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Halloween is the first in series of upcoming fall and winter holidays that are full of sweet temptations. That makes it a great time to learn some habits that will help you keep to your diet, whether your goal is to avoid eating treats entirely or to indulge moderately.
The challenge with Halloween is that the little bite sized candy bars and treats seem to end up EVERYWHERE. First, you’ll have to buy some treats for the trick or treaters, and then they’ll be in your house. If you have kids, the candies may be around your house for several weeks (sometimes months) after trick or treat day. Finally, they’re probably also hanging around in the break room and on colleagues’ desks at work both before and after Halloween.
Is it possible to avoid gaining weight with all these treats around? Yes it is! Here are 10 tricks to help keep Halloween treats from hitting your waistline! Whether you want to avoid Halloween candy altogether or want to indulge wisely, there’s a solution here for every woman!
1) Buy trick or treats ON Halloween!
Buying treats on Halloween day (or on trick or treat day) is a great way to make sure that the candies won’t be sitting in your cupboard tempting you in advance of Trick or Treat. You’ll save money too, since stores put the treats on sale on Halloween!
2) Buy a candy you DON’T like to hand out.
When buying candy to hand out to trick or treaters, choose one that’s not your favorite so that you won’t be tempted to eat it.
3) Give away prizes instead of treats.
If you’d like to avoid having candy in your house, consider giving away prizes that kids would love instead like stickers, temporary tattoos, spider rings or goofy plastic glasses.
4) Be diligent about food journaling.
There’s nothing wrong with eating one or two Halloween treats, but without keeping track, they can really add up! Halloween is a great time to re-start your food journal. Writing down what you eat will help keep you accountable and keep you from overdoing it.
5) Fill up on healthy food.
Make sure to eat extra large portions of fruits and veggies at meals and snacks during Halloween and other tempting holidays. The fiber will help keep you full, stave off sweets cravings, and make it easier for you to eat sweets in moderation.
6) Out of sight, out of mind at work.
Ask coworkers to store break room candy in a cupboard and to keep their candy bowls in a desk drawer so that you won’t be tempted each time you see it.
7) Chew gum.
If you’re determined to avoid eating Halloween candy, treat yourself to packs of a few different flavors of sugar free gum. It will help stave off candy binges if you pop a piece in your mouth each time you’re tempted by a treat.
8 ) Give away leftover treats.
Trick or treat over and you still have a big bowl left? Rather than taking the treats to work, consider giving them to a local fire station, church or community shelter.
9) Kids bring home a lot of sweets? Try the Switch Witch.
The Switch Witch is a mythical Santa-like character created by you who switches your kiddo’s candy for prizes (or even cash if they’re a little older) while they’re asleep at night. Before Halloween, it’s best to let your kid know about the witch’s existence. Ask them to think about what prize they want in exchange for some of their candy. Then ask them to leave some (or all) of their candy out in a bowl on the kitchen table at night. Overnight the witch replaces the candy with the prize. Of course this doesn’t mean you and your child can’t enjoy some of the Halloween treats, but it can help get the candy out of the house sooner for both of your sakes! As soon as the candy has been swapped, give it away (see above) or toss it.
10) 200 in, 200 out.
If you know you plan to indulge in some Halloween candy, just prepare for it. Try the 200 in, 200 out rule. Set yourself a maximum of 200 calories from Halloween candy each day, count out your candies ahead of time and set them aside for yourself. If you need help with the calorie counts on the mini-size treats, here’s a very complete list from Hungry Girl. Try to space your treats out throughout the day and focus on really enjoying the flavor and smell while you do eat them. On the days you plan to eat 200 calories of treats, work in an extra 200 calories of exercise by walking it off. About 30 minutes of moderate to brisk walking will burn 200 calories, so walk early in the morning, walk during your lunch break or walk on each of your 15 minute work breaks. This will insure you can enjoy your indulgence without gaining weight!
As you can see, there’s no reason those frightful Halloween temptations should scare you off. All it takes is a little preparation, and you can get through this and each of the upcoming holidays without hindering your weight loss goals. This is what we mean when we say that lifelong fitness and nutrition require a lifestyle change. At Athlean-XX for Women we believe that consistency for life means that your fitness and nutrition plan have to be FLEXIBLE. Because we know women have busy schedules and lots to juggle, we designed our workouts to be just 30 challenging minutes. We incorporated options to workout at home or at the gym, depending on what suits you! Our Athlean-XX for Women nutrition plan is equally as flexible, allowing you to follow a set 90-day meal plan if you like, or pick and choose healthy foods to create your own meals. If you’re looking for a fitness and nutrition plan that will fit seamlessly INTO your life instead of take over your life, join us on Team Athlean!
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