I pretty much don't eat candy anymore unless it's sugar-free, and given that I recently got sick on some I probably won't have the stomach for it this Halloween.
Short answer: Sugar free candy, as suggested by my boyfriend.
Long answer: Ah, Halloween! My boyfriend's mother absolutely LOVES to treat us round this time of the year, buying us buckets and buckets of candy (she does this for Easter as well) and my boyfriend especially enjoys this as he has such a giant sweet tooth compared to me. But he asked me earlier this week what I thought about him asking his mother to just get us sugar free stuff this year, and not a metric ton of it each, and I had to tell him what a great idea it was! We don't get any trick or treaters (we live on a side road and are just so very out of the way) so in the past all this candy would just be for us two! And I'm not trying to make myself into a saint by saying he really does eat more candy than I do, lol! My weakness was more for things like, oh, eating an entire pizza on my own... that kind of thing. I think it's great that he wants to make this suggestion, because I asked and he thinks it could be good for him too--he knows he is super addicted to candy so this is a good first step! He never told ME I needed to lose weight, only supported me when I started on my journey, and if he decides to do healthful things for himself as well, I can only love and support him in return.
We may try making light pumpkin cheesecake again... it was good the first time but could have been better, we both agree on that. Or maybe a lowfat carrot cake? A recipe MUST exist. *goes searching for one right away!*
Last edited by fairandfree; 10-02-2013 at 12:14 AM.
Reason: ugh my laptop hates me!
In the past I would buy the big sacks of candy at Costco some time before Halloween, and then I'd go to the grocery store to buy more since I'd eaten the sack and it wasn't Halloween yet. This year, I'm going to go to the store during the day on Halloween and get a bag of candy -- and if there's any left, I'll take it to the gym or just throw it out. Yes, I'm amazed at the number of people who will grab a mini candy bar while walking in to work out.
I'll buy candy to hand out on Halloween and some for the other people in my house to eat, but thankfully candy isn't something I really enjoy eating. Now, as we get closer to Christmas when there is all of the delicious meats and dishes...then I'll have to make a plan.
I think that you are lucky if candy is not a temptation. If I could have a couple of pieces and be satisfied, I would eat a little. My problem is that once I start, stopping is very difficult. I think that I have finally learned that it is easier to never start.
I try to remind myself that the candy isn't mine - it belongs to the neighborhood kids. When that fails, I have learned to follow most of the same rules many of you already stated:
* Buy just a day or 2 ahead of time.
* Buy stuff that isn't my favorite (pretty slim selection there!)
* The last kid to come to my house gets the added bonus of all the candy that's left in the bowl!
* Remind myself at work the next day that anything someone put in the break room doesn't belong to me and therefor is not mine to eat (works about 70% of the time!)
All in all, we need to remind ourselves that we need to deal with this in the best way we can and stick to a plan. It really does work for me to think of it as someone else's candy most of the time.
I'm addicted to sugar. One piece of candy and the rest of the bag is a goner! I'm committed to not having even the first piece. As long as I do this, I'm okay.
I don't give out candy to trick-or-treaters. We have a system out here where if your porch light is off, then that means you don't have candy. I do have a kid, though. He goes "Trunk-or-treat"-ing at church. (Which is where they do a similar thing to door to door except it is a line of cars/minivans with their trunks open and decorated and we take the kids around to each one to collect candy and play games.) We normally let him pick through his candy at home and separate everything he likes from the stuff he doesn't really care for. We throw that candy out and put the candy he does like up high and give it to him as treats. Because it is high up and out of sight (I have to get on a chair to get it since I'm short) I am not tempted to eat it.
I can't really do that for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners though, haha. Haven't developed a game plan for that yet.
I got candy for our trick or treaters. Most are really little kids so I just bought things I won't normally eat like tootsie pops and a couple healthy snacks. I found some whole wheat mini bag pretzels. They are only 50 calories so I am giving those out too. I am okay about the candy this year. Going no sugar for the past 5 months has made a big difference.
