With SFN I am now loathing Thanksgiving...
 

:mad::mad::mad:

Since acquiring SFN over a year ago i loathe Thanksgiving. I Will watch as others down hefty portions of stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies, cakes and more. The ingestion of any of these high carb, sugar laden foods will send me into a full on flare up that will last weeks. I will stuff myself on Turkey (without gravy) and seltzer and be miserable - yet happy in my avoidance of an intense pain battle.

For anyone who relates, how do you handle a day like today?

I would have small small portions of forbidden foods.
Have regular portions of green beans, squash, yams, etc, and the turkey.
I do avoid gluten.
I can't see how some gravy would be so terrible if you love it so.

We are having a ham, squash, a small amount of potatoes, and mixed veggies.(carrots, broccoli, peas-- a frozen mix), with butter. A conservative meal but still tasty for both of us.

Fats are nearly not so awful as bread, stuffing, sugar etc. These will spike the blood glucose.

I do miss desserts though.

A lot of people load gravy up with corn starch and some sugar, my experience is not good.

Hi Patrick,

Happy Thanksgiving to you & the rest of the gang!

I can certainly relate to your Post as I just painfully turned down a home-made apple pie by two very nice gals I know can really bake!! My plan is to have 2 veggies and a small Cornish Game Hen roasted in the oven. :eek::)

Wishing you a healthy Holiday! Also, since this is a day of gratitude I wish to express a special "thank you" to the monitors like Mrs D that provide so detailed additional info to the members here.

Cliffman :)

My wife made me a vegan stuffing. I will indulge today. I am hoping for minimal backlash, but will savor the meal.

I will eat small portions of what my daughter serves. I don't feel neglected at all in the food world. I've eaten and over indulged in T-days in my life that I could sleep thru the day but not ready for that one yet. I've eaten vegan T-days, eaten salads and steaks out with friends and have not cooked a T-day meal in eons. For me at this time, my stomach doesn't hold a lot of foods and that is good too. Who needs to fall asleep and feel so uncomfortable, been there. Life changes and years ago I had read or heard somewhere that one can consume upwards of 18,000 calories from the beginning to end of the meal --- drinks to deserts to leftovers in the evening.

Enjoy your day and small portions are best for our bodies.

A little flour and butter is all we ever had in our family's gravy.
I've never heard of sugar!

Small meals mean less spikes so, small portions are best.

A special meal like Thanksgiving can be a small cheat. But a huge meal of anything on this day is bad for you. Might as well have some small bits of what you like...unless you think going off the wagon will lead to MORE cheating in the future?

I think historically the most toxic food at Thanksgiving was
Cool Whip and pie crust made with Crisco solid, and some stuffings....made with transfats.

I miss holiday cookies myself.

Here is a funny photo I took at our son's house a few years ago...his rescue cat Tima was eyeing hubby's food throughout the Thanksgiving day meal...

Our son took her in from a cold November day about a year before this photo. She sneaked into his townhouse between his legs as he went to put the trash in a dumpster. She was surviving on garbage and mice and was about 8 months old then. She picked his place because she could smell the cats, I bet (his other 2). She alone would sit like this watchfully at meals, never trying to actually steal something...but her habits alway seemed to come out at these times. Back in her outdoor life she was skin and bones. But not any longer ;)

My grandmother's homemade turkey gravy consisted of browning some flour in a cast iron pan, adding onion and browning, and then the turkey drippings (no other ingredients, not even salt) and letting it simmer and cook away.

I guess the onions could be a source of "sugar".

It sure tasted good but these days, I just use some turkey drippings if I want to put something over my turkey. Don't usually even bother doing that. Plain turkey is fine with me.

Dear Patrick,

I avoid the temptation to eat all the Thanksgiving spread by not attending the family dinner. My taste buds would overwhelm my desire to stay away from the foods I should avoid. I KNOW I would over indulge (be super happy about the taste for the moment) so I found it much easier just to stay home and cook and eat what I want and have NO temptations to which to succumb.

Yes, Hopeless, that is the way I learned too.

Since my hubby doesn't like gravy.... I don't make it anymore.:rolleyes: End of that story, but sugar...never have had it that way.

