thebabyperks

Thanksgiving can be very difficult for people with unhealthy relationships with food. I know that I personally have felt guilty for eating so much or felt like I needed to restrict my eating leading up to Thanksgiving. I participated in 5K turkey trots because I enjoyed them, but it was also nice to know I was "burning all of the calories I was going to eat".

What I've come to learn, though, is that one day (or even a few days) of eating what you want will not ruin your progress. You don't have to get a workout in before you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. If you want to workout, go for it, but it is not a requirement in order to eat the foods you want to eat. And just because you may be eating a lot on Thanksgiving doesn't mean you don't need to eat leading up to turkey day, your body still needs energy.

These thoughts of mine got put to the test this week. I haven't worked out in 3 days and I almost forced myself to go to the gym with my parents this morning but I realized it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in my pjs and enjoy my breakfast. As someone who regularly goes to the gym and ~tries~ to eat healthy, taking a few extra rest days is okay. The gym will still be there for me this weekend. I am going into tonight's Thanksgiving dinner with one side of my family and tomorrow's Thanksgiving with the other side in a much more aware mindset.
I've grown a lot over the past year with my relationship with food. I'm eating foods I enjoy and feeling a lot less guilty. I've learned that food isn't "good" or "bad" it's just energy. By eating more and eating what I enjoy I've actually been able to gain muscle and my physique is better than it has ever been. I know other people have much bigger struggles with food than I have experienced and my advice won't fix your problems, but I thought it would be helpful to share what helped me overcome some of those guilty feelings associated with food.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, don't feel guilty for eating the foods you want to eat, and make memories with those you love.

Until next time,
Taylor xx