Thanksgiving Dinner is no longer the norm – we’ve turned the holiday into an entire day of eating. Many people plan the main event for early in the day–– then squeeze in a repeat performance later in the evening. Total calories for the day could easily top 5000 or more, or about 2500 calories beyond what the average person needs.
Even if you’ve been working at home, you may be receiving treats from friends and co-workers and gift baskets are often loaded with high-calorie foods. Just two handfuls of caramel popcorn three days a week for a month (2200 calories), and three pieces of chocolate a week for a month (1600), could put an extra pound on you. You could easily eat 10 mini muffins over the course of a few days (1000 calories), or make a few dives into the salami and crackers (700 calories).
And if you’re doing more home baking these days, it only takes 6 holiday cookies (and a few samples of cookie dough) to set you back another 500 calories or so.
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