That Turkey Dinner could set you back 3,000 calories!

Go ahead, dig in … pile on the gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and turkey.  Yup, a little bit of cranberry sauce would be yummy and those pies!  Apple, pumpkin or mince?

Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner but know there’s a price to pay … to the tune of 3,000+ calories and 229 grams of fat!  The average 150 pound person needs about 1,750 calories a day to maintain her weight so you’re pretty much committing to an almost half pound weight gain from a single meal!

Here’s some quick strategies to help you through the day …

Work out ahead of time.  A few days before start upping the cardio a bit, add 10 to 20 minutes onto your normal routine and up the intensity.  This will give you a little wiggle room for the big day.

Work out on Thanksgiving. There are tons of Turkey Trots to join, local 5K road races on Thanksgiving morning.  An average 5K will burn about 400 calories which should cover your mashed potato/gravy moat.  A few local gyms are open as well.  Check with yours to see if you can sneak in a morning workout.

Workout after your meal.  Walking after a meal aids digestion and helps rev up your metabolism a little bit.  A game of touch football is a great activity or just some hoops in the driveway.  It doesn’t need to be super strenuous just enough to get the heart pumping a little.  You’ll feel significantly less bloated and drowsy.

Here’s an idea of how long it’ll take to burn off 3,000 calories …

• 190 minutes of vigorous Spinning ™
• 230 minutes of running at a 9 minute mile pace.
• 230 minutes of playing tag football in the back yard
• 415 minutes of jumping rope
• 420 minutes of soccer
• 425 minutes for a casual game of basketball
• 650 minutes of brisk walking

You get the idea!  Just increase your activity this week and you’ll be fine.  And if you’re thinking about 2nds or even 3rds perhaps you should let Uncle Morty have the extra mashed potatoes instead.

Happy Thanksgiving!  To figure out how many calories you burn check out this great calculator at Self.com. For a great source of calorie info and some recipe ideas check out FitSugar.com.

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