Trick or Treat?! Halloween such a treat for many of us (calorie wise) that before we know it the trick is we have gained another10 pounds again. Time to celebrate! Now is the official kickoff of the Season of Eating!
From leftover Halloween candy, through a Thanksgiving cornucopia of food and dessert over a long 4 day weekend to the December holiday fiesta, most people gain more weight in the next 8 weeks than the rest of the year. There are more parties, more dinners, more stress, more loneliness, more family and more loss of sleep than we get the other 10 months of the year. We eat so much that when the New Year comes along; our first resolution is always to lose weight.
Although weight loss is at the top of everyone’s resolution list, how many of us actually accomplish it? My suggestion this year is to start your resolution now. Why wait? Have your “fiscal” weight loss year start in October or November rather than January 1st. It will give you at least an 8 week lead over the standard New Year’s resolution and as it is not a new year’s resolution, you are more likely to keep it.
A few tips to get you started:
- Have 1 piece of Halloween candy and the throw the rest away before you go to bed on the 31st. Take the garbage bag out to the garbage can ASAP so that you don’t go for the “safely still wrapped” piece.
- For Thanksgiving, buy some disposable plastic containers so you can send your guests home with a goody bag. When everyone leaves, save the turkey and vegetables for a good lunch on Friday but throw all the rest away before going to sleep.
- If you plan to spend the whole day watching football, try to keep the snacks extremely healthy (cut vegetables and such) so as you eat it the calories do not add up.
- Go to office parties having not skipped meals throughout the day that leads to eating a larger meal. Avoid alcohol as it lowers your inhibitions and often leads to more eating.
- If you do eat more than you planned on, make sure you work out or go for a walk afterward. It will help your body deal better with the extra carbohydrate calories.
- Start your weight loss plan now. If you have had trouble sticking to diet plans in the past or have been on several and not lost consistent weight nor kept it off, then consider seeing a bariatrician or physician who specializes in weight loss.