I keep my thanksgiving dinners low carb. I prepare lots of low carb foods but I also make foods that my carber family prefers. This year, I plan to make LC pumpkin pie, bird, mashed cauliflower, mustard greens, green bean casserole, sausage stuffing, salad plus the regular carb stuff.

I have already answered this thread about what "I" will do this Thanksgiving but wanted to add that when I was actively losing, I did not cheat at all. Not for birthdays, holidays, or any reason.
I don't want to give anyone the impression that I think they should eat what they want just because it's Thanksgiving.
Only since I have been in maintenance have I changed up my menus some.
Just wanted to point that out. When a person is in weight loss mode, its much different.
I do think everyone is different. Some can get right back on plan the next day or meal even. Some have much trouble and fall off the wagon for a while.
I do think it's an individual thing and we must choose for ourself what is best for us in the long run.
Good luck Lovimylife in what ever you and your DH decide to do!

You know, there is always going to be a holiday, a birthday, a celebration etc...the best way to handle it is it to learn "how" to eat during them as we have to do that for the rest of our lives. What I typically do is eat lowcarb, but if I want a tablespoon or taste of something, I have it.

This is a lifelong program of learning to eat right, and at times, I think it is just fine to have an endulgance. Like a lot on here, I started atkins like a drill seargent - and never allowed a drop of illegal food to touch my lips and berated anyone who was even considering cheating. I lost 100 pounds fast, and when I went back to my old ways, I gained back a lot of it...this time around, I am losing steadily, but thanks to the lessons learned back them I am able to make better "liveable" choices for a lifetime.

My opinion - do what is right for you, determine if you can live with teh consquences (sore stomach and bathroom trip) and ENJOY thanksgiving.

The only food alergy I have is that my body swells up when I eat sugary food and my family knows it.

I don't mess with the kitchen when other people are cooking which is what I'd have to do to fix something. I think only one person at a time belongs there. Maybe it's because the kitchens are small. I'll be driving 7 hours there staying for 2 days and driving 7 hours back. I'm going to Georgia more than likely.

In either case, I'm eating this way as a wol and I'm not really treating tg as a reward. I'm really treating it as a compromise for my family/high carbers.

And when they ask me how I lost 28 lbs, I'll just say, "By not eating stuff like this everyday-avoiding bread, transfat (surely), sugary stuff." I'll say, "Also, by eating portion sizes like this." They fill their plate high and go back for seconds and thirds.

Unless the government gets rid of the meat section in the grocery store, I'm going to remain low carb for life with a tiny compromise for a few days out of the year.

You make a good point for those that are not in maintenance or those prone to going back to their old way of eating. It can be discouraging for them when they eat the food and step on the scale next. The water weight alone will probably be a lot to process all those carbs. Also, carbs start cravings that begin an endless cycle unless the person gets back on plan.

No, I will not cheat, eat off plan, indulge, whatever you want to call it. To me it is not worth the bloating, agony, tummy ache, cravings, and the emotional negativity(feeling guilty, watching the scale go up, feeling like a failure)....

There are just way too many alternatives available.

This is a very interesting thread---really makes me think about this, so that's good!

I really agree with the posters who are concerned that "cheating" will lead to overeating and eventually dropping off the weight loss wagon entirely. I've been on this site since January, and I've seen so many people with wonderful intentions that are no longer here...which saddens me....

Eating a regular meal with small/regular portions on your plate, good low carb choices, no seconds, and perhaps a sliver of desert is different that taking the day off and eating the same way that made you fat in the first place.

The choice is yours, of course, that's a given......but the aftermath is something you really need to consider---will you be able to go back on plan the next day? What about a month from now when you've got Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, any other holidays that involve food and treats? Will you just say to yourself that you'll start over in January like lots of others (who don't when January comes)

For myself, I'm eating on plan for Thanksgiving---but I am fortunate to have a wonderfully supportive family (they're taking me to a high class steak restaurant for my birthday because "you'll get more choices there" and because I just plain love Turkey!!