I have a Nesco countertop Dutch Oven. My grandmother used to
use it instead of an oven, and gave me one for my wedding years ago. Its cord died, so I bought a new one unit. When you put turkey parts in there, some seasoning/broth/light garlic in the bottom with the turkey on the elevated grill included, you can cook the most flavorful meal with carrots, or yams, or potatoes on top of the turkey, all at once and it comes out tender, steamed and really doesn't need gravy. I baste every 15 to 20 minutes while it goes, and it takes about an hour or so depending on how much you put in there. I taught hubby how to use it when I was working so many hours...in the past.
So I just buy a package of thighs, and a small turkey breast and do it that way. No more struggling with the "carcass" for the days after.

Here are the ovens... as you can see they have become rather fixey today. Mine is a plain old white one.
http://www.nesco.com/products/Roaste...-Roaster-Oven/

My grandmother used to cook the most tender beef chuck roasts in hers.

In deference to my and many others dietary restrictions--
 

--we always start the Thanksgiving meal with a huge salad--broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce of various pedigrees, onions, celery. Oil and vinegar for those who want to dress it--I never do. Those who want to, eat a lot of this to fill up enough to keep from overindulging on everything else; this helps keep me to turkey, cranberries, and a sweet potato--these we just bake, like regular potatoes, not melted with marshmallows and such--for the rest of the meal.

Desserts are served much later, and fruit is an option, along with all the brought over baked goods (which I can't have anyway).

What often amazes me most at these get-togethers is the enormous amount of coffee and tea people drink. As I have never developed a taste for either I find this fascinating/bewildering, but I suppose that if you drink a lot of liquids it fills you up enough to avoid that third piece of pumpkin pie.

and all that caffeine keeps one awake! ;)

I agree with you too, Glenn. I just hate that overfull, sick feeling one can get from eating too much at a time.

From the photo I put up, you can see the plate my husband is eating from. (that Tima has her eyes on). He is a slow eater too, so she was getting impatient with him. LOL

In that photo that side of the table, has a bench instead of chairs, and that is how she managed her vigil. (we bought that table and bench and chairs for their moving into their first house). My son says, they sometimes give scraps off their plates after the meal is over, so the cats are far from starved or forgotten. Tima developed a taste for human fare, living off dumpsters her whole beginning life. Our son says, she goes crazy if they bring in Kentucky Fried Chicken!;)

Louis CK a comic, said "The meal is not over when I'm full. The meal is over when I hate myself."

I traveled this year to be with my son & his wife. We had dinner at my daughter in laws parents house. They do not really know me or understand PN. I behaved fairly well. I did have a very small piece of pie and I think the sweet potato casserole had sugar even though it wasn't one of those marshmellow type. There was nothing green to chose from.

Today I'm feeling it a bit. I don't hate myself, that would be counterproductive, but I am seeing where I can improve for next time.

I now remember why last year we didn't make a bread stuffing. I am feeling it heavy, but I don't regret it. It was delicious. Not so delicious I am having more today, the rest came with me on the hobble to the office.

I hope it doesn't linger past today, I don't recall food related issues I identified lasting very long, but if I had to be useful today I would fall flat on my face.

Next year we are back to a whole grain version. I think it was some barley varient last year and it didn't hit me with this sort of bready awfulness.

I earned it.

Heh.

:)

Jon

I ended up missing out on Thanksgiving with some kind of stomach virus. So, while I avoided the great temptations I suffered in other ways. THis also seemed to amp up the SFN pain for some reason as well. The Holidays are always a time when i get sick in one way or another. Between the possible food indulgences, stress, extreme cold temperatures and viruses in the air I find I Just have to ride it out.

Oh Patrick,

I am so sorry you got sick. Hope you get to feeling better quick. Not a good way to miss the temptations of Thanksgiving food.

There is a saying that some eat to live and others live to eat. I used to fall into the later category. I lived to eat. It was the greatest pleasure on earth. Some say I have always been a "picky" eater as there are several foods I do not care for at all. I always thought of myself as someone that ate anything that did not eat me first. (My dietician is the one that says I am a picky eater.) Never have thought of myself as such.

Of course, it is much healthier to fall into the category of eating to live as those usually choose food to fuel the body and provide nutrition.

