A Thanksgiving Menu You Won't Regret

While we're not remotely suggesting that you diet on turkey day, wouldn't it be nice if, just once, this tradition-blessed binge didn't send your resolve spiraling down -- and your weight soaring up -- for the rest of the holidays? Do this:

• Start with nuts. Instead of noshing your way through the sour-cream dip before dinner, pick the walnuts out of the nut bowl. Eating 12 halves 30 minutes before a meal will convince your brain you're not all that hungry. (Somebody beat you to them? These healthful nuts will curb your appetite, too.)
• Eat some of everything. Yes, including the pumpkin pie, and -- if you're really into it -- your sister-in-law's Jell-O salad. Just don't eat a lot of it. Take less and savor it more. The fifth (or fifteenth) forkful never has the “wow” of the first few bites anyway.
• Eat lots of turkey. Turkey breast is super lean: just 44 calories, 1 gram of fat, and no saturated fat per skinless ounce. (You're doing the turkey this year? Watch this 90-second guide to roasting a simple, perfect bird.)
• Make the superberries super. Cranberries contain powerful anti-agers. Skip the canned sauces, which are jammed with added sugar and 170 calories per inch-thick slice. Instead, throw together this terrific Cranberry-Orange Relish -- only 23 calories per tablespoon and barely 5 minutes to make.
• Practice the flip. A smart friend calls this trick “flipping” your meal: Make the side dishes (the salad, the asparagus, the baked pearl onions) the stars, along with your white-meat turkey. Make the double-stuffed potatoes a small side dish. When everyone else is waddling out, you'll be feeling great.

Use this 5-tip holiday action plan to keep the good times going without gaining a pound.