Episode 11Nov 26, 2025· 8:02

Thanksgiving Workout Strategy: How to Enjoy Holiday Food Without Gaining Weight

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About this episode

This episode covers holiday eating strategies and workout planning for Thanksgiving and the broader holiday season. Ashley Grant explains why skipping breakfast before a big holiday meal leads to overeating, how to use the plate method (half vegetables, quarter protein, quarter carbs), the 20-minute brain-fullness delay and why eating slowly matters, and how confusing thirst for hunger contributes to…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've built a consistent workout routine over the past few months and you're worried the Thanksgiving holiday weekend will break your streak and send you back to square one.

You're someone who tends to skip eating all day before a big holiday meal to 'save calories,' and it usually ends in overeating.

You want a concrete, simple eating framework for Thanksgiving dinner — not a restrictive diet plan, but something that lets you have the stuffing and pie without going overboard.

You're heading into the full holiday season — Christmas parties, cookie swaps, New Year's — and you're trying to figure out how to enjoy it without the guilt spiral or the January reset.

You know you need to work out on a busy holiday but your schedule is completely disrupted by family obligations and you're not sure how to fit it in.

What you’ll learn

Eat breakfast on Thanksgiving instead of saving calories for the big meal

Use the plate method to eat everything you want without overindulging

Put your fork down between bites to give your brain 20 minutes to register fullness

Work out before the holiday chaos starts, even if it's only 30–45 minutes

Don't over-restrict holiday food — that's what causes binging

Questions this episode helps answer

what should I eat on Thanksgiving if I'm trying to lose weight?

answered

Ashley says to eat a good breakfast to keep blood sugar stable, stay hydrated all day because we often mistake thirst for hunger, and then use the plate method at the big meal — she explicitly wants you to have the stuffing and mashed potatoes, just mindfully.

"But research shows that arriving whenever you're starving leads to overeating. What you should do instead is have a really good breakfast to keep your blood sugar stable and then stay hydrated."

how do I work out on Thanksgiving when I have family stuff all day?

answered

Ashley's own plan is to get the workout in before the chaos begins — even just 30 to 45 minutes of Tabata and stretching in the morning — and she also suggests waking up earlier or doing a quick bodyweight circuit in the guest room if needed.

"plan on doing. Tomorrow morning, before the chaos begins, I intend to get my workout in. I am so used to every single Thursday, I do Tabata and I do stretch. And there's amazing classes online that you can take. And so that's what I intend to do. My goal is even if I only work out 30 to 45 minutes, I plan on doing some Tabata rounds and I plan on doing some stretching. And here's"

should I work out on Thanksgiving or just take the day off?

answered

Ashley says working out on the holiday — even imperfectly — reminds you that you're someone who prioritizes movement and health even on the holidays, and that one day of celebration doesn't have to derail everything you're working for.

"why. Not only does it set the tone for the day, it reminds me that I'm someone who prioritizes movement and health even on the holidays. And"

why do I always binge eat during the holidays and how do I stop?

answered

Ashley says over-restricting is what actually leads to binging, so she encourages having the pie and the banana pudding — just without guilt and without overindulging.

"the same time, if you over -restrict yourself, that's what's going to lead to the binging. So don't feel guilt if you want to try your cousin's banana pudding pie. Don't feel guilt if you're"

how do I stay on track with fitness from Thanksgiving through New Year's?

answered

Ashley shares her own plan: fully intend to enjoy her mom's peanut butter chocolate candy, cookies at the swap, and pie — but also move her body consistently every single day and not use the holidays as an excuse to abandon what she's worked hard for.

"enjoy my mom's peanut butter chocolate candy. I fully intend to have some cookies at the cookie party, the cookie swap that I'm having with some gym buddies. I even plan on having some pie. But I'm also going to make sure that I am moving my body consistently every single day, staying active and not use the holiday as an excuse to completely abandon everything that I've worked"

Setting expectations: This episode is not a structured workout plan or a guide to burning off Thanksgiving calories through exercise science. It's Ashley talking through her own personal approach to the holiday weekend — eating breakfast, doing Tabata Thursday morning, skipping Black Friday shopping for Zumba — and encouraging listeners to do something similar rather than abandoning their routines entirely.

