When you’ve got a sweet tooth, it’s easy to fall off the weight loss wagon when you’re faced with all that leftover Halloween candy. Even though you bought it with the very best intentions and you’d expected to give it all away, if you didn’t have as many children trick-or-treating at your door this year, then the leftover Halloween candy you haven’t handed out can easily become your steady snack over the next few days.
Suddenly, all that hard work you’d put in to calorie control has turned into a giant binge through leftover Halloween candy once again this year. Even if this has happened, all is not lost. It is possible to get yourself back on track and to start feeling proud of your efforts once again.
Most People Underestimate How Many Calories Are in Leftover Halloween Candy
Even fun sized leftover Halloween candy is packed with sugar and calories—probably more than you imagine! That’s why one of the things that you need to keep in mind during this fun time of year is the fact that all of that candy can work towards undoing your fitness progress, even if it is bite sized. Sure, you can indulge in a treat every now and then, but make it a point to avoid overdoing it.
To put things in perspective and show you what we mean, consider the following information from Diabetes Forecast:
- A fun size Snickers has 80 calories, 10.5 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of fat
- A mini 3 Musketeers has 24 calories, 5 grams of carbs, and 0.7 grams of fat
- One ounce of candy corn contains 100 calories, 25.6 grams of carbs, and no fat
- A Jolly Rancher has 23 calories, 5.6 grams of carbs, and no fat
- A snack size Almond Joy has 80 calories, 10 grams of carbs, and 4.5 grams of fat
If you have found yourself overindulging in leftover Halloween candy, though, just use the following tips to get yourself headed in the right direction once more:
Don’t beat yourself up
This is the most important tip that you’re ever going to hear so listen to it carefully and repeat it to yourself when needed. Being hard on yourself is among the main reasons that people end up giving up on their diets altogether when they’re fallen off the wagon. Instead, accept that you did something a little crazy, take ownership of it and move on. Focus your energy on restarting your diet, not thinking about failure.
Recognize when you’re making excuses
One of the best ways to reduce the harm from binging on candies is to recognize when you’re making excuses and to stop doing it. If there are still Halloween treats left in your home, recognize the excuses that you’re making to justify eating them and put those excuses aside. There isn’t anything wrong with having a treat-size candy bar every day, but having a handful of them or more should be out of the question. Stop doing it and save them so you’ll have them over time. They won’t go bad for quite a while!
Remind yourself of your goals
Do this at least one time per day. Take a moment to recite your goals and visualize them as you do them. As you reach each goal, keep it in the list, only remind yourself that you’ve accomplished that one already before you visualize what else you’re aiming to achieve.
Set short-term achievable goals
While the long term goals that you’ve been visualizing are fantastic, they can seem a little bit out of reach when you’re back at the drawing board. Set achievable goals for the short term that will be challenging but very possible. That will help to give you something that you feel is within your grasp for every step along the way.
Identify your weaknesses
If you can’t help but eat all the candies in your house, then get rid of them. Leave them in a bowl in the office lunch room give them to someone else, donate them to a food bank that accepts that type of treat, or throw them out. They’re not helping you if you can’t eat them at a reasonable pace.
Burn Off Those Calories!
If you aren’t already working out a few times a week, now is the time to get yourself on track towards doing so. This is the best way to burn off the excess calories that you consumed by eating all of that leftover Halloween candy, especially if you are completing routines that combine cardio and strength training exercises. In fact, running is one of the most efficient ways to burn the calories that you consumed while snacking on candy, so consider adding it to your routine.
Get Rid of the Candy You Have
Still have a lot of candy at home? Why not give it away? Take it to work so that you can share it all with your coworkers or give it to family and friends who would want some sweet treats. You don’t have to keep all that leftover Halloween candy and eat it all yourself.
Don’t Let Leftover Halloween Candy Throw You Off Course
With the busy and food-filled holiday season on its way, there is no better time than right now to get yourself back on track if you have overindulged in some Halloween candy. After all, it will be hard enough to stay on course once the holidays hit!