What to do if you ate too much on Thanksgiving: relax

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Perhaps you were prudent with the dressing and mashed potatoes. Maybe you ate only a sliver of pumpkin pie. And it’s possible you passed on seconds. If that’s so, congratulations! Now, move along, there’s nothing for you here.

For everyone else, we offer (just for today) a helping of mental, if not physical, relief. There’s only so much one body should be able to hold, after all.

From WebMD: Thanksgiving calories, without the guilt

‘Physician John La Puma, MD, says even totally out-of-control days won’t lead to significant weight gain if you only have a few of them a year. ... La Puma recommends choosing four days a year as ‘feast days’ when you can eat and drink anything you want in any quantity you want.’

From the Huffington Post: It’s not the Thanksgiving dinner, it’s the leftovers

‘Even if you overeat at Thanksgiving, what you do on that one day will not determine your weight a year from now. It is what you do on average, over time, that determines what you weigh.’

And from The Times archives: In the mood for (over) eating

‘Overeating for emotional reasons can derail a diet, the research shows -- while overloading at parties (or big turkey meals) may not. ... On average, people gain a little less than a pound between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, according to one study.’

Less than a pound? Pfft. Well worth it, I say. And besides, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for. Those always work.

-- Tami Dennis