Treat...or TRICK???

I bet you see plenty of these displays in your local stores now, and probably have seen them for weeks already. The stores try to get too much of a jump on each holiday now. There is something really wrong about seeing Halloween stuff in Walmart while you hear Christmas carols playing in the store. (Yes...I actually experienced that last week!!!)

No matter when it starts to appear in the stores, we have to deal with all of the candy shoved at us when we shop. It's often the first thing you see when you walk in, and the smell of chocolate is overwhelming. And if you make it past the candy aisles without giving in, there's always some candy at the register just in case you still have thoughts about getting some!

This always used to be a problem for me, and still is from time to time. If I'm especially stressed out, there's no way I can even walk by those displays because I will cave and get some candy. Then I will go home and eat half of the bag at once, saving the other half until the next day (such restraint! Ha!) and finish it off then. Afterward, I crave more sugar even though my body feels awful. It can turn into a downward spiral if I'm not careful.

I've taken to reminding myself just how crappy I feel after eating that candy, and how much money I'll save by not buying it. Even candy corn and those cute little mellowcreme pumpkins...there is no nutritional value, it's all basically sugar and wax. When I sold PartyLite, we had candy corn scecnted candles, so if I think about it like I'm eating a candle, I have no desire to eat it anymore! (And I wouldn't be surprised if the corn people started telling us that candy corn is CORN, so it's good for you.) I also know that I can't buy Halloween candy early to save for passing out to the kids, because I'll eat it and have to replace it, which costs even more money. I usually have my husband buy the candy so I'm not tempted, and he usually gets his favorites so I don't crave them as much.

This time of year can be dangerous for our health and weight, starting with the Halloween candy and going right through to the Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies. Resolve right now to stay strong and stick to your healthy eating and exercise plan. Your body will thank you come New Year's Day...and you won't have even more weight to lose for that resolution!