Let the feasting begin...almost

Well, the actual Thanksgiving holiday isn't until Thursday, but since people trying to use their vacation time strategically often take off Monday through Wednesday ("For the price of just 3 vacation days - count 'em, folks, I said 3 vacation days - you can have an ENTIRE WEEK away from your office! Don't thank me now - a number you can call for donations will soon appear at the bottom of your screen!"), I consider the holiday in the context of the entire week. This a Holiday Week, so we can talk all things turkey the whole week!

I'm not taking any extra time off this year, but I am using the early days of my holiday week to prepare for the later days of this week. You see, I'm eating light the next 3 days - watching my intake, counting calories, checking my waistband. I do this in anticipation of unrelenting gluttony on Thursday and Friday. What I save now, I can gorge later. And I can't wait!

While I never forget that Thanksgiving is about thanking God for the blessings of this country - our natural resources, our freedom, our opportunity - I also see it as a time to revel with abandon in the things that make this country even GREATER than the Pilgrims could've imagined! It's a time for unregulated intake of excess food and FOOTBALL!!!!! (Pass me a tissue...I need a moment.)

I do not, however, want to undo all the good I've done in recent months in fitting back into clothes that I had once considered abandoning. ("Screw it. I'll just be a size larger. ... Aw, who am I kidding? I can't afford a new wardrobe. Dammit - give me some of that Diet Coke and a rice cake.") Therefore, I must give myself a cushion. I'm not saying I'll starve myself the next 3 days. That would be unhealthy. I will, however, keep a sharp eye - make sure I'm not getting fast and loose with my calories. Be vigilant. Then, on Thursday...the gloves are off! Bring it ON!!!

For anyone interested, the best tool I've found for helping me stay on top of my intake is FitDay.com. I love that site. You can put in all the food you eat and find out how many calories you're taking in, as well as input all your activity to see how many of those calories you're burning. There are nutritional reports and a journal, too. I tried to do the intake and activities both when I first found FitDay, but I have a life, people. I can't spend all day on that damn site. I gave up. But after a few weeks, I went back and JUST did the calories, and I've stuck with it and am right where I want to be weight-wise.

I did some research on the Web for what my daily goal should be regarding calories, and I've stayed within that most days. I don't count calories on the weekend - give myself a break on those two days. And the occasional weekday overload happens. But mostly I stick to it, and I've found that over time, you develop a sense of when you're eating the right amount and when you're not. I learned that portion control was killing me, too. Some stuff I was eating was just fine, but I was eating too much of it. I've always been thin, and it's only been in my 30s I've had to start working at it. I now have to work at it like everyone else, though!

So, I'll be giving FitDay a workout in the next 3 days, then I'm off the charts, baby. Ham (I'm not a huge turkey fan), dressing with gravy, cranberry sauce, yeasty rolls, yams with marshmallows, mac-n-cheese (the kind you bake in the oven), pumpkin pie with Cool Whip...may the feasting be all I envision!