The battle between Awesome & Healthy

My mind has really been in a struggle knowing what to do on the grand turkey day.

Do I eat what I want? or Do I eat according to what I should be eating and stick with the plan?

The plan is working.  I am down 9 pounds, have passed my goal that was in my head and am about 7 pounds from the next goal.  If I stick with the plan I will just be on target still and will get to the goal faster.  My body will also stay in sync with what it is doing and I won't screw it up by eating more of what I shouldn't.

If I eat what I want...meaning; mashed potatoes, gravy, traditional pie, rolls, etc. I am not sure what that would do to my insides.  I haven't had more than 30 carbs a day in a few weeks now.  Would I feel sick?  Would I just feel gross from eating sugar and all those carbs that I haven't enjoyed for so long?  Maybe I would just simply enjoy the food rather than inhale it like I do some holiday meals.

I tried getting advice from some fitness sites as well to see what the norm is and this is what I came up with:  some tell you to go eat whatever you want and enjoy the day, others tell you not to give in and sacrifice all the work and time you have put in to accomplish your goals.  Ok...so they weren't a lot of help.

I decided that this is my plan of attack for t-day...it is a combination of both.
Pumpkin Pie...how can you not eat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving?  Looking back over the years I actually can eat about 1/2 a piece of this type of pie and I think it is mostly because of what is in the pie.  My insides hurt because of the ingredients with traditional pumpkin pie.  And...how many minutes on the bike would I need to sit in order to burn off that one piece?  To still get to taste that pie and enjoy this part of Thanksgiving I made a low-carb pumpkin pie (4 grams per serving and 0 sugar).  It just came out of the oven and smells delish.  Hopefully it tastes as good as it smells.  If it actually tastes good I will put the recipe on here after Thanksgiving.

Traditional Green Bean Casserole...I can eat the beans but nothing else with this.  So...instead of eating this wonderful dish I am going to make asparagus wrapped in bacon (cause everything tastes better wrapped in bacon!).  No sauces, no cheese...just those two ingredients.  We had this the other night and we all enjoyed it so it is worth a try at the Thanksgiving table.

Rolls...I am eating 1 or 2 rolls.  Yes, yes I am.  These are the best rolls EVER and I am making them from scratch (in fact the dough is rising in the fridge as we speak).  I grew up eating these rolls and I am sure that I could find some healthier alternative but the fact is...I just don't want to.  I am going to savor each bite of these rolls and truly enjoy them, their texture, their taste and their yumminess.

Potatoes...I am not eating them.  I like them but they aren't my favorite food so I am ok not eating these if they will be on that Thanksgiving table this year.

Salad...I will be making a salad this year and will fill up on that if I am till hungry.  I doubt that I will be hungry because I eat less than what I used to but it will be there just in case.

Almond Strudel...this is just one of those items that are a tradition in our family.  I usually am the one to make this for the group but haven't found out if I need to do this.  There is no way to make this healthier and the amount of sugar in mostly in the frosting, which really is the best part.  I do love to eat this and could eat a lot of it but I'm not sure if I will be eating it this year.  I'll have to update what I decide on this one.

Are you thinking about your food choices on Thanksgiving or just enjoying the day?