It is absolutely understandable that you would want to go a little over the top on Thanksgiving. This is especially true if you have been observing a strict diet that, despite being wonderful for your health, does not exactly play well with your need to indulge.

Thanksgiving, however, is one of those holidays that calls for indulgence. Most families prepare a feast fit for Kings and quite frankly it would be almost impossible for anyone to avoid overeating on this day. But be warned, overeating on Thanksgiving, although highly satisfactory in the moment, could lead to a lot of consequences later on; Constipation. Discomfort. Guilt. A whole lot of working out to lose all the extra calories.

That, however, doesn’t mean that you should avoid joining the festivities just because you cannot eat as much as you want to. Here are some tips to avoid overeating at Thanksgiving.

1) Don’t skip any meals

Because Thanksgiving is one of those days when we get to enjoy all of our favorites foods, most people tend to skip meals during the day just so they can ‘have enough room’ later on. This is a bad idea and will only lead to overeating when the time comes. One the best ways to ensure that you are not ravenous when the meals get served is to go about your day as usual. Have a good healthy breakfast, snack during the day and drink plenty of water. This way, come dinner time, you will enjoy your favorite dishes as opposed to wolfing them down and ending up constipated.

2) Try the veggies platter as an appetizer

As much as you may not want to hear the word ‘vegetable’ on this day, it is important to include some veggies in your diet. One of the best ways to do this is to try and stick to veggies when it comes to appetizers. Not only are they low in calories, but they are also packed with fibre which will help you digest and detox better after your great feast. Go easy on the dipping sauce.

3) Don’t heap your plate

The first thing you want to do is to choose a small plate. Once that is done, try to regulate how much food you heap on that plate. There is a weird craze that comes over people during festivities; they hold a grudge match against their plates and want to see it clean at the end of the meal. Although it might be more difficult for you to fight this craze, picking a small plate and not heaping that up with food puts you in much better shape to win while still eating consciously.

4) Go easy on the alcohol

Alcohol lessens your resolve to eat healthily plus the liquid calories still count. If your festivities begin early in the day, watch how much alcohol you drink and try to balance it out with lots of water.

5) Chew your food thoroughly and chat people up between bites

Wolfing down your food will have drastic consequences later on. Try as much as you can to chew your food thoroughly. Not only does this make it easier to swallow and process, but it ensures that you spend some time eating every single spoon thus increasing your chances of feeling full before you have three pounds of meat down your throat. Chatting up friends and family members also ensures that you slow down and enjoy your meal. The trick is to enjoy your meals on this day as opposed to suffering the consequences later on.

These tips to avoid overeating at Thanksgiving will come in handy on the day and will keep you from feeling the aftermath from overeating. As an extra measure, you may want to consider coming in for an MSA Food Sensitivity Test to find out exactly what food may bother you.