One message women (and men) don't need to hear this week? That we should all be starving ourselves or hitting the gym immediately after eating on Thanksgiving.


Apparently, New York Sports Club doesn't share our sentiments about letting yourself indulge a little bit without feeling extreme guilt. They used the holiday season as a way to launch a distasteful PR campaign, posting a sign on the door of at least one of their Manhattan locations that reads: "two ways to avoid weight gain during the holidays: 1. don't eat 2. join."


Christina Huffington spotted the egregious sign at the New York Sports Club on Mercer Street in New York City. She posted the image on Instagram, writing, "Or we could all acknowledge that it's ok to gain a few pounds over the holidays! #dislike."



We also greatly #dislike the message behind the NYSC sign. We are constantly receiving the message that our bodies aren't thin/small/tight enough. Of course being healthy and active is important, but being so distracted by calorie counts and when you can hit the gym on a holiday is no way to celebrate.


And as registered dietitian Keri Gans explained to TIME, obsessing about food and weight over Thanksgiving[1] isn't very helpful in the long run. "[People] should forget about feeling guilty [for indulging during the holidays] and they should get right back on track," she said. "That is the most important thing they should do. They should not all of a sudden get a diet mentality because that won’t work. They need to leave it behind.”


Thanksgiving day is reserved for cooking, eating stuffing, playing football, and feeling grateful for the people we love and the bodies we have right this second. No shaming allowed.


The Huffington Post reached out to New York Sports Club for comment but had not heard back at time of publication.



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