Hello everyone and welcome to my blog all about eating massive amounts of turkey for Thanksgiving!

Now I have been noticing the past couple of thanksgivings that I see all of this wonderful and fantastic food and because I am Italian, I naturally try to stuff my plate with as much food as possible… And an hour later which seems like its own battle, I end up being full, but there is still food on my plate.  It is the worst feeling ever of being too full to finish my mom’s dynamite stuffing and my half eaten leg of turkey.  Obviously this is important enough to research on the internet, and so that is what I did.  Here are my findings:

1) Do not starve yourself before you eat your thanksgiving dinner
-Professional eaters will even tell you that if you don’t eat anything prior to a large meal, your stomach actually shrinks and you will not be able to eat as much as you usually would.  If you don’t want to eat before the meal, water will help you expand your stomach without giving you any nutrients and it has no calories so it wont really take up a lot of space… but it will send you to the bathroom frequently that day so proceed with caution.  I think you’re just better off with eating a decent sized breakfast that day.

-I know… Sounds kind of stupid right?  But it also makes a whole world of sense.  Take it this way:  Your stomach has a certain amount of space in which it can hold food.  If you fill all that space because you swallowed 4 biscuits whole, you obviously won’t have room for anything else for a while… and why do you have to wait?  Well that’s because it is harder for your body to digest larger chunks of food over smaller ones.  Makes sense right?  So if you chew your food well, it will take up the same amount of space, but of it like you’re getting more bang for your buck because everything will fit.  Also, it will be digested sooner and it will make new room for more food… KIND OF LIKE TETRIS!

– I actually found this tip hilarious and I will share it with you.  Apparently you should take your time eating your food any enjoy it.  This will re-enforce proper chewing and digestion…. but when you start to feel like you are getting full.. apparently you are suppose to start eating like it was the last meal you are ever going to have.  The thought behind this is that your brain sends you a signal to your body telling you: “Game over man… game over”  So the goal is to cram as much food down your throat as possible before you brain has a time to stop you.  Funny? Yes. Probably works too.. which makes it even funnier.

But now in all seriousness, don’t over do it.  There are going to be leftovers in your freezer for like… what… the next 10 years right?  And you’re going to be having turkey sandwiches for months correct?  So enjoy the food, and don’t go over your limit.  I hope that you all have a happy and turkey-filled Thanksgiving!

~James (Future Champion Of My Mom’s Mashed Potatoes.)  F.C.O.M3.P for short.