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Tricks to avoid that candy on Halloween

Lure of sweet treats can be beaten

Halloween is tonight but that doesn’t mean the candy is gonna stop. Halloween candy is everywhere, making it hard for people to resist the temptation to indulge. So, how do you avoid the temptation of Halloween candy? It’s easy if you follow these tips.

Buy candy you don’t like. If you don’t like it, you won’t eat it. Now, unfortunately this means you are still giving away sugar to kids, but if you gotta give out candy, give out the crap you don’t like and won’t eat.

Move the candy. If the office, or your home, has candy that can be seen and easily accessed, you will eat it. You see, when it comes to candy, out of sight means out of mouth.

A recent study at Cornell University proved just this. Researchers gave 40 university female staff and faculty members 30 chocolate Kisses in either clear or opaque candy jars and placed them on their desks or six feet away. Each night, the researchers counted how many candies were eaten and refilled the jars.

Not surprisingly, the participants ate fewer candies when the Kisses were in opaque jars rather than clear candy jars on their desks and even fewer when the opaque jars were six feet away from their desks.

Don’t buy candy. I know I am sounding like Captain Obvious with this statement, but if you fear you will eat too much candy, then don’t buy the stuff in the first place. Instead, give out non-food items to the kids like erasers, mini tattoos, stickers, toothbrushes, Glosticks, pencils or Halloween jewelry.

Keep track of the wrappers. Nothing can put an end to mindless snacking faster than surrounding yourself with the evidence. For every “fun-size” chocolate bar you eat, put the wrapper right in front of you, and keep it there. Keep a tally of how many you eat and this will aid in helping you exercise self-control.

Eat well, throughout the day. Eating healthy does not go away just because it’s a holiday. Eat clean all day, with three meals and a couple of snacks.

Make sure you have a good ratio of complex carbs, protein and fat with each meal as well. This will keep your blood sugar levels steady and your metabolism cruising along.

Plan, not grab. Plan for the weekend (and a holiday) the same way you would plan for the week ahead. Planning, not grabbing, will keep your overall calories, fat and sodium on track.

Buy candy late, throw it away early. The early bird does not get the worm when buying candy. Instead, the early bird runs the risk of eating the bag before the day and then having to fly to the store to get more.
Buy the candy the day of Halloween and then as soon as you turn out the front lights that night, throw the leftovers away.

Enjoy the party because of your friends and good times, not the food. I say this on every holiday because our society has turned our kitchen table into the main event, and it shouldn’t be. Your friends, family and the atmosphere are what you should be enjoying, not the food and drink.

PJ Wren is a local personal trainer who keeps the lights turned off at her house on Halloween. Reach her at www.fitnesswithpj.com or www.gofitgals.com.