Holiday Support: Halloween Edition

[Maine-iac]

Ah, the challenges we face.

I must:

1. Stay out of the Halloween candy aisle at Wal-Mart. At least they clump most of it together, so I can walk right past.

2. Buy only candy that is popular with the kids, but that I don't like. Don't overbuy.

3. Bring leftovers immediately to work.

4. Stay away from the leftover pile at work.

5. Remember that 1/2 price candy in November is not a bargain, it's a trap.

Any strategies, folks?

[Bison]

#2 is probably the biggie there... both getting stuff you don't care for as well as not overbuying. So hopefully that eliminates a good deal of the home temptations.

For at work, I'd say it's ok to have one "fun size" piece each day there's stuff available. The extra 50 calories or whatever isn't going to hurt, and you don't feel like you're missing out. I tend to do this fairly often with good results.

[yanz]

I dunno. I've been buying a bag of candy corn for myself every week since the aisle started selling it. Does that defy all holiday rules?

1. I'm clearly not buying it for the holiday
2. I'm definitely not buying it for any kids
3. In fact, I don't share my precious candy corn with anyone [and glare at my bf when he comes within 2 feet of the bag]
4. I'm supposedly on a diet :)

On second thought, I probably shouldn't advise you on this one...

[DoctorNo]

I dunno. I've been buying a bag of candy corn for myself every week since the aisle started selling it. Does that defy all holiday rules?

1. I'm clearly not buying it for the holiday
2. I'm definitely not buying it for any kids
3. In fact, I don't share my precious candy corn with anyone [and glare at my bf when he comes within 2 feet of the bag]
4. I'm supposedly on a diet :)

On second thought, I probably shouldn't advise you on this one...

I see nothing wrong here, but only because candy corn is really really good.

[JohnGalt]

I dunno. I've been buying a bag of candy corn for myself every week since the aisle started selling it. Does that defy all holiday rules?

1. I'm clearly not buying it for the holiday
2. I'm definitely not buying it for any kids
3. In fact, I don't share my precious candy corn with anyone [and glare at my bf when he comes within 2 feet of the bag]
4. I'm supposedly on a diet :)

On second thought, I probably shouldn't advise you on this one...

I see nothing wrong here, but only because candy corn is really really good.

And besides, it's corn.

[yanz]

I knew you guys would understand.

[annabel lee]

2. Buy only candy that is popular with the kids, but that I don't like. Don't overbuy.
3. Bring leftovers immediately to work.
4. Stay away from the leftover pile at work.
5. Remember that 1/2 price candy in November is not a bargain, it's a trap.
Any strategies, folks?

I definitely agree with #2 and with the idea of allowing yourself a controlled indulgence. I don't have to buy any Halloween candy because nobody trick-or-treats in my apartment building. If I did have to buy candy, I'd get Butterfingers or one of the other types that I don't enjoy at all.

Random trick that I haven't tried in ages, but I've used it in the past to keep my motivation: on a day when you expect to be tempted by treats, wear your "skinny pants" (or your new, smaller belt, or whatever) and be aware of how the clothes feel and look. Makes it easier not to jeopardize all that progress...

[LoneGirl]

I don't get many trick or treaters (if any), so I buy one bag of candy just in case, and bring the leftover to work the very next day. I don't have much of a problem at Halloween - but I'm scared because I know Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies are right around the corner!

[Maine-iac]

Agreed. Halloween is not the worst, but it is the start of things to come. We don't get many kids either, if any. One bag will do.

Thanksgiving week will be . . . odd this year. I don't know how it will go, but we will need to be careful.

Butterfingers! Now that's a thought. I hate Butterfingers. :)

[LoneGirl]

Agreed. Halloween is not the worst, but it is the start of things to come. We don't get many kids either, if any. One bag will do.

Thanksgiving week will be . . . odd this year. I don't know how it will go, but we will need to be careful.

Butterfingers! Now that's a thought. I hate Butterfingers. :)

Mmm, Butterfingers......

