Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I get to dress up and it is considered normal. I get to give random children candy without that being seen as odd, but rather the expected norm. I get to cut up pumpkins and bake pies all day. I get to go to the farmer’s markets and pick out squashes and dried corn simply for decoration! Plus the weather is a little cooler and people come to visit!
Halloween is also one of my least favorite holidays because it can be so easy to fall from my diet and experience sugar rushes akin to those of my youth. All the extra candy lying around can also be a major temptation of the dog and the husband. Oh, and thinking about the decorations, these can be a major danger as well. It has taken a while, but I have finally figured out how to a truly healthy and fun Halloween.
Sticking to the Plan
I want to lose weight. That means avoiding excessive candy. Here are some of my favorite tips as to how to manage that feat.
Purchase “fun” or “mini” size candies. This means that you do not feel bad giving away more than one piece of candy at a time. This will mean less will be left over for you to be tempted with later.
- Do not buy enough candy for the year. I always thought it was better to run out of candy than to have to take it back into the house. I typically buy about 100 to 200 pieces of candy because we have a lot of kids in the neighborhood. I usually run out about an hour and a half into the trick or treating time.
Use calorie controlled packets and the candies. These calorie controlled packets make it harder for you to eat too much since they have their calorie and fat information clearly marked, plus since they are a decent sized packet, they make you feel fuller, faster.
- Still have too much candy laying around? Take it to work. Leave it for your co-workers to eat. This will make you look like the nice one while still allowing you to remove the candy from your home and maintain your healthy life style.
Eat well before handing out candy. This will help you to avoid eating a lot of candy because you will not be hungry. This is one of the easiest ways to avoid temptation.
Keeping Safe
I sit on my steps and hand out candy. Here are some ways to decorate safely and some ways to trick or treat safely.
Do not over load the wiring system in your home. Just because you think you can fit 100 cords in an outlet does not mean that you should attempt it. Use some reason when you decorate and use electrical decorations or lights.
- Check the wires of each of your decorations. Also check non-electrical decorations for any damage. This will help to prevent injury and it will help to ensure that your decorations work and look right.
- Avoid any hard decorations or accessories. Trick or Treat time is typically dark. This means people may run into you or your decorations. By keeping everything soft, you can avoid anyone getting injured.
Walk on the sidewalks. People often have decorations in the yard and cars are driving in the roads. By sticking to the sidewalks, you can avoid tripping on unseen decorations or being hit by a car.
- Keep your sidewalks and porch well lit. This will help to prevent tripping and will make your home more inviting to the trick or treaters coming to visit.
- Only eat factory wrapped candies and if you are giving out candy, only give out factory wrapped candies.
Have a safe and fun filled Halloween this year! I know I will be. I love this season and I look forward to this holiday every year.