Thanksgiving represents the extremes of weight loss surgery. You get to experience the joy of family and friends, and some of your favorite foods, but it comes at a high cost to your health and weight loss. You have undoubtedly been overfull at times after your Thanksgiving dinner and may have even felt sick after weight loss surgery.

This year’s holiday offers a chance to redo Thanksgiving and to ace it. You can still have your favorite flavors, but enjoy them a little more responsibly. Here are a few recipe ideas and other tips for a healthy Thanksgiving.

Low-Carb Stuffing

Cut grease by skipping the loads of butter that go in stuffing, and by baking it alongside the turkey instead of in the bird. Slash carbs by skipping bread or rice, and subbing cauliflower or even eggplant. Here’s one idea for low-carb stuffing.

Sautee celery, onions, and turkey sausage in a small amount of oil. Add chopped cauliflower, walnuts, cranberries, poultry seasoning, and sage. Each serving has less than a quarter the carbs and saturated fat of regular bread and sausage stuffing.

You can also use the same base of onions and celery, and try:

• Rice stuffing made with riced cauliflower instead of white rice
• Bread stuffing made with a mixture of low-carb, high-fiber bread and cauliflower
• Pecan stuffing made with apples and cranberries.
• Eggplant stuffing made with turnip, thyme, chicken broth, poultry seasoning, and an egg.

Squash Casserole

After weight loss surgery, candied sweet potatoes won’t just make you gain weight. They can make you sick. Unless you want to spend the rest of the day in the bathroom, you may be better off with a sub. These ideas can help you cut the carbs in half and avoid added sugars.

• Use butternut or acorn squash instead of sweet potatoes.
• Make it fluffier by whipping the cooked squash with egg whites before cooking.
• Use almond milk instead of butter for creaminess.
• Top with crumbled Moon Cheese for a more savory casserole, or cinnamon and crushed Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Cereal for a sweeter casserole.

Apple Pecan Pie Cup

What’s better than 1 slice of pie? Two slices! Better yet? Getting the flavors of two favorite pies, minus 1,000 calories and 100 grams of carbs. Here’s one way you can get your apple and pecan pie fix.

• Chop or peel and spiralize apples.
• Stew them with cinnamon.
• Mix in chopped pecans.
• Serve crustless or over Maple Brown Sugar Protein Oatmeal mixed with a small amount of water to make it crumbly.

More Tips

• Turkey is good! Have 3 ounces of skinless dark or white meat for under 150 calories, and 0 carbs. Add 10 calories with some deli mustard for flavor.
• Help yourself…to vegetables. With 15 calories per cup and a lot of chewing satisfaction, salad can be best if you can tolerate it. Otherwise, roasted vegetables such as green beans, asparagus (watch the strings!), or turnips work nicely, too.
• Enjoy the company. The more you talk, the less you eat. Take advantage of conversation with rarely-seen relatives or friends to catch up, and eat less. Even if you are not close to them, they can help distract you from too much food.
• Protect yourself from leftovers. Send your guests home with a doggie bag so you are not stuck with leftovers. If you are a guest, politely refuse. If all else fails and you are stuck with the leftovers, throw them away if you fear they will make you overeat later.
• Plan a Friday morning workout. It can keep you motivated and make you remember that you are serious about weight loss.

Thanksgiving is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity for you to excel and be proud of yourself. Take some time to make your game plan, and you can get through the meal with some delicious dishes and without an overly full stomach. Happy Thanksgiving!

How about freezing the leftovers instead of throwing them out?

And don't forget to make turkey chili or turkey vegetable soup afterwards, or turkey enchiladas w locarb wraps and substituting greek yogurt for the sour cream.

Great advice. Thank you!