I personally don't care that much for candy corn (another reason Halloween is easy for me I guess).

[shadyridr]

It doesnt help that todays my birthday. 3 different cake celebrations (my moms house, my in-laws house, and work). Plus my wife made me a fantastic rigatoni and meatballs dinner and theres plenty leftover. I lost 10 lbs since beg. of Sept and I feel like Im gonna ruin it all this week. And Im a HUGE chocolate fan so next week is gonna be tough too.

:(

[LoneGirl]

It doesnt help that todays my birthday. 3 different cake celebrations (my moms house, my in-laws house, and work). Plus my wife made me a fantastic rigatoni and meatballs dinner and theres plenty leftover. I lost 10 lbs since beg. of Sept and I feel like Im gonna ruin it all this week. And Im a HUGE chocolate fan so next week is gonna be tough too.

:(

Happy Birthday! My birthday was this weekend - I did quite a bit of diet damage myself. :)

[Maine-iac]

Happy Birthday!

My brother's b-day is tommorrow, and we are having him over for dinner to celebrate tonight. Pizza at his request, and birthday cake.

I made a mocha cake that is decorated with confectioner's sugar rather than frosting, figuring that shaves the calories a little bit. Plus, it has oatmeal in it, which both keeps the cake very moist, and adds a little fiber to offset the heavy sugar rush a bit.

If I have one piece of pizza, salad with a light dressing and a small piece of cake, I should be fine. I just need to make sure to send the cake and pizza leftovers home with the birthday boy, or bring the cake to work if brother doesn't want it. (There won't be many pizza leftovers, and the chances of bro not wanting the leftover pizza is just about nil. :) )

[Mardi]

... learned this one in college from the guy that lived downstairs (I guess he didn't want to be the one singled out if any of the kids in the neighborhood got sick)

Don't buy any candy... buy cheap little toy/knickknacks instead. We usually give out vampire teeth, skeletons, fake eyeballs (mom wouldn't let me give out real ones) tiny jackolanterns, etc. Bags of these cost about the same as candies and are usually pretty easy to find. Plus, you can keep leftovers till next year.

sorry, can't help you with the no cake thing... that's one of my weaknesses

[Loner]

3. Bring leftovers immediately to work.




:rant: Why must you all sabotage me? :rant:

[yanz]

It doesnt help that todays my birthday. 3 different cake celebrations (my moms house, my in-laws house, and work). Plus my wife made me a fantastic rigatoni and meatballs dinner and theres plenty leftover. I lost 10 lbs since beg. of Sept and I feel like Im gonna ruin it all this week. And Im a HUGE chocolate fan so next week is gonna be tough too.

:(

Whoa! Yesterday was my bday too!!! :-D
I managed to skip dessert at lunch yesterday, but bought a box of Richart chocolates (google them if you've never heard of them) and had fried ice cream for dessert at dinner.
The good news is that I've only eaten once chocolate from my box and ate a relatively small dinner to compensate the fried ice cream (I knew it was coming).
The bad news is that my bf is taking me out for dinner [and dessert - duh] on Friday, and my family is doing dinner on sunday in an all-you-can-eat-cheesecake+tiramissu heaven (the rest of the meal is irrelevant)

[Maine-iac]

Hmmm. Maybe you should suspend the candy corn thing for a few days . . . ;)

[yanz]

Hmmm. Maybe you should suspend the candy corn thing for a few days . . . ;)

well, while I was out of town, my bf snuck a few handfulls. Honestly, I think about half the bag has been eaten, so the candy corn will be suspended whether I want to or not...

[JAS]

2. Buy only candy that is popular with the kids, but that I don't like. Don't overbuy.


Last year, I overbought. But I got the kind that is only popular with the kids. I still have some left, can I give it out this year?




5. Remember that 1/2 price candy in November is not a bargain, it's a trap.


I think this is the best piece of knowledge in this thread!

