Hi Trepidatious,

I'm glad you asked about Thanksgiving, because it's a great time to embrace the Hungry Girl 80/20 philosophy. By mostly making smart choices but still indulging a little, you can enjoy the holiday without any regret. But that's not my only advice. Here are five more survival strategies for the most infamous food holiday of the year...

Avoid this super-common holiday-time mistake: Don't be a meal skipper! Eat breakfast, preferably one that's filled with fiber and protein. Have a light lunch as well. One of the biggest mistakes that people make the day of a big feast is to "save" all their calories for the main event. It might make sense in theory, but it hardly ever works out. If you skip your morning and/or afternoon meals, you'll probably feel famished by the time dinner hits the table, leaving you more likely to make poor food choices and overdo it on the portions. The end result? You take in more calories than if you had just eaten normally in the first place. Click here for some smart breakfast options, and check out these light-lunch ideas.

Increase your calorie budget with some extra exercise. Have the day off from work? That means more time to get your sweat on! Burning calories early in the day gives you more wiggle room in the calorie department later on, and without the restriction that comes along with skipping meals. It can also help you to resist that second slice of pie -- you didn't do all that hard work for nothing! Not super active, in general? Every little bit counts. Thanksgiving is a perfect day for Housewalking... Get the 411 on that here!

Dig into the (surprisingly plentiful) healthy options on the table. White-meat turkey (like breast meat) is a fantastic choice; it's low in calories, very filling, and so good with a spoonful of cranberry sauce on top! Also help yourself to a big serving of salad and lots of steamed or roasted veggies. (Roasted Brussels sprouts are a personal favorite at Thanksgiving!) Worried the salad will be doused in creamy dressing, or that the veggies will be a buttery mess? Contribute to the feast by preparing one of them yourself. Even if you don't bring your own dish, dressed salad and buttered veggies are still much better choices than a lot of the other options. But this doesn't mean you can't enjoy some of those seasonal favorites. Remember that 80/20 rule I mentioned? Here's how to put it into action. Fill the majority of your plate with the healthy stuff, and then treat yourself to small portions of the decadent dishes you look forward to all year. You won't overdo it on calories, and you won't feel deprived either. Go, you!

Wanna really indulge in some traditionally fattening Thanksgiving classics... without any guilt whatsoever? Whip up some of Hungry Girl's low-calorie swaps! There's an incredible recipe for cleaned-up cranberry sauce coming in tomorrow's email, and next Tuesday we're debuting our new-and-improved sweet potato casserole! And don't miss this Friday's email for a recipe roundup of our best Thanksgiving recipes.

Here's a fun bonus tip: Wear a form-fitting outfit that makes you feel great. You'll be less likely to overeat if doing so would cause you to pop a button on your favorite pants. Happy (almost) Turkey Day!