How to avoid Halloween candy nightmares

It's one of the scariest times of year...no, not because of the ghosts and the goblins...because of the Twix and the Reese's peanut butter cups, of course! Yes, it's nearly Halloween, and where there's Halloween, there's candy. And where there's candy, there's (usually) a tendency to overindulge. Last year, I was sucked into the vortex that is created by having my favorite candy in the house. I was tempted again at Easter (see "Escaping from a cycle of bad eating"). This year I'm determined to avoid it, and I'm going to share five strategies I am going to use, in hopes that they will help you do the same.

1. Limit it. Look, I get it. Your favorite candy is in the house, and you feel like you've worked hard enough to "earn it." And everything is fine, in moderation. So set reasonable limits. For example, allow yourself to have one piece of your favorite candy during each of the next three weeks. After that, we're close to Thanksgiving (and desserts), so it's best to pick just three pieces and move on to #2.


2. Purge it. If it was a particularly light year for trick-or-treaters, you might have candy leftover from your handouts. This can be a dangerous thing, especially if you, like many people, buy your favorite candy to distribute. So get rid of it. Throw it out, take it to work, do whatever you want. Just don't keep it in the house.


3. Trade it. If you have kids, throwing out the candy gets more complicated. Once they're old enough to understand what's happening, in fact, you might as well forget it! One strategy that worked for us was to trade candy for something else they like. I've used money ($0.25 per piece of candy), and my kids like to have something to put in their piggy banks, so this works great for us. Some of my friends let their kids pick a small number of candies (1-2 per year of age) and then trade the rest for a toy, an ice cream outing, or a fun activity like going to the movies or bowling. Plus, if your kids know exactly how many pieces of candy they have left, you will not be tempted to eat a piece and incur their wrath!


4. Limit it (again). This time, the limits are for the OTHER people in your house. It's easy to get into the candy when everyone else it eating it all of the time. In our house we have a two-treat limit per day. My kids usually have a treat at lunch, and then one more treat at home, either after school or after dinner. Halloween candy counts, so if they're only eating one piece a day in my presence, I can handle that.


5. Hide it. Those three pieces of your favorite candy you held on to (in #1)? Don't leave them in a bowl on the counter. Just seeing them will make you more likely to eat, even if it's not the candy. Instead, hide them in a brown paper bag on the top shelf of a pantry or cabinet. When it's your scheduled treat day, you'll be able to find them, but the rest of the week, you won't have to look at them and salivate.

Since Halloween is just a day away, I'll leave you with just one parting thought. When you're sorting through the candy, if you find yourself tempted to set aside the "healthy" treats for yourself, STOP. Don't kid yourself. Peppermint patties are lowfat. Reese's peanut butter cups are trans-fat free. Dark chocolate has antioxidants. Guess what? That doesn't mean you get a free pass to eat them all day long. I've already said you can eat them IN MODERATION. But don't eat a piece of candy because you think it's better for you than something else. Eat the one you like best on your scheduled day and move on. Don't be fooled by good marketing.

Hope you have a happy (and healthy) Halloween!

Motivation: Figure out what works for you

I've been talking to a lot of my friends over the past few days, and more often than not, the conversation takes a turn to fitness. I wanted to do a brief post, just to talk about some of the motivational strategies that have worked for them (and for me). The point is that this is a menu. Know yourself, and choose from the menu the things that will work to help motivate you.

• Get inspired! Whether its a picture of a fit celebrity (Jessica Biel, whose picture I posted earlier this week, is my inspiration), or maybe just a picture of yourself from years ago, a visual of your goal can help keep you on track. Hang it somewhere visible, like on your mirror, in the pantry, or on the fridge. Another idea is to have a personalized goal picture created for you at a site like weightview.
• Challenge yourself. Remember my neighbor who helped get me started with my fitness plan? Well, C., as we'll call her, had her baby back in February, and as soon as she was "cleared" for workouts by her doctor, she started a very aggressive and challenging program called P90x. While some people might get demotivated by such an intense and challenging program, C. knows that a challenge will make her fight back to prove she can't be beat! Maybe a challenging program, or a contest-based challenge like a Biggest Loser contest or body transformation contest (like the Turbulence Training Contest I entered) will keep you engaged and motivated. I should share that C. is doing great - not quite at her goals yet, but already fitting back into her size 8 clothes! YOU GO GIRL!
  
