The Guilt-Free Thanksgiving Plan

EDITOR’S NOTE: THANKSGIVING IS MEANT TO BE A TIME TO INDULGE. BUT FOR SOME, THE OVEREATING CAN DERAIL YOUR HEALTHY LIVING GOALS. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW THIS YEAR, FEEL FREE TO TRY OUT THESE SUGGESTIONS FROM FITNESS EXPERT AND LIVESTRONG.COM ADVISOR, JASON FERRUGGIA. THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED STRENGTH COACH IS KNOWN FOR ONE THING: INCREDIBLE RESULTS. HERE IS HIS 3-DAY APPROACH TO PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING, SO YOU CAN DIG IN ON TURKEY DAY—WITHOUT THE GUILT. BUT A WARNING: HIS ADVICE ISN'T FOR EVERYONE. IF YOU DON'T AGREE OR PREFER ANOTHER STRATEGY, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN HEALTHY APPROACH TO THANKSGIVING.

The perfect plan for Thanksgiving is less about what you do on the big day of eating, and more about what you do before and after. If you follow the right plan, you can eat (and eat some more), without any negative consequences. Here's how to plan a successful feast.

Start your week with a normal upper body workout on Monday. Some pressing and pulling and maybe some bi's and tri's, 15-20 total sets, 5-10 reps on most stuff. Do the same on Tuesday with your lower body day. Some jumps, some squats, a single leg exercise, posterior chain work and abs. 

On the diet side, these days should be very low carb. You want to enter your Thanksgiving feast very carb depleted, so you can indulge more without having to worry. That’s why I’d keep carbohydrate intake around 50 grams per day from Sunday-Wednesday. And ideally, you’ll consume the carbs after your workouts. If you wanted to be even more extreme, you could cut carbs to 30 grams.

On Thursday you're going to fast up until three hours before you plan to start eating. So let’s say your planning to begin your feast at 4 pm. I’d recommend fasting until 1 p.m. If needed, you can have some black coffee between 10 and 12 for a boost. It’s also essential that you drink plenty of water the day of the meal, and the day prior (on Wednesday). 

At 1 p.m., I’d recommend drinking drink 10 grams of BCAA’s (branched-chain amino acids) and head to the gym for a full body depletion workout. (see below) You need to train every major muscle group from head to toe with three sets of 15-20 reps. The entire workout should be performed as a circuit. (one exercise after another, and then repeat the entire process two more times) 

One thing to remember is that you don't want much eccentric stress or soreness, as that can impair your insulin sensitivity and ability to store glycogen the next day. (and negate any benefits of your carb binge) So ideally most of this workout would be done using a sled and blast straps because there would be zero eccentric component to it. 

Here's a sample sled workout for your Thanksgiving prep: (each exercise is followed by number of sets, reps, and rest period)

1) Upright row- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec. rest

2) Front raise- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest

3) Rear delt fly- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec. rest

4) Chest press- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec. rest

5) Row- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest

6 Military press (leaning forward)- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest

7) Sled Curl- 3 x 15-30 x 30 sec. rest

8) Triceps Extension- 3 x 15-30 sec. rest

9) Back Extension- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest

10) Backward drag in half squat position- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest

11) Forward Frankenstein walk- 3 x 15-20 x 30 sec rest

If you don't have a sled here's a plan B workout (using the same sets, reps, and rest):

1) DB Shrug

2) DB Military Press

3) Face Pull

4) Pushup or DB Press

5) Chest Supported or Inverted Row

6) Pushdown

7) DB Curl

8) Back Extension

9) Goblet Squat

10) Standing Calf Raise

Again do three sets of 15-20 in a circuit, resting 30 seconds between sets.

If you’re keeping the rest periods as short as they should be, you'd finish the workout at 2 p.m. Go home and shower, get dressed, pop 300mg of rALA and then start feasting. Also, be sure to drink at least a gallon of water throughout the day on Thursday. 

Since you are going to be eating enough for a small army you should fast again for 16-18 hours the next day and do yet another full body depletion workout before gorging on leftovers. This way, you’ll be able to dig in—and be surprised at how great you’ll still look.