#StyleHack: A Simple Fix So You Can Eat More This Thanksgiving

image

Illustration Alessandra Olanow

I have never been shy about loving to eat, which I understand can be an oxymoron for a fashion person. But when it comes to the holiday season, I turn eating into a true participant sport.

When your mother’s feast resembles a cruise ship buffet, you’ll not only feel obligated, but you’ll want to try everything in front of you. So while you’re tapping out your calorie count into gastronomic numbers, you’ll be relieved to know that there’s a clothing lifesaver within reach, when THAT moment comes. Oh, you know what moment I’m talking about. THAT exact instance when you stop eating, take a deep breath, lean back in your chair, and stare at that pumpkin pie in front of you and think, “How am I going to do this?”

Just turn to your sister or your aunt sitting next to you. You may even have one in your hair. It’s what I call the “loop-to-eat”. I learned the technique a few years ago from my boyfriend and his grandmother, whom his family all affectionately call Tiny, a petite woman, who after the hefty meal, would whip off her hair tie and do the loopy-dee-loop so she can continue eating.

Here’s how it’s done:
 
1)   Unbutton your pants.
2)   Take a hair tie (or elastic band) and thread it through the buttonhole and then loop it through the hair tie/elastic band again, so it stays in place
3)   Hook the free end of the band onto button.
4)   Sit back and stretch and feel that extra bit of room in your pants.
5)   Go back for seconds.