Although holidays usually present weight controllers with situations centered on an abundance of unhealthy foods, Halloween definitely takes the cake (OK, candy) as the day most centered on non-nutritive, high fat treats. However, despite the challenge Halloween presents, it IS possible to survive, and yes, even celebrate, this holiday and still stick to your plan. Here are some strategies for making it a little easier.
1. Don’t buy candy weeks ahead of time. Even if it’s just two weeks before the holiday, and you ARE already at the grocery store, and the bags ARE on sale, resist the urge to make your purchase this far in advance. Buying your Halloween candy at the beginning of October extends the amount of time that these tempting little blobs of fat (treats?) are in your pantry and increases the likelihood that you will eat some (or all) before Halloween rolls around.
2. Avoid purchasing your favorite candy. Technically, these are going to be handed out to other people so there is no need to buy the one that tempts you the most. If you are less likely to overindulge in Twizzlers than Smarties, than buy the former and leave the latter at the store.
3. Keep the treats Wellspring friendly. While there are definitely a number of high fat candies that will take you over your 20g a day limit within a few bites, many candies and treats can fit into your plan. Most gummy and hard candies are fat free or very low in fat. You can also modify any Halloween themed recipes to be lower in fat than the traditional options. Focusing on hard candies can even decrease your intake further because they take longer to eat.
4. Stay smart about leftovers. Still have an extra bag of candy that wasn’t handed out? Kids come home with three bagfuls of treats? Instead of keeping them around the house, choose some Wellspring friendly favorites, toss out the rest of them. You could donate them to a homeless shelter, but those higher fat candies really do not do much good for anyone.
5. Limit the focus on food and candy. Halloween does not have to be all about sweets! Have your kids engage in fun activities like pumpkin carving, costume pageants, haunted houses, ghost stories, and other fun ghoulish games: Extra points if your activities get you moving!
