Halloween Can Be A Scary Time Indeed!

Preparations are underway. Have you noticed them? If not, try picking up your head, only momentarily I promise, just long enough to pull yourself out of your iPhone/Blackberry haze and notice as you walk into the grocery store, CVS, Duane Reade and every other store out there what’s jumping out at you a mere three feet from you upon entering. You can’t miss it, it’s right there all up in your grill, imploring you with its FUN-sized sugary sentiments that are screaming “It’s Halloween time, what are you waiting for? Eat sugar! EAT SUGAR!”

Candy is everywhere. And I swear, it’s hypnotizing. Like for example, me, the other day, walked by the apples and there, conveniently placed by some savvy marketer, were the little caramel squares that only pop out of the shelves once a year; you know the ones I’m talking about… the yummy ones used for making caramel apples? Instinctively and without even slowing down my swagger, I grabbed ’em, threw in my basket and have regretted it ever since! But that’s been my only candy folly so far and since we don’t get any trick or treaters in my building, I’m safe from having to buy any candy to hand out. (And if the random kid comes a’knocking, they’re getting a bagful of caramels… like they’re gonna last that long!)

I’m sure people everywhere are already stressing about how they’re going to handle the upcoming holidays, with it’s treats and parties and caramel covered apples! It’s daunting, I agree. But you can prepare yourself for the battle ahead. For all those out there who may fall prey, like myself, to the sugary-sweet voice that emanates from each and every single bag of candy, I’m here to help! (I know what you’re thinking… who am I, caramel-bag-grabber, to sit here and tell you how to avoid indulging on Halloween candy? I get it. But I’ve been there, I’ve experienced it, I know what I’m talking about and I know how to remedy the situation. And it’s my blog, so let me rant :))

Here we go.

5 Ways to Avoid Dipping into the Candy Bowl

1 – Wait until the last minute to buy your candy. We live in an age where there is no such thing as a shortage of anything. If you fear all the good stuff will be gone by the time you get to the store Halloween day, so what? You’re handing the stuff out, it’s not for you to eat, it’s for some kid to take home and get a belly ache from.

1a – Buy the crappiest candy you can find, this way you will not be tempted to eat it. For example, Mary Jane candies; what are those anyway? Smarties. The really hard bubblegum that lasts for two chews then loses all flavor. Good n Plenty’s, just nasty. And Necco’s, the original candy wafer; is that even candy?

2 – If you totally ignore tips 1 & 1a, then this one is for you. Store the candy far far away. Put it in a canister, preferably with a lock, wrapped in a bag and tied shut. Place said canister on the highest shelve that requires a foot stool or chair to reach. (Note: If your husband is tall and you can easily recruit him to fetch you the locked up, tied up, out of reach candy, then you must place it elsewhere. Perhaps the garage, or basement. Icky places you’d never get up from the sofa to go to.)

3 – If you feel the candy urge coming on, take a drink of water. Sometimes all you need is a little fluid in your system to ease the crave. If that doesn’t help, then brush your teeth. The taste of toothpaste will make eating anything sweet seem totally gross.

4 – If you’re having one of those days and all you want is a freaking piece of candy to get you through the next five minutes, then I ask you to take a deep breath. We all have those moments when we really want, so much so that we convince ourselves that weneed, something sweet to tame the sugar-diva within us. If that’s the case, have some backup dark chocolate stashed away and nibble on a small piece of that. (Make sure it’s over 86% dark chocolate though. It’ll taste a little bitter, but bitter is better for you.)

5 – EMERGENCY ONLY: If you must indulge, then allow yourself only two pieces from the booty, but make a promise that you’ll only eat two and that you’ll wait until you’ve had a proper meal before eating them. This way you’re allowing yourself the chance to fill up on healthy foods which may ultimately turn you off to indulging, even a little, in the first place.

And there you have it, your top 5 survival tips on how to make it through Halloween without busting the scale!

Sidenote: It was brought to my attention that once making it through the night without indulging is one thing, but what about when the kiddies come home, with bags and bags of the stuff? What are you to do then? How about splitting the booties in half and tossing out half of it. Or take some to the office—nothing goes faster than free candy in an office! There is a way to tackle the sweet-tooth monster, you just have to be creative and vigilant! Good luck!