Question: Do You Diet on Thanksgiving? (Tell the Truth)

Shutterstock

Yesterday evening, I got a crystal clear view of just how much butter (and cream, and cheese) would be going into our Thanksgiving meal as I watched my boyfriend—who is a professional chef, mind you—pile our Whole Foods cart high with enough dairy products to feed a small army and still have leftovers. To some, this would be terrifying. But seeing all that heavy cream didn’t bother me—and for someone who usually screams “NOOOO!” when I see my boyfriend putting a big slab of butter into a pan, this lack of horror is kind of surprising.

But the thing is, I’m of the philosophy that the best part of Thanksgiving is the food. I get to have all my favorites—mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, cornbread, creamed spinach and, most importantly, pie—in one meal. To me, it’s a Heaven-for-a-day kind of situation, and because it’s just one day a year, I don’t worry about how much butter is in each bite of mashed potatoes. I’m sure it’s a lot but, again, it’s only one day a year.

But not everyone feels this way about Thanksgiving. For some, it feels like a Hell-for-a-day situation, with the temptation of mac and cheese and mashed potatoes and pie threatening to wreak havoc on their weight-loss and diet plans at every turn. And for others, especially the vegan and gluten-free folks among us, the family Thanksgiving table can end up being one big display of Foods You Absolutely Can’t Eat, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for overeating.

So, our question to you is this: Do watch what you eat on Thanksgiving? Answer our poll below.

Like what you’re reading? Stay in touch with Be Well Philly—here’s how:

• Like Be Well Philly on Facebook
• Follow Be Well Philly on Twitter
• Follow Be Well Philly on Pinterest
• Get the Be Well Philly Newsletter