Here are five things you can do to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner without giving in to your food addiction.

1. Don’t limit your eating to Thanksgiving Dinner. You’re going to have leftovers anyway, so why not start on them early?

Instead of stuffing yourself at the dinner table, eat just enough to stop feeling hungry and go back for more when you feel hungry again.

2. Stay away from your addictive foods. You know which ones they are. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Just do what you need to do.

My big addictive food is bread. I don’t even keep it in the house. If it’s a choice between pumpkin pie and rolls, the pie wins every time. I don’t know why but it’s not addictive for me like rolls and bread are.

3. Always save room for dessert. You know you’re going to eat it so don’t let the guilt rob you of that simple pleasure. Eat it and enjoy it and let it go at that.

4. Don’t give in to snacking. Eat a real meal, at least some protein and carbohydrates,  something that will satisfy you for 2-3 hours. One of the problems with snacking is that it seems to go on forever. A meal should have an ending.

5. Give your body some time to process the food you’re taking in. That way you’ll have enough energy to play a little football, go to a movie, or take a nice walk.

Thanksgiving Day is not a time to be worrying about emotional eating, food addictions, or losing weight. That takes all the enjoyment out of it.

Overeating is common but it doesn’t have to be. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re not, and be thankful you have enough food to worry about overeating.