• Engage a pro. This isn't for everyone, but for some people who feel overwhelmed by all of the information or options available to them at the gym, working one-on-one or in a small group setting with a personal trainer or coach can be just what they needed. As they gain confidence, they may be able to branch out on their own more often.
• Be accountable. Telling people your goals can make it harder to stop pursuing them. Another neighbor, (we'll call her "L."), just told her friends that she is joining the local gym. She knows that we'll ask her about it, and that accountability will help her follow through. So tell people about your goals and your plans, and encourage them to check in with you to find out how it's going. Even better is to have a specific friend commit to following the same program, so that you can support and keep each other accountable.
• Focus on your goals. Think about what you want out of life, and how a slimmer, more fit body will help you get it. Then write down your top 5 benefits of success on an index card. Make copies, and put them everywhere you might need them: in your purse, on your mirror, or at your desk at work. Pull them out and read them when you are tempted to venture off-plan.
• Focus on the negatives. Sometimes, the scare that comes from our poor health can be what kicks us in the butt and gets us moving again. Maybe, like my DH, one of your parents died at a relatively young age because of poor health. Maybe it's your own health -- you've had a heart attack or stroke scare. Either way, focusing on what you don't want to become can often be what it takes to turn it around for people. So again, write it down, and put it somewhere you will see it and be reminded what you're doing and why!
• Reward success. Although it's important not to sabotage your success with unhealthy food-based rewards, rewards can be a great motivator! Perhaps you'll get a pedicure after you lose 10 lbs. Or it could be that you only get your weekly "cheat" of an ice cream cone if you made all your workouts and ate on-plan during the week. It could even be a trip to the beach where you can show off your new beach-ready body when you meet your final goals! The trick is to choose a variety of goals, both short- and long-term, and a variety of rewards that will keep you engaged.

I hope you found something on this "menu of motivation" that will help keep you on plan. Is there something that motivates you that I didn't mention? Let me know in the comments!

Escaping from a cycle of bad eating

So, it's been a few days since Easter, and I don't know about you, but I've indulged in the candy a few times too many! Did you know that Easter and Halloween are two of the biggest holidays for candy sales and consumption? And if you have kids, it's hard to do a complete moratorium, since even if you don't get them any candy, they're likely to end up with some from school or local egg hunts. This time of year I'm almost jealous of my Jewish friends celebrating passover. I would be much less tempted by Matzo than I am by those darned peanut butter eggs!

For me, each piece of candy I eat seems to open the door towards eating more. It's as if my mind has said, "well, clearly it's okay to eat some of this." So while I might start on day one with just one mini twix, by day two I've had a mini twix and a mini reese's peanut butter cup, and by day three I'm wondering if my kids will notice if I eat both of their peanut butter eggs! (Answer: Yes, they will. Not that I've done it. Yet. Some things, a mom just knows!)

I went through this same thing at Halloween, and after a week of what felt like a downward spiral, I decided to take matters into my own hands and get back to healthy eating. Now it's time for me to do the same thing, and I'll share some strategies so that those of you suffering can find a way out as well!

1. Throw it out. Okay, this technique is easiest for those without kids, or with very young kids. Basically, a week after the holiday, you just throw it all away. Put it in a bag in the outside trash. You can keep one piece for each year of each child's age if you'd like. Trust me, they'll know how many you have, and you won't be able to sneak any!
2. Out of sight, out of mind. Instead of leaving the candy out in a dish or in their easter basket, put it all into a brown paper bag, and put it on the top shelf of the pantry. Get it down when your kids ask for a treat. Without having it under your nose, it will be easier to get through your day without eating any. And, your kids may even start to forget how much they have, which means you can strategically follow strategy #1, with just a few pieces at at time, over the next few weeks.
3. Buy it. From your kids, that is. Last Halloween, I told my kids I'd give them $0.25 for each piece of candy. $18 later, I had a nice full bag, and they each had a few pieces of just their very favorite candies. I took my bag to work, where the candy disappeared in less than a day. It was one of the best investments I ever made! And the upside was that my kids weren't upset about losing their candy.
4. Have a piece of fruit. When you are considering eating a piece of candy or chocolate, crush that sugar craving by having a nice fresh and juicy piece of fruit. Really sweet fruit like pineapple or mango is often best. The fiber in the fruit helps make you feel full, and the sugar will help get you over the craving.
5. Write it down. If you aren't journaling your food yet, now is the time to start. Sure, there may not be an easy way to determine the calories in one mini M&M, but if you eat one, WRITE IT DOWN! You may think twice about eating it next time. Jillian Michaels has also suggested writing down how you're feeling when you eat unhealthy foods. This can help you determine if your eating is emotionally based.
6. Make it just one day. For one day, put a moratorium on candy. No matter how tempted you are, just think to yourself, "I'm not eating any candy today," and move on. Once you've proven to yourself that you can make it through a day without candy, you may find it easier to decide to pass on it the next day.

As for me, this is my confession time. So here we go!

On April 11, I ate a mini twix, mini reese's peanut butter cup, mini dark chocolate bar, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

On April 12, I ate three chocolate chip cookies, a mini twix, and half a glazed donut.

On April 13, I ate a mini reese's peanut butter cup, 2 wintergreen lifesavers, and 3 cups of popcorn (which I ate while trying to keep myself from eating the peanut butter eggs)!

That's where it stopped. After reviewing what I had documented (using strategy #5) for the previous three days, I was upset with myself for my apparent lack of control. I decided I wasn't having any more of my kid's candy. So I implemented strategy #2, and when I had a craving, had a nice plum (strategy #4).

