I LOVE Thanksgiving. It's the one holiday we can ALL share together no matter what race, religion or background. I LOVE having one holiday where I get to be in total gratitude – and enjoy good friends and family.

However, all the stuffing, turkey, cranberries, and pumpkin pie are just some of the fabulous delicacies that make Thanksgiving absolutely scrumptious – and can at times make me feel like a large roly-poly with my pants stretched out to maximum capacity!

So, to help you avoid this, I've asked several naturally thin people to give you their seven (7) best practices to help you get through the holidays without gaining an ounce.

1. Be Hungry. Don't snack throughout the day when you know at 5pm you're going to be having a big Thanksgiving meal. Lighten up on your other meals and make sure you're really hungry for that big Thanksgiving meal.

2. Pick three. When sitting down to eat, scour the table and find three food items that look the best and eat those first. If you're not in love with the food you're eating, stop and move on. Eat only the foods that are your favorite and then stop before you get full so that you are both physically and psychologically satisfied.

3. Get out and move a little. Thanksgiving is a great time of year to do a little window shopping, play a little football, do some morning yoga or go for a stroll. Who says you can't move your body because it's a holiday? Your body will thank you!

4. Is it just a habit? Have you ever noticed that you overdo eating on Thanksgiving just out of habit, even when there is no logical reason for it? For example, every holiday season you absentmindedly overeat at Aunt Selma's house and it's just the way it is. It's as if you set yourself up to fail or overeat just because it's the thing to do. What if it weren't? What if the thing to do was to stay in harmony with your body – feeling totally confident that you would eat what your body needs and not an ounce more?

5. There's always more. Thin people tell themselves they can always have more later in the day, tomorrow, or even over the course of the week with leftovers. Take a deep breath at the meal table. You don't have to feel like you have to eat everything because you won't get it again for another year. By telling yourself you can have more later, you ease this internal deprivation. Relax, there's always more!

6. Never let go of your body dreams. Never forget that you can have a beautiful body that is strong, lean and healthy. The true gift of Thanksgiving is giving thanks to all you have and that means giving thanks for your body. You have an amazing body that can get stronger, leaner and healthier. Don't for a minute let go of your body dreams. As you hold tight to these dreams – it makes it so much easier to give thanks and gain control come meal time and into the holidays.

7. Overeating happens. If you overeat during Thanksgiving, please don't beat yourself up. Just take a moment and assess what happened? Did you overeat because you went unconscious, because the food was so good, because it is a habit, or perhaps because you filled up too much on pre-holiday foods? Maybe you're always part of the clean-plate-club and it's just what you do. Just get a sense of what happened and let it go. Remember, you have a million more meals to eat, think, and live like the thin you, that is absolutely within you.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you for being part of my extended family.

In love and health,
Marna