Pitfalls of Halloween Candy

So what do you all do to avoid the dreaded temptation of Halloween Candy in your home????? We buy candy that we typically wouldn't eat, so this year NO Chocolate. Got a mixed bag of minis that are gummy bears, taffy, tootsie rolls, tootsie pops, pop tarts, etc. We did buy a large bag of minis that were all chocolate but took that bag to our vet. They always have out a candy bowl, so thought we would help them out as a thank you for taking such good care of our baby. Here's an ezine you might find helpful: Got a minute? That's long enough to avoid Halloween candy The Wt. Loss Minute by Linda Spangle, RN, MA www.100DaysChallenge.com Great idea: Get a few tricks up your sleeve Every year, it's the same! I start with planning how I will avoid the Halloween candy, but it never quite works the way I hope. I can rationalize with the best of you! Those little candy bars are so small. It says on the package that each miniature bar is only 46 calories. They fail to mention that a serving size is one-half of a bag, which adds up to my calorie allotment for the entire month of October. Like many of you, I came up with a great solution. Just hide the bags of goodies until Halloween night. Of course, that makes as much sense as saying, 'Don't think about a pink elephant!' I've never even once forgotten where I hid those bags of candy. At some point, I start to wonder if the bags are fresh, or if my store pulled out last year's candy and threw it back on the shelf. So to make sure I'm not handing out stale sugar, I open each bag and do a very scientific taste test. Yup, that one's OK. And that one is too. Yes, I think the bags are all safe to use without fear of giving out candy that's too old. Of course, now that the bags are open, I can certainly remember where I've hidden them. Before long, I realize I'd better purchase more bags of candy or on Halloween night, I'll run out after the first three children come to my door. Does this sound familiar? After years of some level of that scenario, I decided to change the pattern and stop being tripped up by my own candy. Here are three simple ideas that work well for me. Try them out. They'll protect you from the candy before Halloween arrives, but they'll also help you escape the pillowcase full of treats later that night. Maybe they'll be just enough to protect you from your own Halloween candy. Don't take the first bite The first bite is usually the one that sets you up for wanting more. So if you avoid taking the very first bite of candy or for that matter, even opening the bag, you'll escape the instant taste trigger that hooks you into nibbling until it's gone. Postpone eating Tell yourself you can have any of the candy you've bought, but you're going to postpone eating it. Then wait it out... maybe for a few days, perhaps even a few weeks. The longer you wait, the stronger you'll become in terms of resisting it. Eat it with a fork With any small foods that you tend to eat from your hand, switch to using a utensil. Slide nuts into a spoon, eat caramel popcorn with a fork, and cut those miniature candy bars into tiny pieces before munching them from your smallest silverware. For more ideas on surviving Halloween, see Day 65 in '100 Days of Weight Loss.' P.S. Thanks a bunch to everyone who sent feedback last week, telling me what you liked about the 'Wt. Loss Minute.' Most of you indicated that you love this ezine, read it every week, and usually find some level of inspiration, encouragement or learning from it. The most requested topic areas included emotional eating, as well as encouragement and motivation. I plan to add more resources and other topics in the near future. I want to thank all of you for your faithfulness in reading this ezine, as well as for forwarding it to your email lists. If you ever wish to comment on the material or request a particular topic, just click 'reply' and send me a note. You can also email me at [email protected]. I will usually respond back to you within just a day or two. Know others who've got a minute? Forward this ezine and brighten their day. Copyright Linda Spangle, 2006. #1009, Weight Loss for Life, Inc. 5023 W. 120th Ave. #183, Broomfield, CO 80020 Contact: [email protected] www.100DaysChallenge.com 303-452-1545 or 1-800-298-3020

My solution is fairly simple - buy it as late as possible, and take it into work the next morning after halloween. The vultures there make short work of it, and that minimizes the time I'm tempted

Nick, Good way to handle it. If we buy chocolate goodies we take the left overs to the vet for their candy dish. My husband works from home so there is no "office" to take the goodies to after Halloween. The staff at the vet love our donation. Mary