Use this Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Ultimate Guide to enjoy the holidays while losing weight. There’s no question that Thanksgiving is one of the biggest eating holidays of the year.
How can you enjoy the holiday with your family yet stay on track with losing weight? We will show you how with our Thanksgiving menus, meal plans, tips and more.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom where we have a free printable WW holiday guide with help for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
How Do You Survive Thanksgiving on Weight Watchers?
You want to lose weight, yet you also want to enjoy delicious foods that only come once a year at Thanksgiving. It is possible? Absolutely! Read on to find out exactly how.
As someone who is maintaining a 100+ pound weight loss with WW (and at goal and Lifetime) I know the holiday season isn’t easy, but I also know that with a bit of careful planning, you can make it work.

How to Enjoy Thanksgiving on WW
Here are some ways to make Thanksgiving work for you and keep within your WW points.
- Use weekly flex points. Plan to use your weekly flex points on Thanksgiving day and even roll over a few extra from days throughout the week leading up to the big day.
- Eat breakfast. I like to eat a healthy breakfast with protein (such as eggs and vegetables) on Thanksgiving morning. Don’t go into the big meal starving.
- Keep track of B,L,Ts. Those Bites, Licks and Tastes while cooking add up. Some years I found I ate more points on the days before Thanksgiving (when I was making desserts and sides) or the days after (hello, leftovers!). This can all work into your plan but be sure to count for it.
- Make some dishes healthier. Make some of the dishes healthier, WW-friendly versions of your favorites. See below for a long list of recipes. But remember that it’s totally okay to splurge on a few favorites, too.
- Remember your why. Keep in mind why you want to lose weight. As someone who focuses on Christian weight loss, I pray before the meal and ask God to bless my food choices to honor Him and the body He gave me.
- Focus on the blessings. Thanksgiving is about gathering with the people you love and celebrating the abundance of blessings you have received. Yes, food is part of it, but it doesn’t need to be all of it.
Reasons to Stick to Your WW Goals Over Holidays
Do you even need to worry about points on Thanksgiving? After all, it’s just one day of the year and you can get back on track afterwards.
I believe, yes.
People email me all the time and ask me, “Sara, why do I keep playing around with the same few pounds but not making weight loss progress?” I remind them that whether you are keeping track of points or not, your body sure is. This includes weekend overeating, night-time overeating and yes holiday overeating.
I would hate for you to overeat at Thanksgiving, keep going into Christmas, and after New Years be 10 pounds heavier than you are now. I’ve made that painful mistake too many times to count.
Instead, plan to make this year different. Focus on maintaining your weight if weight loss is unrealistic, but don’t forget about your weight loss goals entirely. Your health and wellness are too important.
How Can I Survive the Holiday Without Gaining Weight?
Are you feeling anxious about the holidays coming up and all the food indulgences? Here are strategies I’ve used to enjoy myself while also maintaining my weight loss.
- Choose what to splurge on. Before I eat anything, I look around the table and decide to focus on the foods I really enjoy and perhaps are only available at Thanksgiving. I can eat cheese and crackers anytime so I skip those, but I make sure to splurge on sweet potato pie, which I only get at Thanksgiving time.
- Get the most out of your treats. Decide the foods you really love, and then enjoy them. Whether it’s a few bites of each dessert or a full-sized helping of your favorite, be sure to sit and savor it. Sometimes we are so distracted by the get-together or the work of serving that we don’t sit down and enjoy what we are eating.
- Fill your plate with zero point foods first. When you are building your plate, start with healthy vegetables like salad, green beans, and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts. Next, add protein like turkey breast. Then in the space that’s left, enjoy some higher-calorie favorites.
Thanksgiving Menu Plan for WW Personal Points
Here’s a delicious Weight Watchers Thanksgiving menu that has all the favorites for your family, but with lower points and we’ve included links for all the recipes.
