How Not to Gain Weight This Thanksgiving

Want to save 900 calories? Try our easy alternatives to keep the pounds off

- Jane Farrell, BettyConfidential.com

Of all the days in the calendar, Turkey Day may be the single most tempting one for those of us who are trying to lose weight, or at least not gain any. In fact, the average Thanksgiving meal adds up to a whopping 4,500 calories. But you don’t have to eat that much! Dena McDowell, R.D., a nutritional expert for the weight-loss organization TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly), suggests the following food swaps so you won’t feel (or look) as stuffed as the turkey:

APPETIZERS

INSTEAD OF:
1 breaded, deep-fried crab cake: 170 calories
CHOOSE:
6 boiled shrimp with 1 T. cocktail sauce: 100 calories
Calories saved: 70

INSTEAD OF:

1 oz. chips with 2 T. regular dip: 213 calories
CHOOSE:
½ cup cut-up veggies with 2 T. hummus: 79 calories
Calories saved: 134

MAIN MEAL

INSTEAD OF :
One turkey drumstick with skin: 142 calories
CHOOSE:
2 slices white meat turkey breast: 76 calories
Calories saved : 66




Read: Thanksgiving Without Turkey?

INSTEAD OF:
Boxed stuffing mix, per cup: 214 calories
CHOOSE:
Whole grain stuffing with lean turkey sausage and fruit, per cup: 189 calories
Calories saved: 25 (But whole-grain stuffing provides more fiber)



INSTEAD OF:
Canned cranberry sauce, ½ cup: 209 calories
CHOOSE:
Cranberry chutney (Dried cranberries pureed in orange juice and water), ½ cup: 103 calories
Calories saved: 106




INSTEAD OF:
Candied sweet potatoes, ½ cup: 215 calories
CHOOSE:
Sweet potatoes, mashed with low-fat buttermilk, ½ cup: 84 calories
Calories saved: 143



BEVERAGE

INSTEAD OF:
Egg nog, 1 cup: 343 calories
CHOOSE:
Hot chocolate, made with fat-free milk and without whipped cream, 1 cup: 130 calories
Calories saved: 213




Read: 10 No-Fail Tips for the Perfect Thanksgiving

DESSERT

INSTEAD OF:
Pecan pie, 1 slice: 503 calories
CHOOSE:
Pumpkin pie, 1 slice: 316 calories
Calories saved: 187

TOTAL CALORIES SAVED: 932

Follow these steps and you’ll feel a lot less bloated (and a lot less guilty) after dinner. And you’ll be thankful you don’t have to diet for the rest of the weekend!

For more information about TOPS, a nonprofit weight-loss organization with chapters around the country, visit tops.org.

Jane Farrell is a Senior Editor at BettyConfidential.

To read more from BettyConfidential | 10 Best Thanksgiving Movies

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