And I'll be the one making the pies too!! Why can I do this? Because I am absolutely LOVING how I feel, and how I'm looking, and I want to keep it that way..

I don't use the word "cheat"--this is a way of life for me, not a diet I jump on and off of...

Good luck to everyone!!

Ruth

I've read this whole thread and have to admit what i was going to do at Christmas hadnt' really crossed my mind, however i can say without a shadow of a doubt that i'd have ended up piling on the stuffing/potatoes/gravy then desserts then chocolate and baileys... then i'd have eaten rich high carb food at my parents on Boxing Day then i'd have just given up till January.. Well this year has been about me changing the things that got me to my high weight in the first place... How am i going to do that if i keep doing the same things i always did in the past??? I've been at maintenance and then the last few months flirting wtih it.. This is my time to learn now that this is truly a lifelong and a lifestyle change. So its gotten me thinking, they are some fantastic posts about why not to cheat, so i will start researching now for stuffing mixes, there will be no potatoes on the table and i already know we were having a lowcarb dessert anyway funny thing is its actually a relief. so thanks for this thread!

I think that the deciding factor for me is that a single high carb meal DOESN'T lead to bloating, headaches, cravings, guilt, etc. I don't get kicked out of ketosis, either. It takes multiple meals, a day, two days, before all of those nasty side effects happen. So a single indulgence isn't going to do it.

Actually, I'm pretty much doing the Carb Addict's diet for one day, since I'm going to be very LC for breakfast and lunch and my Thanksgiving meal is going to be a balance of protein, veggies, and carbs, eaten within an hour. And when the day comes, I may end up eating the pumpkin pie but skipping the stuffing. It all depends on what really looks good.

And LC pumpkin pie is good, but it's just not the same as the one my mom makes. So yes, I'm going to have at least two slices, since it'll be a year before I can have another!

I keep seeing 'Sausage Stuffing'....it sounds yummy and the stuffing was always my fav. Anyone have the recipe?

VGrace, here's one recipe I found from this forum: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=25077.

I was surprised that this is one of the only ones I could find. I thought there'd be a lot of them.

I have no idea what's going to happen. I think it is easier to stay on plan for thanksgiving than for christmas. The emphasis is on dessert more for christmas.

For thanksgiving, we always have turkey, escarole soup, a green veggie or two, squash, etc. It is mostly on plan, besides stuffing and potatoes, and dessert if a guest brings some.

I may have some stuffing. Mashed potatoes are my favorite food, but I wouldnt eat those. They are just potatoes. My dad only makes stuffing once a year, and it aint stovetop, so that may be something I will have.

I wouldnt really eat off plan desserts, not when I can make my own lc cheesecake. So I'm guessing I may have a portion controlled bit of stuffing, but otherwise, I'll be on plan. No need to go off when there are acceptable subsitutions I can make.

But I think if one wants to go off, for their own reasons, its ok. It's up to you. I believe in "worth it" cheats....but this question made me think of thanksgiving at my house, and I realize most of it isn't "worth it" to me. I'll worry about christmas when I get there. One carb fest at a time

Not if you don't eat refined sugar.

"No thank you" always works.

Depends on what you decide you want more... health or a cookie.

Thank you!

You Go Girl! It's a lifestyle. I used to be afraid to offend my family too until I finally decided to put myself first. I feel like if this is seriously your lifestyle then stick with it. Do you have to have mashed potatoes just because it's Thanksgiving? Can't you be thankful without stuffing? If my mom has Thanksgiving I will bring my own lc pumpkin pie and maybe other things too and if people don't want it then they don't have to eat it, but I will stay on plan and not feel cheated either. I love my own cooking, especially the great recipes right here on this forum. There is a substitute food for anything you want including the gravy. So why sabotage yourself? You'll end up feeling like crap the next day and you probably won't think it was worth it to gain the extra lbs.

Every year I make a low-carb pumpkin cheesecake and we make coffee with whipped cream. Yum.