Did you know the typical piece of pecan pie is 21 points? Yikes, that’s almost a whole day’s worth of points just from one dessert! Swap for our healthier WW crustless pumpkin pie recipe and you’ll have points to splurge on other dishes at the table.
These WW healthy Thanksgiving recipes will give you options to make a healthier version of many of your favorites.
Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Menu
Now with the new WW Personal Points plan, your points will vary. Be sure to check your app to stay within your daily budget and weekly allowance. (And remember you can save up your weeklies to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner!)
Turkey breast, no skin, 3 ounces – MyWW Green – 1 point, MyWW Blue – 0 points, MyWW Purple – 0 points
WW Low Point Turkey gravy – MyWW Green – 3 points, MyWW Blue – 2 points, MyWW Purple – 2 points
WW Green bean casserole – 4 points on MyWW Green, Blue, and Purple
Cranberry sauce – 0 points on all MyWW plans
Corn – MyWW Green – 2 points, MyWW Blue – 0 points, MyWW Purple – 0 points
Dinner roll made with 2 Ingredient dough – 2 points on MWW Green, Blue, and PurpleWW Mashed Sweet Potatoes – MyWW Green – 3 points, MyWW Blue – 3 points, MyWW Purple – 1 point
WW Crustless Pumpkin Pie – 1 point on all plans for 1/4 of pieWine – 5 ounces – 4 points
Total: MyWW Green – 20 points, MyWW Blue – 16 points, MyWW Purple – 14 points
Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Points Cheat Sheet
Here is a list of common Weight Watchers foods to eat at the holidays. Keep in mind that using the actual nutritional data from packages is more accurate.This is to give you a general guide and points were accurate as of August, 2020 using the WW app.
Be sure to download our WW Healthy Holiday pack (scroll down), which has a handy printable copy of this list.
Main Dish
Turkey breast, no skin, 3 ounces, – MyWW Green – 1 point, MyWW Blue – 0 points, MyWW Purple – 0 pointsTurkey, dark meat – 3 oz no skin – MyWW Green – 2 points, MyWW Blue – 2 points, MyWW Purple – 2 points
Turkey, dark meat – 3 oz with skin – MyWW Green – 4 points, MyWW Blue – 4 points, MyWW Purple – 4 pointsTurkey gravy, canned – MyWW Green – 1 point, MyWW Blue – 1 point, MyWW Purple – 1 point
Ham, lean – 3 oz – MyWW Green – 2 points, MyWW Blue – 2 points, MyWW Purple – 2 pointsHam, spiral -3 oz – MyWW Green – 3 points, MyWW Blue – 3 points, MyWW Purple – 3 points
Beef brisket – 3 oz – MyWW Green – 4 points, MyWW Blue – 4 points, MyWW Purple – 4 pointsSides
Corn, 1/2 cup – MyWW Green – 2 points, MyWW Blue – 0 points, MyWW Purple – 0 points
Raw, roasted or cooked vegetables (except potatoes) – My WW Green – 0 points, MyWW Blue – 0 points, MyWW Purple – 0 pointsGreen bean casserole – 1 serving – MyWW Green – 7 points, My WW Blue – 7 points, MyWW Purple – 7 points
Cranberry sauce, canned – 1/4 cup – MyWW Green – 6 points, MyWW Blue – 6 points, MyWW Purple – 6 pointsCheese, 1 oz – MyWW Green – 4 points, MyWW Blue – 4 points, MyWW Purple – 4 points
Mashed potatoes with cream and butter – 1 cup – MyWW Green – 5 points, MyWW Blue – 5 points, MyWW Purple – 4 pointsStuffing, 1/2 cup from mix, prepared – MyWW Green – 3 points, MyWW Blue – 3 points, MyWW Purple – 3 points
Stuffing, sausage – 1/2 cup – MyWW Green – 6 points, MyWW Blue – 6 points, MyWW Purple – 6 pointsDinner roll – My WW Green – 5 points, MyWW Blue – 5 points, MyWW Purple – 5 points
Biscuit – MyWW Green – 4 points, MyWW Blue – 4 points, MyWW Purple – 4 pointsCornbread – 1 slice or muffin – MyWW Green – 6 points, MyWW Blue – 6 points, MyWW Purple – 6 points
