Before You Eat Turkey!

Posted on 11/21/2012 by dsjohndrow

Tomorrow begins the holiday Bermuda Triangle: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Before you don your stretch pants and put on a double layer of underwear, you need to think about a few things like calories and portion sizes! Then you can start making up snarky comebacks for insensitive relatives or use MINE.

Here are a couple of motivators for you.

Turkey Baked with Skin 6oz. = 354 calories
Stuffing 1 cup = 360 calories
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy 6oz = 382 calories
Green Beans with Butter 1/2 cup = 40 calories
Cranberry Sauce 1/4 cup = 110 calories
Creamed Pearl Onions 1/2 cup = 60 calories
Butternut Squash 1 cup = 84 calories
Salad with Regular Ranch = 270 calories
Pumpkin Pie 1 slice = 290 calories
Pecan Pie 1 slice = 390 calories
Apple Pie 1 slice = 370 calories
Red Wine 5oz = 120 calories
Beer (Lite) 12oz = 110 calories

20 minute walk at 3.0 MPH = 106 calories
40 minute walk at 3.0 MPH = 212 calories

Tell us one thing you are eating, and how many calories it is?

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!

52 votes + -

26 comments:

katrwal wrote 116 months ago:

Actually, since it's a small group at my parents' this year, i'll be having a Market Day (school fundraiser) meal... stuffed pork roast: 4 oz serving - 220 calories :D - lots of wine... but i'll probably round that off - 800 calories per bottle...

beebee0925 wrote 116 months ago:

Eating at my in laws for the first time and i heard that he can really cook.

runfatmanrun wrote 116 months ago:

I couldn't pick just one. So, I am running a 10K Thursday morning, then eating what I want in reasonable portions that night. Friday is a trail half so that should help mitigate my gluttony.

littlelaura wrote 116 months ago:

Happy Thanksgiving, not sure as I am not making my cornbread stuffing this year so might eat just all the turkey and veggies I want, sans butter or gravy, and save room for a piece of pumpkin pie my fave.

DenverGirl93 wrote 116 months ago:

Happy Thanksgiving and Thank you for posting this!

violet456 wrote 116 months ago:

Canadian Thanks Giving was a while ago. We ended up cheating and doing an h'orderves dinner with some frozen (left over from easter) homemade stuffing, and a (yuck) store bough pumpkin pie. I had a fair amount of the snacks, not not overboard, then a sliver of pumpkin pie. No whip. Could have been better, could have been worse.

Ezzie wrote 116 months ago:

Thank you for this post. Certainly reminds one to think and perhaps do something radical like have a plan before indulging. Doing my part by making crustless pumpkin pie at 91 cal per slice,(not counting the topping ;-)....

Scoochie1 wrote 116 months ago:

No Thanksgiving in Ireland but my Christmas parties (plural) start next week! So far 3 nights out with work and Christmas day with the family. Luckily my gym is only closed on Christmas day.

Denjo060 wrote 116 months ago:

I am having turkey white meat of course mashed potatoes made with fat free half and half ( dont tell) and gravy, chestnut stuffing and potatoe salad, Im making it with low fat mayo (dont tell anyone) not real big on desserts so thats not a problem So I am headed to the gym tonight for strenght training and then tomorrow for a walk about 5 miles and then back to the gym for more strenght training to earn some extra calories. I will also have the veggies that we used to stuff the bird with.

tashiaberman wrote 116 months ago:

Why do my family have to all be such good cooks?!? We do a pot-luck Thanksgiving Dinner, with the host or my Mother cooking the Turkey and Dressing and everyone else bringing appetizers, side dishes and deserts. I'm definitely having turkey and a little bit of dressing, a little sweet potato souffle (my favorite) and whatever GREEN things they have: green beans, broccoli casserole, broccoli salad, etc. My addition to the feast is going to be roasted butternut squash cubes.

Then we'll walk down the country road to the church and back to walk off some of the damage.

77Maria wrote 116 months ago:

Campbell's - (Est) Green Bean Casserole W/ Frenches Fried Onions (Side)
Serving Size: 1/2 cup, Calories: 148, Fat: 8g, Carbs: 17g, Protein: 0g

My favorite!!! Green Bean Casserole and was actually happy it wasn't completely totally bad. Portion size :)

odditblue wrote 116 months ago:

I'll know what I'm having when I find out what we're going to cook... not everyone will be there on Thursday, so we may do it another day. I dunno.

