Countdown: 13 Days

The countdown has begun, there are only 13 days left in the 60 day challenge.  Just when we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we get thrown a monkey wrench, or should I say a turkey leg.  There is only one day in 365 that you really don't want to be dieting, and guess what, here it is, Thanksgiving.

I am determined to lose another 3-4 pounds in the next two weeks.  That means sticking to the plan, and making sure I get my 4 days of workouts in each week.  But then there is Thanksgiving.

Most of the time, when I am "dieting" and come across something that is almost too good to pass up, I am able to talk myself down with the realization that as soon as my diet is done, I will enjoy the treat I am passing up.  That works most of the time.  In fact, in the past,  my freezer would be filled with treats that are waiting for my return to "normal".  In the case of Thanksgiving, I would just make a Thanksgiving Dinner when my diet was over.

See where this is leading.  Returning to "normal", means that I would go back to eating and drinking as I did before the "diet".  Well, actually, it was worse than that, because I would spend the first couple of weeks devouring the things I passed up while on the diet.

So why was I always so surprised when I gained all the weight back?  Nothing really changed.  Every year I lost the same 10-40 pounds.  Total it all up, and I have lost hundreds of pounds in my lifetime. 

This Thanksgiving is different.  I'm not on a diet....it's a lifestyle change.  My Thanksgiving is going to be awesome.  I have put some thought into my menu and it may turn out to be the best Thanksgiving dinner I have ever made.  Here are my parameters for the meal:

1.  No sugar
2.  No grain
3.  No white potatoes
4.  No corn
5.  No alchohol

Looking at the list, it seems restrictive, and I guess it is.  However, I have a menu planned that is terrific.  We will not be missing anything, and it all fits into my nutrition plan, The Skogg System.  Here is the menu.

Apple Brined Turkey with fresh herbs
Cranberry Sauce
Sausage stuffing (Italian sausage, mushrooms, pine nuts, eggplant, fennel, celery, apples, and watercress) Who says you need bread crumbs in stuffing?
Brussels Sprouts w/ almonds and garlic
Walnut/Date muffins (made with coconut flour)
Yams with orange sauce.
Baked Apples

To make the cranberries, boil them in apple cider instead of the water and grate some orange peel in after removed from heat.  It will thicken up in the fridge.

For baked apples, core apples and put in a flat bottomed baking dish.  Combine 1/4 cup Truvia with cinnamon to taste.  Pour the cinnamon mixture into the cored apple, filling it half full.  Top with a dollop of butter.  Bake apples in the oven until they are soft, but not mushy.  Remove to a serving dish and top with the yummy syrup from the pan.  Best if eaten warm.

In no way will I feel deprived eating this meal.  In fact, I really have to pay attention to portion control, something I am not always so good at.  But if I eat a little more than usual, I can feel good about the absence of refined sugar and bad fats.

Have a very wonderful and healthy Thanksgiving.

You, only stronger!

Sue