This is not a post about how to track your Thanksgiving dinner (though you essentially could with this method if you wanted to) & this isn’t a post about how this is what a Thanksgiving’s plate “should” look like. This is a post about what a typical Thanksgiving plate may look like & how you can use your hand as a guide for enjoying portions that make you feel fueled & not overly stuffed. Because if you’re someone who tracks macros or normally tries to watch what you’re eating in order to lose or maintain weight, it can be a VERY slippery slope to go into a meal that you don’t plan on tracking & not overdo it.
Take me at Thanksgiving 3 years ago, I was still in my “clean eating is life” mentality, so I was choosing “clean” foods for my dinner & had made my own sides: mashed cauliflower, bland green beans, & turkey with no gravy, & thought since my dinner was “clean” then I could have some dessert…when dessert came around, guess who had 1 piece of every type of dessert equaling probably a whole pie & gave herself stomach cramps 🙋🏼I did this because I was constantly being restrictive with my food & not enjoying foods I liked because I thought they were “bad/unhealthy” but then would find myself excessively overeating them when they would come around at a event. I wouldn’t call that type of behavior healthy at all, & luckily now I know that ALL foods CAN be enjoyed with proper balanced portions 👌(& I have a pie post coming later too)
So now I approach most meals by enjoying a little bit of everything in the right moderation. I don’t need to have more than half a cup (if that) of anything to enjoy the taste of it & the experience. In reality it’s not going to get better tasting the more I eat it.
Note that portions size vs hand size can vary from person to person, so try out this method ahead of time for accuracy👍
And for anyone feeling stressed about Thanksgiving or if after you feel like you overdid, DO NOT beat yourself up about it! If you’re averaging 3 meals a day that’s 21 meals a week, 1 meal out of 21 is NOT going to ruin all progress. Just get back to the plan on Friday 🤗❤️💪
And for those wondering about pie, typical serving of pie is 113g (about a cup and about the size of my fist) macros for this Apple pie 🍎(my fav) sharing the macros vs giving a serving suggestion because pie enjoyment can vary for everyone! But I think knowing what the macros are can be helpful for deciding what size portion will leave you feeling your best!
Other pies:
🎃Pumpkin: 300 kcal 6P/42C/12F
🍒Cherry: 300 kcal 3P/36C/17F
🍑Peach: 280 kcal 3P/31C/17F
🍏Dutch Apple: 320 3P/45C/14F
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*This post was created by Ashley Cates who is not a Registered Dietician or a Medical Professional, nothing said should be taken as medical advice or replace any advice given by a Physician. This information does not in any way intend to diagnose or treat any health condition/disorder. The information provided is based on Ashley’s education and experience.