some fun to the conversation or something as simple as smiling and telling those around you that you love them or simply showing them my listening to their stories or hugging them and just spending time with them.  When we take our attention off ourself for a while, it’s amazing how people can see how present you are being with them and that alone can usually lighten the mood quiet a bit.

I wish you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

May you remember all that you have to be grateful for in your life…