Laura80111 wrote 116 months ago:

We won't be having the traditional Turkey Dinner, our DIL is serving a Lunch / Brunch menu...so eggs, ham, bacon, fruit and the best Cinnamon Rolls in the world...so I'm saving my calories for that Cinnamon Roll and it's sure to be high but really have no idea what the calories will be...so I'm working out in the morning to counteract those little critters :)

XXXMinnieXXX wrote 116 months ago:

We don't have Thanksgiving, but I know Xmas day I won't care what calories are in my roast! 85lbs down and I've made this a lifestyle change. Still enjoy special occasions! Just enjoy! Don't worry about it and just get back on it the next day! One meal isn't. Going to put you back where you started! X

navygunner wrote 116 months ago:

"food" for thought

MaryRegs wrote 116 months ago:

asked hubs to roast the sweet potatoes (as opposed to the gunky sauce thing) a little piece of white meat since I'm not a turkey fan...brussel sprouts...cranberry...and not much else. I am determined to stay on track

cdiele wrote 116 months ago:

Thanks for posting! It makes for easier planning tomorrow!

deagh93 wrote 116 months ago:

Looks fairly similar to the list I've made, though mine has less on it. I'm cooking, so I control what's going into the food. I get 1840 calories per day, and my planned amount of food is about 2300 (I'm a really good cook and I'm not missing out on that!). So I just need to spend about 45 minutes on the exercise bike and I'm good.

Although my planned snark if someone wants me to eat another roll is "Well, I don't know. I poisoned one of them and no one's keeled over yet. I'm not sure if I'm feeling that lucky. You have one, though!"

neverstray wrote 116 months ago:

Nah, don't care. It's one day out of the year. I'm going to enjoy it and not count or wory about it. 99% of the time, I eat well, exercise and do the right things. 1% of the time, I just enjoy it. 1% is 3 days. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday. I'm not worried about the 1% in the least. Enjoy your holiday!

thoma74 wrote 116 months ago:

I'm making crockpot mac and cheese. but I will be adding it to my recipes on here so I can make sure I know how bad it is for me lol Thanks for the post. I will for sure be keeping all this mind tomorrow!

Chou_In_Motion wrote 116 months ago:

I am not cooking my sister in law we are invited to their house. I won't know what there is until I get there lol

libland wrote 116 months ago:

I make all the sides so they are aren't too bad in the way of calories - butternut squash is just that just squash. I make my own cranberry sauce with just cranberries, an apple and some truvia. Broc and cauliflower. Last year I brought home 1/4 of a pumpkin pie and cut it into 8 thin slices. I ate one and froze the rest in zip loc bags...pulled out one at a time to thaw and eat over the next few weeks. I found three of them in the bottom of the freezer when I got a new freezer in June. I am trying to follow the three bit rule when it comes to the less healthy stuff.

SusanDoesIt wrote 116 months ago:

Awesome as usual, and loved the snarky remarks. Luckily, most people around me are AFRAID to offer me food because I'm a little obsessive about what I eat, and talk about eating healthier all the time. I even keep talking when they start to doze off. So that pretty much keeps 'em away. It works for me. And 2940 calories in all that mess?? Ok, not even I, in my larger past, ate 3 pieces of pie at once. I ate two after dinner, then one for breakfast the next day. :D

CowgirlKimi wrote 116 months ago:

Because our family is so small this year, we have opted to go out to a high end buffet for dinner tomorrow! Yep! This way, I can fill up on those wonderful veggies at the salad bar and not hear about how much so and so made this great grandmothers famous pie and I should really try it or whatever. lol Also, the place we are going offers 3 carving stations for meat, so I can ask for leaner cuts of ham or turkey, or even beef (but I think I will pass on that). I plan to attack greens, then proteins, then go for some sort of sweet potato dish. They will have shrimp there, and I am diggin that!!! Oh, for dessert, I have opted to buy my own stuff and eat dessert at home (low fat van. ice cream with natural pumpkin topping and some cinnamon.. add a crumbled low fat cinnamon graham cracker and some fat free cool whip... and you have something that makes pumpkin pie its.. well, u know.)

raven91508 wrote 115 months ago:

I always opt for the turkey breast, no skin, and always enjoy the steamed veggies, so no big sacrifice there. This time it will be one roll instead of 3 or 4, and only one spoonful of French Silk pie. Unfortunately I can't say no to stuffing and gravy :-( I've done my workout for the day (burned 425 calories) and only consumed 340 calories, so I know I'll be just fine. Stay strong everyone!

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Before You Eat Turkey!

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