Thoughts of October conjure up visions of cool Fall air, changing leaves, football games, and, of course, the celebration of Halloween. Costume parties, haunted houses, carving jack-o’-lanterns and little ghosts and goblins trick-or-treating are standard October festivities. All typically include some readily accessible concoction of sugar-laden, chocolaty, calorie-dense deliciousness. It’s hard for even the most disciplined “dieter” to avoid Halloween weight gain. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Conquer the candy temptation
Halloween may be all about sweets, but our tricks will help you enjoy the treats without gaining a pound. Here are some ways to make it through without budging the bathroom scale.
Go Grocery Shopping on October 30th
Buy what you don’t like. This is one holiday where it pays to procrastinate. Put off buying the Halloween candy until right before the trick-or-treaters arrive. That way, the whole family will have less temptation to break into the candy early. When you do get to the store, buy your least favorite candies so you’ll be less likely to indulge in any leftovers.
What’s worse than being at work or home with sweet treats everywhere you look? Having no healthy alternatives to munch on! The day before Halloween, stock up on healthy must-haves, like crudités and hummus, reduced-fat cheese, whole-grain bread and cereal, nonfat plain yogurt, etc. Pack healthful snacks for work and set out fruits and veggies at home to remind yourself that you do have healthier snack options.
Eat treats after 4pm
“The worst thing you can do is to have candy in the morning, because you’ll crave it all day,” says Heather Bauer, R.D., author of The Wall Street Diet (Hyperion). After a sweet spike, blood sugar plummets, triggering your body to seek out more sugar. Plus, if you wait, picked-over goodies in the break room will look less tempting.
Manage your hunger
Make an extra effort to eat a well-balanced diet with regularly spaced meals to ensure adequate nutrition (a candy-only diet will leave you lacking in many essential vitamins and minerals). This sensible eating will also help to stave off hunger pangs which could inadvertently be calmed with consumption of the too-easily-available candy binge if you’re not careful.
Stock up on lollipops
Buy bags of yummy but diet-friendly candy. You won’t disappoint trick-or-treaters, and you’ll save yourself calories with festive favorites such as lollipops and Blow Pops; they work in your favor because they take time to finish and have only about 50 calories each. Chocolate lovers, try Hershey’s Kisses Special Dark (savor two for 40 calories) or York Peppermint Patties Miniatures (50 calories each).
Take the Kids Trick-or-Treating, on foot
Take advantage of this fun-filled family time, and great opportunity to exercise together by covering a large area while out trick-or-treating — and encourage the kids to sprint to the next doorstep (while, of course, making safety a top priority).
Be candy-free by November 1st
Freeze some of the kids’ leftover candy for later. Not only does this put the candy out of site, but frozen candy takes longer to eat, and if you opt to wait for it to get to room temperature, the urge might pass.
HCG Diet
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