Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Okay: Just a couple of things here, I swear I'm going to make this short, because I've stolen away from my family's pre-feasting festivities at our little rented home and am blogging with my wife's borrowed laptop perched on top of a clothes dryer that is currently drying sheets, blankets and towels that my two-year-old nephew spent last night dowsing in vomit. Don't ever say I never did anything for you.

Now, I realize that even for fitness freaks, this afternoon's meal is a chance to go hog-wild. You've probably earned it. Still, in the event that you want to hold onto a tiny sense of self-control, here's how NOT to regret your gluttony at the Thanksgiving table, while still having a generous--some might say hugely indulgent--meal:

Fill up on turkey, or ham, or whatever lean protein you've got going this year. Accompany it with as many veggies as you wish, assuming they're relatively free of dressings and other fun additives. Go crazy on this stuff. You can also eat a good amount of sweet potatoes AND cranberry sauce, assuming (again) that they haven't been destroyed by the addition of lard and/or sugar variations. Make that round one.

Then, spend a few minutes gabbing with Aunt Celia across the table. Let round one settle a bit. If you can wait up to 20 minutes--so much the better.

THEN, check to see if you're still hungry at all, and if so, you can now either repeat round one, or, if you'll be banned from next year's feast if you don't indulge, have some of the stuffing, rolls, white potatoes, breads and/or corn. But go easy on these starches. Think of them as sweets. And for heaven's sake, don't eat them first.

One key to not overstuffing is NOT to eat little bits of a hundred different things. That's the primrose path to a food-baby. Can you say "all you can eat buffet" anyone?

Polish it off with a modest portion of pie or dessert that you actually ENJOY.

...or, just throw it all out the window and have a good time. One meal won't kill ya.

I'm still deciding which route to take myself.

Regardless, have fun.

Gotta go, clothes are almost dry.

A