That time of year again.

melissa73

I was walking through the store the other day and I was shocked to see the shelves already stocked with bags and bags of Halloween candy!! It hit me that the holiday season was upon us. I LOVE this time of year as much as the next person but September through December does bring with it some weight gaining challenges.

Are you ready to start putting your guard up so that you’ll come out a winner come the New Year?

It was a tough battle for me, but I left the store that day with one Reese’s Halloween pumpkin instead of a jumbo bag full of them!

Halloween is kick-off time to seasonal weight gain. Remember, it's not just Halloween. You've still got Thanksgiving to face in just a month, plus Christmas and Hanukkah right after that. Here are some tips to keep those candy-pounds off:

• Buy candy you don't like so it won't be a temptation.
• Don't buy your candy yet. Wait until the week before Halloween
• Keep gum in our mouth when you're going to be around other treats.
• Wear a body-conscious outfit while passing out candy to remind your self not to indulge.
• Its okay to have a piece or two of your favorite candy, just don’t eat the whole bag in one sitting
• Read the nutrition label before eating the candy. It may help to change your mind or at least lower the portion size.
• Don’t let guilt win – plan a few small pieces of candy into your daily calories, enjoy it and fill the rest of your calories with healthy food choices.
• Less is more – buy about half the Halloween candy that you normally do. You’ll never pass it all out and then you won’t be stuck with a bunch of leftover temptation. (Don’t be afraid to throw away the leftovers!)
• Buy healthier treats such as 100% dried fruit snacks or dark chocolate.

melissa73

I was walking through the store the other day and I was shocked to see the shelves already stocked with bags and bags of Halloween candy!! It hit me that the holiday season was upon us. I LOVE this time of year as much as the next person but September through December does bring with it some weight gaining challenges.

Are you ready to start putting your guard up so that you’ll come out a winner come the New Year?

It was a tough battle for me, but I left the store that day with one Reese’s Halloween pumpkin instead of a jumbo bag full of them!

Halloween is kick-off time to seasonal weight gain. Remember, it's not just Halloween. You've still got Thanksgiving to face in just a month, plus Christmas and Hanukkah right after that. Here are some tips to keep those candy-pounds off:

• Buy candy you don't like so it won't be a temptation.
• Don't buy your candy yet. Wait until the week before Halloween
• Keep gum in our mouth when you're going to be around other treats.
• Wear a body-conscious outfit while passing out candy to remind your self not to indulge.
• Its okay to have a piece or two of your favorite candy, just don’t eat the whole bag in one sitting
• Read the nutrition label before eating the candy. It may help to change your mind or at least lower the portion size.
• Don’t let guilt win – plan a few small pieces of candy into your daily calories, enjoy it and fill the rest of your calories with healthy food choices.
• Less is more – buy about half the Halloween candy that you normally do. You’ll never pass it all out and then you won’t be stuck with a bunch of leftover temptation. (Don’t be afraid to throw away the leftovers!)
• Buy healthier treats such as 100% dried fruit snacks or dark chocolate.

Marla64

Okay-- lemme see how I'd measure up--

Buy candy you don't like so it won't be a temptation. Yep-- did that last year. I bought a whole bunch of fruit chewy crappo things--

• Don't buy your candy yet. Wait until the week before Halloween-- how 'bout Halloween morning-- worked for me last year.

• Keep gum in our mouth when you're going to be around other treats. Great idea--

• Wear a body-conscious outfit while passing out candy to remind your self not to indulge. Better idea--

• Its okay to have a piece or two of your favorite candy, just don’t eat the whole bag in one sitting -- And write it down right away on your food diary--

• Read the nutrition label before eating the candy. It may help to change your mind or at least lower the portion size. -- Brilliant!!

• Don’t let guilt win – plan a few small pieces of candy into your daily calories, enjoy it and fill the rest of your calories with healthy food choices. -- Brillianter!! :bigsmile:

• Less is more – buy about half the Halloween candy that you normally do. You’ll never pass it all out and then you won’t be stuck with a bunch of leftover temptation. (Don’t be afraid to throw away the leftovers!) Righto!

• Buy healthier treats such as 100% dried fruit snacks or dark chocolate. -- BUZZ-- nope, can't give out fruit for Halloween, and dark chocolate tastes icky-- I don't want my house toilet papered next year by disgruntled kids fingering me as the old hag who gave out fruit. :laugh:

okay-- I need to get to work-- wasting too much time.