I happen to LOVE the taste of many foods and could easily succumb to temptation. Knowing this about myself, I do not bring food into my house that I should avoid or limit. To further limit my temptation, I avoid a lot of social activities that involve food.

I am so proud of so many of you that have the will power to resist temptation. My resistance can only go so far so my hat is off to each of you that can remain strong in the face of food temptations.

I do pretty good in most situations but I just find it easier to avoid the situation than fight the temptation. I take the "easy" way out. If it is not near me, I can't eat it. Desserts are not a problem for me but oh, look out for the starches, like potatoes. Or the casseroles. Those are my big weaknesses.

At home, I can have some plain steamed cauliflower, steamed broccoli, etc. Away from home, it isn't plain cauliflower, it is cauliflower au gratin with a cream sauce and cheese, or a broccoli casserole with ingredients that make it taste so good, but so bad for me to eat.

This post makes me sound like I am ALWAYS good. WRONG !!! I do have my little "cheats" now and then but I do try to keep them to a minimum. My Thanksgiving meal will usually consist of baking a turkey with NO seasoning at all, and a vegetable. The vegetable is where I may "cheat". Example,... instead of just boiled eggplant, I will make baked eggplant which has onions sautéed in butter, the boiled eggplant, and bread crumbs. Occasionally use boiled shrimp in it, too. Then I bake it in the oven and have destroyed my perfectly healthy vegetable and morphed it into something that tastes wonderful but has not only added calories, but the bread crumbs are a real NO NO.

It is a good thing that I don't "cook" too often. That keeps me to my steamed veggies and not veggies with added ingredients. I use the "excuse" that it is after all a holiday. THAT is when I indulge in veggies that are not just plain and healthy.

I ate small portions as I knew I would and didn't finish my slice of gluten free organic pumpkin pie, my daughter buys one each year at a vegan restaurant they go to. I took some baking soda before I went to bed. Feeling OK this morning, but not used to the rich foods anymore. Did bring some foods home so will warm some turkey and sweets for breakfast.

I just let 'er rip. I ate everything put out in any quantity I wanted. Even had pie and ice cream. Drank more alcohol than I have in a long time as well (which still wasn't a lot).

Thankfully the only ill effects last night I felt were from the alcohol which I can't metabolize. I didn't flare SFN-wise, thank goodness, and I spared myself checking my blood sugar when I got home.

It ended up being a 9 hour meal/conversation with wonderful friends, and was really good for the soul.

Today I'm back on the wagon and will do lots of yard work to ease my conscience.

Feel better soon, Patrick!!

Happy that my daughter's home is alcohol free, she's been thru "H" and back in that area but it was interesting the 3 18 yr old college girls and my 15 yr old grandson had a long discussion on MJ, medicinal and recretional. One girl is from seattle and that state along with colorado are open MJ country. So far I don't think either grandchild has dipped in the MJ world and temptations are huge. These children were happy to be around an open minded grandma. Good to talk openly with our children. I told them I'd like to have some oil for the joints but that I would NOT smoke it. Grandkids father died at 55 and he tested everything in his life.

Loved it.
 

Loved your post. Sometimes you just have to indulge and be happy. Life is too short to abide by all the "rules" all the time. ONE day of letting 'er rip sounds like a good thing to me.

I figure if ONE day of eating what tastes good instead of what is good for me is going to kill me, then maybe it is time to go anyway. When you think there are 365 days a year with maybe 2 or 3 meals a day, then ONE let her rip meal sounds small and OK in the grand scheme of things. (As long as it is not TOO drastic and detrimental to one's health conditions.)

Sounds like you also did it without heaping a bunch of "guilt" upon yourself. GOOD for YOU !!!

If I had gone to a family dinner, I may have done the exact same thing but I may have tested my blood sugar upon returning home and then put myself on a guilt trip. Glad to hear you skipped the meter and allowed yourself to enjoy the indulgence.

Don't work too hard on that yard work. You spread the meal out over many hours, so spread the yard work out over many days. :winky:

That sums up my feelings perfectly, H. Thanks for the kind words and understanding my "sin."

I am indeed spreading out the yard work over several days. I got a lot done yesterday, and hopefully by end of day tomorrow, I'll be winterized and ready to hibernate.