How Bad Can Overeating at Thanksgiving Really Be?

We do it every year, no matter what we tell ourselves, overeat at Thanksgiving.

Dr. Otis Baughman with Spartanburg Regional Medical Center says, "What comes to mind is feeling bloated, feeling tired feeling sleepy and feeling sluggish."

But who can pass up an extra helping of Grandma's stuffing? Dr. Baughman says actually a few of us should.

 "We consume so many calories on this traditional day that yes we can jump our blood fats and blood sugars very high and if you have underlying heart disease, the sweet potatoes can cause the clots and its good-bye."

He says all those goodies we're about to scarf down in one meal can mean an extra pound of weight on the body. Of course, we all know how hard that is to get rid of that.

"Thirty five hundred calories eaten equals one pound if you don't burn it off. an average american on thanksgiving day will knockout three thousand calories."

His advice is to take it slow.

He explains, "Try to drag out that meal. You will fill up quicker, but if we try to eat as fast as we can we can consume two days worth of food in 20 minutes."

He says it takes the brain 20 seconds to get the signal you are full. Dr. Baughman advises to eat six ounces of food and then try to talk to your relatives for 20 minutes, because by the time you are done you won't be nearly as hungry.

He also says eat because you are hungry and not to fill another void.

"We eat because we experience pleasure from eating and when you are dealing with all these people you see once a year and you might not like them all that much sometimes eating is a way of getting rid of all those negative feelings it just adds to our middle when we do it."

The bottom line is to enjoy your meal, just know that if you overeat that hour of pleasure could mean days or months of pain.