Jackie_W

Thanks for posting - I am getting a little bit worried - Halloween doesn't normally bother me - it's Boxing Day - the family get the sweets, crisps, alcohol and anything else high in fat and calories out :grumble:

Last year, I worked a 12 hour shift to get away from the chocolates, but my works had them instead - everywhere!!!

This year, I'm only gonna allow 1-2 tins of sweets in the house - the rest will be made up of low fat options, fresh fruit & veg!

Wish me luck guys, I may just need it :noway:

jamerz3294

We're kinda lucky in that we live in a more rural setting, in 30+ years we've never had a trick or treater at our door! So we don't need to buy all that candy. (darn it :grumble: )

Poison5119

And we live in the ghetto, so after dark, the lights go out and we retire early.

meg0112

good tips! But since I'm in college, the big fear about halloween weight gain isn't the candy, its the parties! So here are my Halloween tips for those of us who won't be staying in passing out candy:

1. Don't ever buy Halloween candy-you won't be home that friday so you won't need it. You'll just be buying it to eat yourself.
2. Wear something body conscience- this one isn't hard for a Halloween costume, they're ALL body conscience!
3. Alcohol calories count! Remember to count them all-including mixers- and plan it into your day. If I know I am going to be doing some drinking, I try to have fruit for breakfast, (homeade) tuna salad for lunch, and a big salad, some oatmeal or a wheat roll for dinner. That keeps me full on healthy, low calorie foods, and leaves room for the alcohol later. You could also do an extra workout to boost your excersize calories. I'm sure this isn't the healthiest way to do it- but I have friends that just on't eat at all that day so this is a step up :embarassed:
4. Drink light beer- it fills you up more than liquor or wine and you can get some now as low as 63 calories (MGD), Rolling Rock Green Light is only 83 calories, Michelob Ultra 95, Miller Light 97, Bud Light 97 and Bud Select 99. Plus, beer makes you bloat so if you decide to stick to that you won't many because of that skimpy halloween costume you've got on :laugh: Stay away from kegs though, its harder to determine how much you've actually had.
5. If you can't afford to bloat at all, or can't stand beer, then drink liquor with diet drinks- diet coke, diet sprite, diet cranberry juice, diet tonic water, etc. I like to do flavored liqours over ice, ads carbs not calories, you have to drink it slow and you can't drink nearly as much.
6. After every second drink, have a glass of water. This will keep you full and keep a good moniter on how much you've had to drink. Its easy to drink too much if you haven't eaten much all day, but mixing in water will help you moniter it and keep you from wanting to snack. Put a slice of lime in there and no at the party will even notice its water.
7. DO NOT GET FAST FOOD AT THE END OF THE NIGHT! this is the biggy, because it doesn't matter that you only ate 800 calories during the day and drank 400 that night if you go and scarf down 1,000 from Jack and the Box at 3am. You just get a water and decide to grab a snack when you get home. Chances are, by the time you get there you'll be so ready for bed you won't want to get something out anyway.
8. DON'T EAT FAST FOOD THE NEXT DAY! Yes, sometimes all we want to get rid of that hangover is a big ol' greasey Sonic toaster sandwich (can you tell I'm pulling from personal experience lol) but resist that urge too. If you really can't make it with out some grease, have half a peanut butter sandwich. Its not greasey, but the good-for-you fatty oils will do the trick too and you won't be feeling guilty afterward.
9. This one is the most important. Wether you blow your calories at a halloween party or not-
!!!!!!!!DESIGNATE A DRIVER!!!!!!!! If you're dead or in jail it won't matter how skinny you are.

Have a Happy Halloween, and if you're in the North Texas area maybe I'll run into you. I'll be the girl with the clear drink and a lime

Phoenix_Rising

My problem will be the Halloween candy my daughter brings home!!

Like last year, it will go in a big bowl on top of the fridge. I'll nibble an item or two every day. Before it runs out, we'll be putting Christmas (stockings) candy into it. By the time Valentine's candy rolls around, the bowl won't be quite empty, but all the good stuff will be long gone! Around Easter, we will dump out the leftover candy that no one wanted to eat anyhow and put in the Easter bunny candy. By June or July, we'll empty the bowl and place it back under the counter, as it waits for the following October.

We DO throw away candies at my house, but only the candies that no one wants and only after they've sat in the bowl forever :laugh: I mean, any candy is better than no candy in a pinch, LOL