The average caloric value of Thanksgiving dinner in the United States ranges from 3000-4500 calories according to Consumer Reports. The fat content was measured to range from 155-200 grams of fat. While I do not normally recommend counting calories, I highlight these statistics to make a point. Most of us go way overboard on food intake on Thanksgiving!  

As an athlete who may have a tournament, game,  competition, race or who just needs to keep training through the holiday weekend in the days following Thanksgiving, this can send you off your game and further away from your performance goals . Overeating to this degree can slow down your metabolism, cause dehydration and a feeling of sluggishness, nausea and fatigue.  

Here are 6 steps to take to avoid the bad habit of overeating at Thanksgiving so that you feel better and stay on track with your training and competing:

1. Don't Skip Breakfast on Thanksgiving Day! Eat like you normally would. Fuel yourself well the...