Excellent post. I simply do not eat a formal meal on Thanksgiving until the "official" one. Naturally there is some grazing during meal prep (the tag end of the cinnamon roll as one is cutting it, various tasting/adjusting exercises). Plus, I am a much better cook with a glass of wine in hand, so there are those calories as well :)

While intermittent fasting, calorie reduction for a month etc are admirable and no doubt good for one's health, I do not think a single meal (Thanksgiving dinner) makes a material difference to anyone's health!

My days of gorging are behind me. I will eat everything but not over do it,

I agree that it can be a more higher caloric meal than usual.

I'm with you! I tend to eat a very small amount of all of the foods, then hide my portion of the pie to eat over the next few days! I do sort of end up semi fasting the day of, just cause I'm too busy and don't want to fill up too early.

I kinda like the after TG stuff better anyway! Turkey sandwiches (I eat 1/2) turkey soups, PIE!!!

Unfortunately, the crab season has , again been postponed! Darned whales! ;) Hopefully for Christmas!

No, and I usually eat my little slice of pie way after the meal. I don't like a lot of sugary food anymore.

I think it helps that I do all the cooking. I will be doing the entire meal for myself and SO. I will also be going to my sisters house the day before to prepare quite a few dishes for my sister and her family. Honestly, by the time it is all done, I really do not want to eat that much of it....except PIE!

I usually do eat a little more on Thanksgiving at my cousin's house (I only have to make pre-meal stuff, esp. guacamole). It's like how much I might eat at a good meal at a restaurant, though I eat smaller portions at home. Dinner is early, and I often only eat two meals, so I eat breakfast, and am ready for a good dinner. But I've never gorged. T'day food is always good, but I see no reason to stuff myself.

I'm also having a few people for Thanksgivukkah on the Sunday. Not the mob. Chanukkah is usually the mob, where we scrounge for enough chairs. No mob. :( I don't know how to do such a small group, so I'm sending them lists of menu items and promising not to make anything that gets no votes. For sure it's going to be turkey croquettes (barring any turkey tragedies) and Cramberry Jezebel. The rest is up to them. I wasn't going to make stuffing, but I think the guests aren't going to actual Thanksgivings so if they vote for stuffing, I'll make it. That kind of stuff. And I'm sure I'll forget to eat on the day, so will value a good sit down and a hot meal when it's on the table. :)

I don't enjoy a good appetite, so when I'm hungry, I'm happy to be able to eat. But I'm basic in my preferences for Thanksgiving dinner. No pasta, no marshmellows or canned fried onions or cream of anything soups and no dessert buffet. I just like fresh humble, harvest foods.

A roast turkey, pan gravy, rustic bread dressing with oysters, local cranberries made into a sauce, local turnips in a gratin, roasted acorn squash, peas and pearl onions. A simple pumpkin pie for later with a glass of port.

And Arlo Guthrie on the turntable at 12:00 noon...

Naturally that. We all deserve "another Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat"!!!

Nope. Not a day of gluttony for us. Occasionally DH and I have dined out for Thanksgiving. Getting our family together is a chore. Everyone is on a different schedule. Last year it was the pandemic. So we don't make plans for major holidays in recent years.

This year I'll be burning daylight on a long morning trail ride. Probably hang out at the ranch for the better part of the day with the critters. Fresh air, nature, no pandemic weirdness, happy faces, lots of warm equines.....that's a lot to be thankful for.

I tend to fast a bit in anticipation of the amount of calories I will consume not as a way to eat more..as a way to balance my total intake.

In general, both DH and I must watch our calories more carefully during the winter months than during the summer months. Less outdoor activities, fewer fresh veggies, and maybe our bodies are preparing for hibernation, lol. So yes, we are more strict with our "5-2" intermittent diet in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Better to enter the holidays on the low side of our target weights than the high side.

On the day itself, we graze a lot and eat til we're satisfied, but I wouldn't say any of us gorge ourselves. We know good food will still be around the next day :-)

Probably. Since I am cooking it all and fresh crispy poultry skin is a weakness that is not often indulged. Mostly, sitting around lingering over a meal doesn't happen much here either so ....

The older I get, the less I can consume at a single meal. When dining out, I used to be able to eat most restaurant portions.........now, at least half will come home in a doggie bag :-) Same with T'day dinner. I'll manage a bite or two of everything and then I'm full. Not interested in any dessert....unless it's to-go. And hope my relatives who host are generous with their leftovers so I can enjoy a turkey sandwich the next day!

Because I love the food involved with a T'day dinner but can't enjoy it fully (or fully enough) on the day, I will often prepare a scaled down version for myself that weekend. But that means roasting a half turkey breast rather than a whole bird.

I do NOT fix chicken the month of November. ☺ So we're not tired of poultry. We've been eating a ton of spinach salads with avacado! Yum! Lots of Mexican food, nachos, salmon...that sort of thing.

When we went to family Thanksgivings I always prepared a second meal for at home. The quality of the food left a lot to be desired (instant mashed potatoes??) and no leftovers.

I am not a big eater but DH is for holiday meals and he loves the leftovers. I dont have to cook for days.

I don't ever 'diet', but I also don't eat a big breakfast or lunch day of, just enough to keep me from feeling crummy, and since I do a large portion of the cooking, I'm tasting and nibbling as I go. I'm not a 'heap the plate and have seconds' holiday diner either. I do like to leave room for that 'bonus' meal later 😉

I have lost a lot of weight lately by simply eating less. Well, and exercising. But as far as big meals go, I really just can't do it anymore. I get full very quickly.

In the past, I never "saved up" so to speak for a big meal, but then again, that's part of why I've always been big.

This year, I won't be eating a traditional TG meal on the day, but I am having a group of friends over this Friday for "Friendsgiving". I'm doing a smoked turkey and everyone is bringing sides & dessert. Very non-traditional. I will probably eat more than my normal amount, but I will not be stuffing myself.

There will be PLENTY of leftovers for me to enjoy later.

I have been back to watching calories for quite sometime. I'm back to my weight that I was in September 2019. Now if I can lose 8 more pounds, I'll be back to where I was in May 2019. Another 10 and I'll be back to 2018. Which is when I looked and felt much better. Doing all this makes me want to eat less during the holidays. I don't want to ruin my progress. But, that's not to say I will watch it on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It means, those will be the only carte blanche days. You gotta live it sometime (just not all the time. Which is what I tend to do)!

No, I'm too busy cooking and hostessing on T'giving to eat much. Although, all the tasting and nibbles during food prep probably adds up to a full meal :0p. I tend to pig out the day after, after everything is cleaned up and put away and I can relax.

Made the first wave of 'grandma's recipe dinner rolls' today. Second batch - the ones that go home with kids - is tomorrow [Thursday].