It’s that scary time of year again – Halloween – when the little ghosts and ghouls start appearing, pumpkins add flavor to foods and doorsteps, and weight-loss sabotaging candy (aka sugar) begins turning up everywhere! Chances are you’re now surrounded by it at the grocery store, at parties, at the office and even at home, and that means a whole new strain on your willpower and weight loss efforts.
It’s easy to say “everything in moderation,” but if candy is your weakness, it may take more than just willpower and moderation to keep from eating that whole bag of peanut butter cups or powering your way through the sweets buffet at the carnival. It may take smart tactics like these to outsmart yourself and your cravings this Halloween and beyond into the holiday season:
- Avoid the candy aisle – You know where it is and you know the chances of you making it out the other side without bags of candy are pretty slim. Studies show that successful dieters simply don’t often put themselves in situations that test willpower.
- Buy what you wouldn’t eat – We all have our favorites, and we suggest that you not buy them. If you do opt to give out candy on Halloween, buy it as close to Halloween as possible, and only buy something that doesn’t appeal to you.
- Out of sight, out of mind – Keep candy dishes and buffet tables out of your line of sight. That means keeping candy dishes off your desk, bags of candy hidden at home and finding someone to chat with well away from the buffet at carnivals and parties.
- Get creative – Instead of candy, give out stickers or other party favor type treats… the non-sweet and non-edible kind to make it easier for you to stick to your weight loss goals.
- Stock up on healthier alternative treats – Keep fruit handy, and make your own treats like these, and some of these healthier Halloween recipes at home. How do you get the holiday season started right for weight loss with smart tactics to avoid Halloween candy?
Whenever possible, following a healthy diet at home and when eating out at restaurants will help you fill up on the good stuff and prevent food cravings. Healthy Dining menu choices make it easy to order the best choices at restaurants to support your health and weight loss goals.