The Day After

I’ve been grateful for a lot of things lately, but I have to be honest. Today I am just thankful that this holiday is over! How crazy is it for a person who is trying to lose weight, celebrate a holiday that is centered on food? I remember back to my old weight watcher days. The leader would give helpful hints that would lead up to Thanksgiving.  “Just remember to concentrate on the love of family and friends, and not think so much about the food.”  Or, “Load up on a lot of raw vegetables and then just eat the white meat of the turkey.”  Right! Just pass on the cheese platter or the fresh homemade Italian bread that Uncle Chris brought?  We’ve been preparing food since Monday night. Was I really supposed to eat celery and be content to watch my size 0 sister in law eat Brie? The food seemed exceptionally good this year.  (Have I been depriving myself too much lately?) I followed a recipe for brining and roasting a turkey. The instructions were so explicit, it was hard to err. We ended up with a turkey that had dark crispy skin with moist delicious meat.  It produced perfect gravy with flavors of sage, thyme and rosemary. I wasn’t about to pass on the opportunity to put it on everything, especially the mashed potatoes! So, I ate yesterday. I ate with abandon! I am not going to bemoan a day of eating when I have really been so good. Today is a new day. I have plenty of leftovers for the family. I also have plenty of raw vegetables left over. Tonight I will eat raw vegetables and the white meat from the turkey. And I will concentrate on the love of my family.