The average American will consume as many as 3,000 calories on Thanksgiving for dinner alone. Drinks, dessert and appetizers can bring the total calorie count to 4,500, according to the Calorie Control Council, an industry group. That’s well in excess of the 1,600 and 2,800 calories daily— depending on age, weight, and gender—that nutrition experts recommend.

The most popular Thanksgiving dishes—mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing and pecan pie—are full of sugar or fat or both. The Calorie Control Council estimates that 1 cup of mashed potatoes contains 238 calories and 8 grams of fat. A cup of green bean casserole comes in at 143 calories and 8 grams of fat, and a slice of pecan pie adds a whopping 456 calories and 21 grams of fat.

“Be mindful of how much you serve yourself,” cautions Maxine Siegel, RD, who heads Consumer Reports' (CR) food lab. “That way you can sample many foods without going overboard. But double or triple your portions—which is easy to do—and you could consume a sky-high number of calories.”