[IHateExams]

Whoa! Yesterday was my bday too!!! :-D
I managed to skip dessert at lunch yesterday, but bought a box of Richart chocolates (google them if you've never heard of them) and had fried ice cream for dessert at dinner.
The good news is that I've only eaten once chocolate from my box and ate a relatively small dinner to compensate the fried ice cream (I knew it was coming).
The bad news is that my bf is taking me out for dinner [and dessert - duh] on Friday, and my family is doing dinner on sunday in an all-you-can-eat-cheesecake+tiramissu heaven (the rest of the meal is irrelevant)

Happy Birthday to my favorite poster!!!;)

So how many kisses are you getting these days??? I'll guess 25.

:kiss:

[shadyridr]

Whoa! Yesterday was my bday too!!! :-D
I managed to skip dessert at lunch yesterday, but bought a box of Richart chocolates (google them if you've never heard of them) and had fried ice cream for dessert at dinner.
The good news is that I've only eaten once chocolate from my box and ate a relatively small dinner to compensate the fried ice cream (I knew it was coming).
The bad news is that my bf is taking me out for dinner [and dessert - duh] on Friday, and my family is doing dinner on sunday in an all-you-can-eat-cheesecake+tiramissu heaven (the rest of the meal is irrelevant)

Happy Birthday to my favorite poster!!!;)

So how many kisses are you getting these days??? I'll guess 25.

:kiss:

Thanks ;):oops:

[yanz]

Whoa! Yesterday was my bday too!!! :-D
I managed to skip dessert at lunch yesterday, but bought a box of Richart chocolates (google them if you've never heard of them) and had fried ice cream for dessert at dinner.
The good news is that I've only eaten once chocolate from my box and ate a relatively small dinner to compensate the fried ice cream (I knew it was coming).
The bad news is that my bf is taking me out for dinner [and dessert - duh] on Friday, and my family is doing dinner on sunday in an all-you-can-eat-cheesecake+tiramissu heaven (the rest of the meal is irrelevant)

Happy Birthday to my favorite poster!!!;)

So how many kisses are you getting these days??? I'll guess 25.

:kiss:

thanks :)
guess again, though.

[Maine-iac]

Hope you had a great birthday, yanz!

Got by brother's b-day OK. The slice of cake was a little on the large side, but other than that, no problem.

Bought one bag of 3 Musketeers for Halloween. That should be reasonable. They are only 60 cals. each, and I don't much care for them.

[yanz]

Ok, so the birthday feasting set me back a bit. My weight trendline is now moving upwards, but not nearly as much as it could've...
I now have at home:
-half a bag of candy corn
-7 pieces of chocolate
-[new addition] a slice of cheesecake and a slice of tiramisu leftover from dinner last night.

I'm willing to put the first two items on hold. Hopefully the bf will eat the tiramisu. That leaves me with the cheesecake to snack on over the next few days. Hopefully, I can control myself and eat it very slowly...

[Gal Friday]

[QUOTE=Maine-iac;1803986]Random trick that I haven't tried in ages, but I've used it in the past to keep my motivation: on a day when you expect to be tempted by treats, wear your "skinny pants" (or your new, smaller belt, or whatever) and be aware of how the clothes feel and look. Makes it easier not to jeopardize all that progress...

This is a GREAT trick. I use it whenever I'm going out to eat or to a big family gathering where I think I'll be tempted to overindulge. I have a pair of jeans that fits just right, but has no "give" in the waist. If I eat too much, I know I'll be very uncomfortable.

[IMP]

i :ht: candy corn. and i vow to not eat it this year. so far so good!

[Frenchie]

K, as my exam quickly approaches, I am seriously back on the bandwagon. I know, I know...I've been MAJOR slacker these past several months, but I have the bootcamp BF to kick my butt back into shape. I will revive my thread in a minute, but came across this first. My approach to Halloween control:

1) MM got a reprieve on the punishment from the whole dirty room issue. The BF suggested a compromise. She got to trick-or-treat, but no desserts until after Thanksgiving. Well, that helps me b/c the candy is put away until then (and believe me, she got TONS!!!)

