No matter what you’ve been told, you can totally skip Thanksgiving. Seriously, eat whatever you want (if you want, of course). You don’t even have to do a “Thanksgiving workout,” again, if you don’t want to. It’s one of those rare days when you have the right to enjoy with your loved ones, eating, resting and even eating more.
Don’t worry: a day of filling your face won’t derail years of dedication to your health and fitness. Reading this will make you jump for joy or fill you with anxiety. If you feel the latter, keep reading.
For some, days like Thanksgiving can bring on feelings of stress and pressure to eat “perfectly” or not to overdo it. While there’s nothing wrong with keeping it clean on turkey day, if you really want to treat yourself but find it hard to let go, you’re not alone. Here, Danny Saltos, aka Train with Danny, NASM-certified personal trainer and fitness influencer, discusses the pressures that come with Thanksgiving Day and provides simple tips on how to enjoy your plate(s) guilt-free!
Here’s Why You Won’t Gain 10 Pounds Overnight
One of the reasons for the fear of Thanksgiving Day grubbin’ is because of the thought that you’re going to get fat overnight from just one day of gluttony. While water weight is real, Turkey Day fat weight, not so much.
“Weight gain doesn’t happen overnight,” says Saltos. “It actually takes consistent exertion and over-consumption of calories over long periods of time to gain weight.”
The three to five pounds you fluctuate on the scale each day isn’t fat, it’s water.
Nobody peaked in a day and alternatively you don’t gain weight or become overweight in a day.
“I can totally understand the fear of high food intake because we’ve been told repeatedly that we can’t eat this or that,” says the Los Angeles-based personal trainer.
The facts are that high food intake one day here and one day there will not derail you. It will actually help you stay on course for the long term – #Balance.
And truth be told, “a day of eating more than usual can serve to refuel your body,” adds Saltos. Have you ever noticed how deadly the workouts immediately following Thanksgiving are? It is because you have filled your reserves of energy which allow you to perform at your best.
