Leave it on the table instead of your waist.  

Thanksgiving dinner. 

It is Thanksgiving and you are about to enter the land of plenty.   When it comes to fitness and weight loss, the concept of viewing food as harmful can be dangerous to your physical and mental health.  Many of us enter the final 2-3 months of the year with a belief that two meals, Christmas and Thanksgiving, are disastrous for our weight and fitness.   A couple of bad meals are not going to impede our fitness or health, but a period of 2-3 month gluttony of smorgasbords will.  

Guilt may seem like a means to prevent future transgressions, but that is not necessarily the case.  Guilt is a negative emotion.   Guilt is often based on inaccurate assumptions and even worse than the false assumption, guilt builds on itself like a snowball going down a mountain.  It will build to a bolder of negative thought that will increase overeating or make you give up your healthy plans altogether.  The truth is that a few big delicious Christmas or Thanksgiving meals is not the end of the world and they should be something we enjoy.  

The holiday season can be a difficult one, but it does not have to be that way.  These seasonal family gatherings should build positive memories and not end with a disaster for our health.  There are endless parties and family gatherings are certain to have multiple opportunities to overeat, but you can enjoy yourself but just being more reasonable and not piling on the guilt.  The key is having 2-3 large meals during the season but not building a bad habit that lasts for 2-3 months  If you start to enjoy them every day, you may need to take a step back and think about what you are doing, but guilt is not the solution.   

The bottom line:   I recommend that you enlist your spouse in a little cooperation to eat better.  If you can work together and eat better this year.  Instead of falling for the trap of guilt and overeating, focus on collaborating with a friend or spouse to beat the feast.  It is ok to have leftovers so leave some on the table.