5 Weight Loss Tips for Surviving Halloween by weight loss expert Liz Josefsberg

I am a mother of 2 boys who are in the thick of Halloween. I lost 65 pounds and work really hard at keeping the weight off. I find Halloween can be a “tricky” one for staying the course on my maintenance. After all of these years, I have come up with my own set of “rules” on Halloween. Here are my top 5 go-to tricks:

  1. Get a great workout that day • This is non-negotiable. Even if I have to set my alarm extra early to get a workout in, it must happen. The deal here is that I am not that concerned about the calories that I am burning, which are an extra bonus, but I am more concerned with the mental clarity and self-control that accompanies any day that I work out. Halloween is loaded with temptations, so if I can set up a barrier that keeps me just a little stronger during the day, I do it.
  2. Only hand out candy that you don’t like • This one is revolutionary. I used to think I should get my favorite candy to hand out because naturally, if I love it, so must everyone else! The problem there is that all night long as I reach into that basket I have to battle myself from taking one for myself. I realized kids love all candy, but I can’t stand gummy candies, so that’s what I hand out. The temptation is gone!
  3. Decide on a set number of pieces that you will eat • I am not going to let Halloween go by without having some candy. That is a recipe for disaster. I have learned that giving myself a set number of candies to enjoy for the day works out really well. I usually pick between 3-5 pieces. I set the exact number and make myself a promise that I will be selective and patient.
  4. Bring peppermint gum or mints to chew on while trick-or-treating • This is one of my all-time, greatest, go-to temptation busting tips. If you are chewing a strong mint gum, you will not want to eat ANYTHING else while it you chew it and for some time after. It deadens the taste buds for anything else. I simply pop mint gum into my mouth as we head out for an evening of trick-or-treating to keep myself from grabbing pieces of candy.
  5. Put candy out of sight for you and your kids • This is key to making sure that Halloween lasts just one day instead of lingering for weeks on end in my house. My boys return with giant bags of loot at the end of the night. They spend a lot of time sorting and trading and having fun that night, but then we put it in an out-of-the-way closet. I do this as much for me as for them. For the next week, I allow them to pick two pieces to put in their lunches or for an after dinner treat. If it is kept out of sight, it is soon forgotten by all. Especially me. I could never survive seeing it in my pantry all day long, but out-of-sight is truly out-of-mind. After a couple of weeks, send the leftover candy to the US troops through Operation Gratitude.

If you have been watching your weight and have really cut back on sugar, what you will notice after a day of having some on Halloween is that you may struggle for a day or two after with cravings for more sugar. Now that I understand this, I can cut cravings off at the pass by staying hydrated the next day and filling my snacks with higher protein and healthy fats. Just know you may feel a little “itchy” for sugar and you will need to deflect those urges. Sometimes that knowledge is enough to keep me from opening the door to extra sugar!

Here are a few healthy ideas for your Halloween party:

Veggie skeleton

Banana ghosts and tangerine pumpkins

Spider deviled eggs

Halloween apple bites

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!