Let the turkey be stuffed & plump over Thanksgiving, while YOU stay nice & lean!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving without totally porking out AND be able to eat your pie too! Just follow 1 or more of the following 10 tips and you could be a lot better off this year than last-

1. Morning Exercise First thing in the morning get in some cardio however you best like. You will feel so much better later knowing that you got this in, and you will be more mindful of what you eat during the day so as not to negate all your early AM efforts.

2. Eat Small/Eat Frequently If you eat a little something (a mix of carb/fat/protein) every 3-4hrs then you will keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable AND stop any extreme hunger/gorging behaviors. Sure, that means that you won't be totally stuffing yourself at the Thanksgiving meal itself, and thats fine - remember, the leftovers will taste just as good the next day, maybe even better!

3. Red Wine & Water Red wine is probably your healthiest alcohol choice, just try and keep the quantity low, 1 glass for women*, 2 for men. Any more than that and you may lose the ability to keep making mindful choices. And keep your water glass nearby and drink that frequently to help keep your stomach full. Sometimes when you think you are hungry, what you really are is thirsty, so give the water a try first.

*Why just 1 glass of wine for women? Besides usually being a smaller mass then men, women metabolize wine a bit differently and a lesser amount affects ladies more. Also, if you are predisposed to breast cancer in the family, then you may want to take special care to limit your alcohol intake. (On a more fun note, in a future blog, learn some of the scientifically lusty benefits of wine consumption!)

4. Act like a Rabbit Go ahead and stuff in as many raw or steamed veggies as you'd like. These have practically no calories, loads of nutrition, and all the fiber and bulk will help fill you up. Skip the dip or go very easy on it.

5. Add more Cinnamon to the Pie This trick can actually help you reduce the amount of sugar that you use in pie or crisp recipes as cinnamon "registers" on your tastebuds as added sweetness. You can reduce the sugar in recipes by 25% or more when you double or triple the amount of called for cinnamon. Cinnamon also helps stabilize blood sugar levels, so your insulin doesn't rollercoaster. This helps keep you healthy and prevents your from feeling ravenous.

6. Go Crustless Eat your pumpkin or apple pie with half the guilt and all the antioxidants. Eat the filling and leave the soggy crust behind, it is loaded with empty calories and fat. Skip that! The crust is usually not all that good, save your calories for something better. Or make a crisp, there is often healthier ingredients in a crisp topping like oats and walnuts, both of which are heart healthy and delicious. Also, try to really slowly savor the first few bites of whichever dessert you choose, turns out that is where most of the satisfaction lies. Make a game of it- tantalize yourself and see how long you can keep that first bite in your mouth before you just have to swallow it.

7. Walk it out After the main meal, go take a walk around the neighborhood and recruit whatever relatives that you can. This will give you the chance to burn a few calories and get away from the table for a bit.

8. Play Outside During the day, see if anyone wants to play a game of football in the backyard or any other sport, or go for a walk, or stay inside and play some Wii - tennis or boxing will get your heart rate up if you really start swinging (just be careful not to knock over any lamps, or knock out anyone).

9. Sip Hot Tea This can be comforting, fill you up, give your hands something to do, and tea just has a ton of health benefits. Go herbal or green if its getting late and you'll want to be sleeping anytime soon.

10. Visualize Your Success Go back and review the steps and spend some time really visualizing yourself making these good choices. The more detailed your vision is and the more frequently you do this, the better it will cement in your head and then lead to you acting out that behavior. Visualization is a tool that athletes use in sports and it works in applications like this as well.

There's Always Tommorrow Did you blow it and eat way too much? It happens. Don't berate yourself, this is not helpful. Instead, resolve for tomorrow that you will get in some exercise first thing in the morning and then eat a little more sensibly (do not drastically reduce your food intake or you will rebel) and all will be well. You don't get obese after just 1 day. Get back on track and you will be just fine.

One last thing - Come back and, in the comments on this blog, report what tips you tried. Planning to do this will help give you some accountability and therefore help you make good choices so that you can report back your success!