Corn casserole – 1 serving – MyWW Green – 9 points, MyWW Blue – 9 points, MyWW Purple – 9 pointsMacaroni and cheese – 1 serving – MyWW Green – 14 points, MyWW Blue – 14 points, MyWW Purple – 14 points
Pickles, dill – 0 points on all plansChallah – 1 slice – MyWW Green – 3 points, MyWW Blue – 3 points, MyWW Purple – 3 points
Potato Latkes – 1 serving, 2 items- MyWW Green – 8 points, MyWW Blue – 8 points, MyWW Purple – 8 pointsFats
Butter – 1 T – MyWW Green – 5 points, MyWW Blue – 5 points, MyWW Purple – 5 pointsOil – 1 t – MyWW Green – 1 point, MyWW Blue – 1 point, MyWW Purple – 1 point
Mixed nuts, 1/4 cup – MyWW Green – 6 points, MyWW Blue – 6 points, MyWW Purple – 6 pointsOlives – 6 large – MyWW Green – 1 point, MyWW Blue – 1 point, MyWW Purple – 1 point
Beverages
Beer – 12 ounce – MyWW Green – 5 points, MyWW Blue – 5 points, MyWW Purple – 5 pointsWine – 5 ounce – MyWW Green – 4 points, MyWW Blue – 4 points, MyWW Purple – 4 points
Sparkling juice – 8 ounce – MyWW Green – 6 points, MyWW Blue – 6 points, MyWW Purple – 6 pointsPunch – 1 serving – MyWW Green – 5 points, MyWW Blue – 5 points, MyWW Purple – 5 points
Soda pop – 12 ounce – MyWW Green – 9 points, MyWW Blue – 9 points, MyWW Purple – 9 pointsDesserts
Apple pie – 1 slice, 1/8th of pie – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 16 pointsPecan pie – 1 slice – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 21 points
Chocolate cake – 1 slice – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 25 pointsChristmas cookies – 1 cookie – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 3 points
Cheesecake – 1 piece – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 18 pointsPumpkin bread – 1 slice – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 8 points
Whipped cream, fresh – 1 T – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 1 pointCool whip – 2T – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 1 point
Vanilla ice cream – 1/2 cup – MyWW Green, MyWW Blue, MyWW Purple – 7 pointsFREE PDF Printable Weight Watchers Holiday Guide
Get everything you need for a successful Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years on WW.Includes points:
- holiday menus
- points lists
- recipes
- and more!
With these helpful tips and strategies, you’ll be able to enjoy Thanksgiving while staying on track with your healthy eating goals. What is your favorite Weight Watchers Thanksgiving food? Let us know in the comments below.
Here are more Weight Watchers articles you will enjoy.The Ultimate WW Guide – MyWW Healthy Holiday Guide – Let’s face it, sticking to your Weight Watchers program around the holidays can be tough! Use this Ultimate MyWW Healthy Holiday Guide to give you absolutely everything you need to be successful this year. Make a plan to, at the very least maintain your weight, but even have to goal to lose weight during the month of December. (Yes, it’s really possible, I promise.) Included in this guide are points for your family Christmas. Thanksgiving, and New Year’s foods, Weight Watchers holiday menus, and much more. Let’s get started.
Weight Watchers Zero Point Meal Plan -What would happen if you ate only zero point foods for a whole day, or even a few days, on Weight Watchers? With the new Weight Watchers points system that includes 100, 200 or 300 zero point foods on MyWW Green, Blue, or Purple plans, it’s possible. Here is a Weight Watchers 3-Day Zero Points Meal Plan for you to follow.
Updated 11/10/21 for Personal Points.
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