Everyday Systems

I've been starting to get a little nervous about Thanksgiving, which of course will be a NWS day.

I've been on NoS a couple months and always have been good with my N days, but its taken a while to get the S days under control. I've recently been making progress with them, but am afraid Thanksgiving might turn into a free-for-all. I'm also afraid I might try to justify the day before Thanksgiving as an S day since I'll be home with my family cooking all day, and then the day after, since I'll be home surrounded by a ton of leftovers. Then comes Saturday and Sunday, which are S days anyway... put it all together and I can see myself feeling pretty crappy by Monday morning.

I feel like I need to have a game plan, because I really don't want to feel like a beached whale, even if most people think its alright to feel like that after Thanksgiving. Has anyone else been thinking about this?

One thing I have always done on my Thanksgiving weekends with family is.. pick only the food I love love and love... fill my plate.. eat slow and enjoy a good desert...

Make a plan that you are worth it.. You can eat 1 plate 3 times a day of the food you love also on your NoS days. Think of what it is you wish to achieve to have a really good Monday.. and stick to it..

You can do this

Debbie

Containing it to Thanksgiving Day only is a help.

S-days are always better for me if I have a proper breakfast, but I'm not going to get worked up about it, otherwise. I'm gonna count it all happy as long as I go back to Friday being a proper N day.

marygrace wrote:I've been starting to get a little nervous about Thanksgiving, which of course will be a NWS day.

I've been on NoS a couple months and always have been good with my N days, but its taken a while to get the S days under control. I've recently been making progress with them, but am afraid Thanksgiving might turn into a free-for-all. I'm also afraid I might try to justify the day before Thanksgiving as an S day since I'll be home with my family cooking all day, and then the day after, since I'll be home surrounded by a ton of leftovers. Then comes Saturday and Sunday, which are S days anyway... put it all together and I can see myself feeling pretty crappy by Monday morning.

I feel like I need to have a game plan, because I really don't want to feel like a beached whale, even if most people think its alright to feel like that after Thanksgiving. Has anyone else been thinking about this?

No, after last year I give it no thought at all. It was a breeze. Thanksgiving is an S day, Wednesday and Friday aren't.

If Thanksgiving is a dietary free for all -- so be it. It's an S day and unlike weekend S days, one that only comes once a year. Here's my two cents worth: you have the game plan already, but you're trying to make it harder than it is by putting more restrictions on it. Relax and enjoy Thanksgiving and let Wednesday and Friday be what they are -- N days.

I think the safest thing is to assume that Thanksgiving WILL INEVITABLY be a free for all, and that you will feel at least a little like a bloated whale. I think you'd have to be a quasi-vulcan to not stuff yourself on Thanksgiving -- it's practically one's patriotic duty.

There are two important things you can do, however, to make the best of the situation.

1) ENJOY IT. This is important in itself, and it will probably result in your eating (at least a little) less than if you're frantically fretting about it.

2) Make sure that free for all feeling doesn't extend beyond Thanksgiving day. One day isn't a big deal, in the great scheme of things. The only danger is that it will turn into more days.

Reinhard

Definitely portion out the leftovers and put them in the freezer or something.
Give away leftover dessert to your guests to take home or dump it after you have had your share and are satisfied.
The leftovers are the danger here. I totally agree with that.
But please enjoy it!
I say this is one of the nicest of S days and just make good choices.
Debs

gratefuldeb67 wrote:The leftovers are the danger here. I totally agree with that.

I do think it is totally okay to save any non-sweet leftovers and use them as parts of meals for the next week or so.

But I habitually cook large dinners so that I have portions left over to freeze for lunches.

And don't forget to make turkey carcass soup! Last year that took care of my family's lunches for a few weeks.

We'll be with family Wednesday night through Saturday. I already know Thursday and Friday will be S days for me (I do S days on Tuesdays & Fridays because of how my schedule works.). There's really no reason to not take them both, we'll be with family, playing games, enjoying each other, and the food will be out. I'm going to enjoy it...including the world's best stuffing that my SIL makes! That edible stuffing container that God made called the turkey is pretty nifty, ha-ha!

As for Wednesday night & Saturday...I really don't know if my hoping to keep them N days will work out. I know there will be snacks Wednesday night, and I know there will still be leftovers, and then travelling on Saturday. I'm just not going to worry about it though. Thanksgiving comes once a year and I'm going to enjoy and get back on track when we get home.

Merry

Merry, I think that's the best plan. Do your best and don't worry about it. As you said, it's once a year.

Me, I'm planning Thanksgiving and following monday as NWS days, my husband's taking that monday off and working half a day friday.

I understand about the Wednesday thing, I was actually considering taking the Wednesday before cause he has off a half day and we'll be cooking.

For me four NWS/S days in a row get's too be too wacky. So I have learned for me its best to break them up.

I think if you are stressed about wednesday better to take it as NWS and just enjoy, then you'll have friday as an N day stop gap before you slide into the weekend

But whatever you do, have LOADS of FUN!

Blueskighs

Thanksgiving-
It is only for a day not 4. That has been a comforting thought since I read it. I too didn't want a string of NWS days even if it were kosher. It sounds too glutoness. What a nice attitude to have- moderation instead of excess. The S days are taking care of themselves by observing the N days strictly.

Reinhart- Please have a Blessed Holiday.

If there were 4 S days in a row -- so what? Just because it's an S day doesn't mean you have to be a glutton. It means you have a little more freedom in your choices. You can still moderate your choices and not indulge in excess.

If there were 4 S days in a row -- so what?

I guess I am enjoying the fact that I don't want 4 days in a row.

That 1 day with a break before the weekend is satisfying enough. And I like this bondage of needing to eat to enjoy something being broken.

While the rest of the women will be somber in their eating, either in picking at it or bemoaning the calorie/fat/carb content, I will be doing neither.

I found this same experience this summer on vacation starting to form. But it is much more pronounced now.

I am with blueskighs, there is much to experience with this plan.

connorcream wrote:I guess I am enjoying the fact that I don't want 4 days in a row.

On a related note, I find that one at a time is usually quite sufficient; if I snack on Saturday, it usually takes until Monday until I want to partake of an S again. This has the splendid advantage any holiday of more than three days automatically becomes an extra treat in excess of normal S days. Being English, I don't celebrate Thanksgiving; Christmas is approaching, however...

On an unrelated note, every time I see a post by blueskighs, I now start singing Mr Blue Sky by ELO. It is rapidly becoming annoying even to me. Mayhap I shall devise some form of system to prevent this.