Not everybody counts on sitting around on Thanksgiving Day 2011 and getting fat. The wild turkeys shown in the photos at Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, Calif. demonstrate what you have to do to stay slim & trim, thus avoiding the axe. These creatures are free range wild birds who roam the golf course and the hills, and are sometimes slipped a meal by the cook staff behind the back doors of the luxury resort’s kitchen.

For human turkeys, there’s no way of getting around the calories in a whopping Thanksgiving meal. From the drinks and alcoholic beverages to the mashed potatoes, turkey stuffing and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream, you’re going to pack on a few pounds, guaranteed.

Why don’t you join the Turkey Club? Partake of a turkey trot or run in the A.M. and be assured your appetite will be suppressed and you’ll consume much less by afternoon when most Thanksgiving meals are served.