2) As for our stash that remains, I am still working on getting the BF to give it up so I can bring it in for my officemates to eat up. (Also another strategy with weight loss...the more they gain, the less I have to lose to look thinner relative to my surroundings! :D)

[IMP]

what does MM stand for?

and talk about falling off the wagon...i kinda think i was a help in getting this weight loss stuff started on the RF, and i really have done jack sh*t in all these months. bad bad bad. i've even been paying my monthly gym dues too...and i havent been in my gym in about...oh...too many months to count.

someone kick my ass for me please!

[Frenchie]

what does MM stand for?

and talk about falling off the wagon...i kinda think i was a help in getting this weight loss stuff started on the RF, and i really have done jack sh*t in all these months. bad bad bad. i've even been paying my monthly gym dues too...and i havent been in my gym in about...oh...too many months to count.

someone kick my ass for me please!

MM=Mini-Me.

Come on IMP! Haven't you been around long enough to know that?? ;)

Don't feel too bad. I am the same way. I was all gung-ho in the beginning and then..well, life happened! Specifically, I got what resembled a life! :lol:
I don't use my gym anymore either, but that's mostly b/c of working out w/the BF outside and at home and it's an all female gym, so he can't go. He'll be in Mexico in a couple of weeks and I'll get some gym time in then, but otherwise, it's all natural!

[Maine-iac]

Halloween went well. No kids again :( but I didn't dip into the "just in case" bag of candy. It made it into work and is sitting on the food counter. Now I just have to stay away from said food counter!

[Frenchie]

Halloween went well. No kids again :( but I didn't dip into the "just in case" bag of candy. It made it into work and is sitting on the food counter. Now I just have to stay away from said food counter!

This week we are celebrating the anniversary of our firm...food all over! :( I have resisted bagels, donuts, candy....the Klondike bars are calling though! :crying:

[IMP]

mmmmm bagels. you are strong!

while donuts can be tasty, it's not hard to resist them....i just remind myself of the obnoxious overwhelming smell of grease and sugar that smothers you when you walk by the student union where krispy kreme has a spot. nasueating. :exams:

but bagels....mmmm...damn it, i want one now. :swear:

[annabel lee]

Put a donut or a bagel in a paper bag (or on a paper towel). A while later, look at the disgusting grease stain that has resulted. You don't want that.

Or, get an alternative bagel (http://www.westernbagel.com/alternativebagelonline.asp), which I heard about from Frenchie and finally found in my grocery store recently. They're good -- I wouldn't have known that they were low-fat/low-cal. (Then again, I'm perfectly happy with fat-free cream cheese and fat-free whipped cream, which many people find positively unpalatable.)

[Frenchie]

Put a donut or a bagel in a paper bag (or on a paper towel). A while later, look at the disgusting grease stain that has resulted. You don't want that.

Or, get an alternative bagel (http://www.westernbagel.com/alternativebagelonline.asp), which I heard about from Frenchie and finally found in my grocery store recently. They're good -- I wouldn't have known that they were low-fat/low-cal. (Then again, I'm perfectly happy with fat-free cream cheese and fat-free whipped cream, which many people find positively unpalatable.)

Although the bf is very happy with my nutrition choices (he helps me shop) he said that, for the diet I've asked him to help me with, I need to cut out even the alternative bagels! :cry: Well, not the whole thing. He said I could eat half, but what's the ponit of that?!?! ;) He did admit they were great alternatives (some of a pun intended) but he wanted me off of most of my carbs for a while during my initial training. OY!!!

[yanz]

mmmmm bagels. you are strong!

while donuts can be tasty, it's not hard to resist them....i just remind myself of the obnoxious overwhelming smell of grease and sugar that smothers you when you walk by the student union where krispy kreme has a spot. nasueating. :exams:

but bagels....mmmm...damn it, i want one now. :swear:

BU?