700 Calorie Thanksgiving Dinner

With Thanksgiving Day about a month away, people will be taking about Thanksgiving dinner and how many Americans add 5 to 10 pounds during the holidays that are almost impossible to lose after the festivities are over.

Excluding, breakfast, lunch, beverages and snacks, the average turkey dinner is between 2,000 and 2,500 calories before you go for a second helping. Considering most people need between 1,700 and 2,500 calories to maintain a healthy weight, you can gain up to a pound on Thanksgiving Day.

The sample meal pictured is a generous 22 ounces of food providing 880 calories. Omitting the dinner roll saves 100 calories. Buttering the roll adds about 30 calories.

The stuffing provides the most calories at 265. Decreasing the stuffing and increased the vegetables (not mashed potatoes) can shave 100 calories from this meal.

Even if you eat the meal as shown, it still provides fewer calories than a “traditional Thanksgiving” turkey dinner after subtracting pumpkin and pecan pie calories.

Twenty-two ounces of food is more than most frozen dinners. Reduce portion sizes to equal a 16 ounce frozen turkey dinner and total calories drop from 880 to  640.

You also significantly reduce chemical additives.

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