I am writing this entry several days before Halloween. In the neighborhood where I live Halloween trick or treating by children is restricted to one part of the community. The roads are cordoned off and the children move readily from house to house in that subdivision. Households not in that subdivision are encouraged to donate candy to the people whose houses will be visited. The good news for people not living in the “trick or treat” zone: There is no necessity of having Halloween candies at your house.
However, as most people do have their doorbells being rung by children, those large packages of bite-sized treats have already been purchased and will sit in your pantry long past October 31. This starts the most challenging time of the year for weight control: Halloween through New Year. The challenges start with the left over Halloween candies then morphs to Thanksgiving gatherings and the post-Thanksgiving left over cakes, then Christmas gatherings laden with alcohol and carbs and then culminates with The New Year’s celebrations.
The average weight gain in adults from Halloween through New Year: 7.4 pounds. There is no easy way to avoid these challenges, BUT here are several suggestions:
1-Do NOT keep any leftover Halloween candies at your home. Discard them, donate them or other. If they remain in your pantry they will be consumed over time.
2-At Thanksgiving, make yourself a “tasting plate”, i.e. restrict your portions of the mashed potatoes, breads, stuffing, pies to a Tapas-type approach: A tablespoon of each. Portion control!
3- Keep alcohol intake to a minimum. You can enjoy the love and warmth of the holidays with your loved ones without having to down booze.
4- Keep your quest for weight control at the forefront of your mind. Never lose focus on the reasons why it is so important for you to shed weight.
5- Try to avoid the “herd mentaiity” Just because most people around you are eating out of control and downing alcohol does not mean you need to join the “herd”.
I would believe that your goal is to be able to enjoy many more holiday seasons in good health. Not allowing the seasonal weight gain to happen will align with your goals.
Although not dressing up this year, last year I was Phantom Of The Opera. I wish I could sing like Michael Crawford as the Phantom.