Tone & style

Mostly personal experience and intention, with a few appeals to common nutrition knowledge (e.g. 20-minute fullness delay, thirst mistaken for hunger). Ashley explicitly frames her plan as something she's sharing, not prescribing.

toneWarm & practical

focusAshley shares her personal Thanksgiving eating and workout plan — eat breakfast, use the plate method, get the workout in before the chaos — and frames the holidays as something to enjoy without using them as an excuse to quit.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Textureencouraging, self-deprecating, practical

Notable quotes

"it reminds me that I'm someone who prioritizes movement and health even on the holidays. And"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"do we really need $25 off a TV? Absolutely not. What I need is 25 pounds off my waistline. So"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"the same time, if you over -restrict yourself, that's what's going to lead to the binging. So"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"family walk after dinner. Movement, it doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to happen."

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 4 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:111. Holidays Don't Have to Derail Your GoalsAshley introduces the episode's premise: that enjoying the holidays and staying committed to fitness are not mutually exclusive, pushing back on the all-or-nothing mindset.0:572. Eating Strategies for Thanksgiving DayAshley shares three specific eating approaches — eating breakfast, staying hydrated, and using the plate method — plus a reminder to eat slowly and let the brain catch up to fullness.3:033. Ashley's Personal Workout Plan for the Holiday WeekendAshley describes her own plan: Tabata and stretching on Thanksgiving morning, and her regular Friday Zumba class on Black Friday instead of shopping, framing movement as a personal identity commitment.5:114. Navigating the Full Holiday Season Without Guilt or BingingAshley extends the conversation to the broader holiday season — Christmas parties, cookie swaps, pie — and shares her personal plan to enjoy food while staying consistently active, warning that over-restriction leads to binging.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personFamous Ashley Grant

The host of More Movement Please, sharing her personal Thanksgiving workout and eating plan for the holiday weekend.

personAunt Sharon

A fictional or real family member Ashley references as an example of holiday dinner distraction that leads to mindless overeating.

Key themes

Holidays and fitness aren't mutually exclusive

Ashley pushes back on the idea that Thanksgiving or Christmas automatically derail fitness goals, repeating explicitly that enjoying the holidays and staying committed 'are not mutually exclusive.'

Skipping meals to 'save calories' backfires

Ashley describes her husband's habit of skipping breakfast and lunch before Thanksgiving dinner and argues that arriving starving leads to overeating.

Mindful eating at the table

Ashley talks through the plate method and eating slowly, noting that it takes 20 minutes for the brain to register fullness and that distraction — like talking to Aunt Sharon — leads to mindless overeating.

Working out on the holiday itself

Ashley shares her personal plan to do Tabata and stretching on Thanksgiving morning before the day gets chaotic, framing it as setting the tone rather than compensating for food.

Movement as personal identity

Ashley frames her Thanksgiving morning workout and Black Friday gym trip not as discipline but as a reminder of who she is — 'someone who prioritizes movement and health even on the holidays.'

Gym over Black Friday shopping

Ashley contrasts going to her Friday Zumba class with doorbusting for deals, saying the gym will feel more satisfying than a $25 TV discount.

Over-restriction leads to binging

Ashley warns that denying yourself holiday food entirely is what causes binging, and encourages having the banana pudding pie or sweet potato casserole rather than white-knuckling through the season.

Guilt-free enjoyment without overindulging

Ashley holds two things at once — she doesn't want listeners to feel guilty about holiday food, but also doesn't want them to overindulge, positioning mindfulness as the middle path.

Imperfect movement still counts

Ashley acknowledges that holiday workouts won't be perfect and suggests options like a 15-minute bodyweight circuit in the guest room or a family walk after dinner, saying 'movement doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to happen.'

Connected episodes

Shared experience

Holiday workouts as self-identity proof

#21Stop Using Holidays as Workout Excuses: Why I Exercise on Christmas & Thanksgiving

Shared experience

Restriction triggers binging

#69Why I Feel Guilty About Food (Even Though I Don't Believe in Diets)

Contrast

Identity vs. grace when skipping workouts

#43When Your Body Says No: Giving Yourself Grace Without Losing Your Momentum

Contrast

Movement identity: pride vs. guilt on rest days

#71Why Doing Your Fitness Publicly Might Be the Only Thing That Actually Keeps You Going