Halloween Survival Guide

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by kate

Are you haunted by Hersey’s? Do you have nightmares about nougat? I know. Halloween is a scary time of year. So I’ve compiled some tricks to keep your treats in check – during Halloween and after.

Wait until the night before or day of Halloween to buy candy. (This may be too late for some of you.) This way you’ll avoid the temptation of testing out the candies before the kiddos come knocking. Also – it may be on sale!

Buy candy you don’t really like. (Personally, I’ll still eat it anyway, but at least I won’t eat as much!)

Keep your inner demon in check.

Don’t just blindly tear into the candy bowl in a dark corner. Eat consciously. Take out several of your favorite and be aware of how many calories you’re consuming. Here’s a nifty candy calorie counter I found. It tells you how far you have to walk to burn off the candy you eat.

The Aftershocks
Just because you’ve made it through the night doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods. You still have to fend off sugar attacks from home and work.

Shift through your child’s loot and keep only their favorite candies. Donate the rest.

Freeze it. A frozen Snickers will thwart your plans of wolfing down gobs of candy.

According to the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to spend an average of $56.31 on Halloween – $17.99 of which on candy. That’s down from $66.54 last year. That means less excess. Which means your work won’t be overloaded with leftovers next week. (Looks like the dreary economy is actually good for something this year.)

Ask co-workers if it’s ok to put kitchen candy in a covered container so Milky Ways aren’t looking at you longingly as you get your morning coffee.

Bring in a healthier treat like Starbursts, peppermint patties or lollipops so you don’t feel totally left out while all your coworkers leave wrapper trails around the office.

The only fool-proof plan to avoid Halloween rejects at the office is to go on vacation.



How do you survive Halloween without turning into a monster?


previous post

Labels: , , ,

Candy Calories a Scary Sight!

Thursday, October 22, 2009 by kate

Free candy isn’t calorie-free. That’s my mantra this month. ‘Cause things get ugly – real ugly – the closer we get to Halloween. So I’m trying to scare myself straight. If I know just how bad all those little packets of goodness are, maybe, just maybe, I won’t gorge myself on Goobers and dive into Dove bars with the same zeal. Here goes.

**Be forewarned. What you’re about to read is disturbing and is not appropriate for all ages. You may also have trouble sleeping at night.**

3 Musketeers
260 calories
8 grams of fat

3 Musketeers minis (7)
170 calories
5 grams of fat

Butterfinger
270 calories
11 grams of fat

Hersey’s Kisses (9)
230 calories
13 grams of fat

Hersey’s Kisses Special Dark (9)
180 calories
12 grams of fat


Kit Kat
210 calories
11 grams of fat

M&M’s
240 calories
10 grams of fat

M&M’s Dark Chocolate
240 calories
11 grams of fat

Milky Way
260 calories
10 grams of fat

Milky Way minis (5)
190 calories
7 grams of fat


Milky Way Midnight
220 calories
8 grams of fat

Milky Way Midnight minis (5)
180 calories
7 grams of fat

Reese’s Big Cup
200 calories
12 grams of fat

Snickers
280 calories
14 grams of fat

Snickers Dark
250 calories
12 grams of fat

Here are a few lighter treats:

Jolly Ranchers (3)
50 calories
0 grams of fat

Candy Corn
150 calories
0 grams of fat

Twizzlers (4)
160 calories
0.5 grams of fat

Skittles
250 calories
2.5 grams of fat


If you’re really jonesing for some chocolate, try a York Peppermint Patty. With 140 calories and just 2.5 grams of fat, you won’t turn into a monster after just one. And if you find you don’t stop at just one, pop the patties in the freezer. It’ll slow you down.


What’s your favorite Halloween treat? How do you keep from turning into a scary sugar monster?


Labels: , ,