Thanksgiving Weight Loss Helpers

Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks. Are you ready…to lose weight? There will surely be tons of high-calorie, diet-devastating foods on your Thanksgiving table, but you can also make sure that there are plenty of

Salad

A fresh, crunchy salad can start your meal off right or take up space on your plate during the main course so other, higher-calorie choices do not have room. Just beware of fatty dressings and starchy additions such as chow mein noodles. Low-Calorie Salad Dressing in Italian or Honey Mustard has only 25 calories, and you can top your salad with Asiago and Pepper Jack Crisps for crunch and flavor without carbs.

Turkey and Friends

A 3-oz. serving of skinless turkey is great for your diet. Extra servings and turkey skin are not. Worse by far are the “friends” that really are not so friendly. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and bread and butter can easily add over 1,000 calories before you even realize it. You can save on carbs and fat and bump up protein when you swap mashed potatoes for pureed cauliflower with Unflavored Protein Powder.

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is another Thanksgiving cornerstone and another good food gone wrong. Each cup has nearly 100 grams of sugar! Walden Farms Calorie-Free Cranberry Sauce can save you 400 calories per cup. It is entirely free from sugar, fat, carbs, and gluten. Pile it on and save even more calories when you balance out the sweetness with mustard instead of fatty gravy.

Pudding Pie

Mmm…Thanksgiving pies! Take your pick. Do you favor Chocolate Cream or Vanilla Cream? Maybe Cheesecake or Strawberry Cream are more to your liking? Just use BariatricPal Protein Pudding Mixes and Carbquik Baking Mix to make sugar-free, high-protein individual tarts or larger pies. Your sugar-free offerings are a sweet alternative to pecan pie with 50 grams of sugar per slice.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

As you sit at the table or in the living room to talk after dinner, a warm drink can be just the thing. Pumpkin Spice Latte gives you the flavors of the season without the sugar or fat in hot chocolate, mocha, store-bought lattes, or other hot drinks. It has 15 grams of protein and 90 calories.

Thanksgiving may be sneaking up, but you still have time to make your weight loss plan for this year. Focus on one or two items at each course that can fit into your diet, and you will have no need for the notorious diet disasters. Happy Thanksgiving!