Here Comes Halloween!

Yes, it's that time of year again, when goblins and ghosts creep from their lairs! For grown-ups, the scariest part of Halloween has to be the calorie onslaught. Whether you love chocolate candies, sour candies, jelly beans, or the seasonal candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins, there's a candy for practically everyone.  Or, perhaps you're fearing the temptations that leap out from around every corner as we approach Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, and Easter. Whew!

So, what can you do to stave off those extra pounds? Here's a short-but-sweet list of tips to keep the calories at bay during the Halloween season:


Top Five Tips for Handling Halloween

1. Do you buy candy for trick-or-treaters, and then break into the bag before Halloween? Do it differently this year. Don't buy it early "because it's on sale." You might save a dollar or two buying early, but consider: How much time will you need to burn off all those candy calories? How much is your time worth to you? Is it really a value?
2. If you must buy candy early, choose candy you don't like. That'll reduce the likelihood of hearing the candy call to you in the middle of the night.
3. If you're not keeping a food record, start one right now! Even if you're pretty good at eating awareness, the frantic pace of the holiday season makes a food record invaluable. Remember to keep track of what you drink, too.
4. Make a plan now for physical activity for the rest of October. It's okay to shorten the length or intensity of your workouts, but do your best not to skip workouts. 
5. If you're working on weight loss, consider changing your focus to weight maintenance through the holiday season.  Weight loss is challenging under the best of circumstances; it's very difficult during the holidays. Maintaining weight, however, is realistic for most people.

Now it's your turn! What do you do to keep the number on the scale from scaring you? Let us know! :)