Fortunately, I got control before I developed a habit of poor eating. I hope these techniques help you do the same!

(And thank goodness we now have over six months until Halloween!)

Navigating the pitfalls of restaurant eating

If you're a working parent, it's pretty much a given that you're going to eat food that comes under the category of "restaurant eating," whether it's fast food, takeout, or actual dining out (which presents a whole new set of challenges when little ones come along). Although I've worked hard over the past year on cutting back on the number of meals that are prepared outside our home (which has financial as well has health benefits), there is still some percentage of the time where we're eating restaurant food. So I thought I'd share a few tips that have helped me stay on track, even when I'm eating out.

1. Don't be afraid to make special requests. Yes, it's true that people who have heard me order often make a reference to the movie "When Harry Met Sally" afterwards. They can tease me all they want, because a few simple requests can cut fat, sodium, and sugar by more than 50%!

Some of my favorite special requests:

• Sauce on the side (more obvious for salad, but also consider for burgers, tacos, burritos, or other food items that have sauce spread on a bun or inside a tortilla).
• No cheese or light on the cheese
• Substitute steamed/grilled vegetables for the french fries
• Hold the potato/tortilla chips (easier to leave them off than to resist eating them once they are in front of you)
  
• Hold the butter or light on the butter (on the roll, hamburger bun, vegetables, grilled fish)

2. Prepare before you go. Check to see if the restaurant has a menu on-line, and review the nutritional information of things you are likely to want to eat to see how the data stacks up. Plan what you will order in advance, if possible.

3. Avoid food items that contain high fat "buzzwords" like...

• Smothered
• Battered/fried/crispy
• Casserole
• Cheesy
• Creamy
• Au gratin
• Country
• Gravy

4. Look for items containing healthier "buzzwords" like...

• Grilled
• Steamed
• Poached
• Baked
• Roasted
  
• Au jus

5. Beware high fat items masquerading as healthy items. Many people go out to a restaurant, and with the intention of eating healthy, they forgo the steak and baked potato they really want and order a salad. Unfortunately, at many restaurants, things like high fat dressings, croutons, bacon, cheese, and even fried tortilla shells have turned salads into some of the worst items on the menu! Better to get a small steak (take home part of any steak larger than about 4oz), a baked potato w/ salsa (not butter), and grilled veggies (without butter). You'll satisfy your desire for filling food, and end up eating less fat and calories than if you'd gone with that salad.

6. Watch those portion sizes! Some of these restaurants use huge plates and fill them up to "give you your money's worth." Well what a great way to save money AND calories! Ask for a box right when your meal comes, and immediately put at least half of it away for another meal. Think about the size plates you use at home and leave an amount of food that would look more appropriate on your home dishes, not those oversized restaurant ones!

With all of these rules in mind, I headed out to one of the restaurants my family frequents, ready to see if I could cut the calories and fat on one of their regular menu items to something reasonable. The restaurant? On the Border, which is one of the worst restaurants in the industry for having shockingly high fat and sodium in their menu items. They do offer a small list of healthier options, but my goal was to try to make one of the regular menu items healthy.

Starting item:

3 sauce fajita steak burrito with rice and refried beans
Calories: 1560
Fat: 78g
Sat Fat: 31g
Carbs: 126g
Protein: 72g
Fiber: 19g
Sodium: 4950mg

This is how I ordered it:
"May I have the 3-sauce fajita steak burrito, hold the queso and sour cream sauce. Black beans with no cheese on them. And can you please substitute grilled vegetables for the rice?"

Okay, that's not so bad. There was no eye-rolling on the part of the server, and they didn't seem to think any of my requests were strange. Using the restaurants own nutritional charts, here how I estimated the nutritional information for my custom order:

Ranchero sauce fajita steak burrito with grilled vegetables and black beans without cheese
Calories: 930
Fat: 39g
Sat Fat: 17g
Carbs: 77g
Protein: 55g
Fiber: 13g
Sodium: 2850mg

Let's see how I did! Just a few simple requests, and I cut the calories, carbs, and sodium by 40%, and fat by 50% (saturated fat by 45%), while reducing the healthy statistics - protein and fiber - by smaller amounts (24% and 32%, respectively). Although it's not as healthy as some of their "Border Smart" items, none of them include steak. You could cut the calories and fat even more on this meal if you choose the chicken burrito instead of the steak version I chose.

Okay, so admittedly that's still awfully high in fat and calories for a single meal, but if I ate sensibly during the rest of the day, I could still fit this into an 1800 calorie day without much trouble. Not much to do about that sodium level except flush it out with lots of water.

So yes, you can still occasionally go out to eat, if you follow some of the guidelines I laid out above, and eat sensibly during the rest of the week. Another great resource is the "Eat This, Not That" series of books and web services. Although I don't always agree with the author's recommendation on what to eat instead, the recommendations on what NOT to eat are spot-on!

Thanks for reading, and happy dining!