How to stay on track this Halloween season

It's Halloween week and you know what that means - candy EVERYWHERE!

It seems we celebrate Halloween earlier and earlier each year, and that also means candy everywhere, for longer. The temptation is strong and the struggle is real to keep our hands out of those candy bowls at work, friends' houses and at home. However, having a game plan before temptation strikes can really help you stay on track.

Here are a few strategies and tips we use during treat-heavy times to help us enjoy the holidays AND meet our fitness goals:

• Keep candy out of the house until it's time for Trick-or-Treating
  

  Growing up, a 'secret' we all knew of, but didn't speak of, was that our mom bought Halloween candy as soon as it hit the shelves. She would hide it in the laundry room in the cabinets above the washing machine, or in the coat closet stuffed behind our random assortment of hats and gloves. The five of us would take turns sneaking into those spaces when nobody was looking to get the goods throughout October, and of course mom had to buy more candy for trick-or-treating on Oct 31 because those 'hidden' bags were somehow empty :). DON'T DO THIS! Chocolate and sugar has a way of calling your name from wherever it is hidden at all hours of the day, when you least expect it and when you're most vulnerable. From experience, we recommend waiting to buy Halloween candy until the very last minute, so it can go into trick-or-treaters' bags rather than break your fitness bank.
   

• Plan ahead for how many candies you can consume and still meet your goals!

  With Halloween only once a year, it's completely OK to partake in the fun! To stay on track we recommend to plan ahead and calculate how many pieces you can consume and still stay within your daily goal of carbs, macros, WW points, calories, etc.
   

• Hold off on indulging until later in the day…
  

  If you are planning a few candies into your day, it may be easiest to hold to that number by waiting until later in the day to enjoy them. If you have them all with your morning coffee, you may find yourself accidentally allowing yourself the same amount in the afternoon or before bed! And if you do already exhaust your budgeted number of sweets early, just make a bowl of Fit Whip in the evening so you're full and satisfied until the next day :)
   

• Prepare yourself by having fitness-friendly foods by your side! 

  If you don't have enough wiggle room for a few pieces of candy each day as noted above, prepare yourself with a fitness-friendly survival kit. Prepare healthy, go-to foods such as fresh veggies, Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, rice cakes, Fit Whip or other Fit Whip dessert alternatives, so you can turn to healthy alternatives when temptation strikes. These items will fill you up so there is no room for temptation! When candy calls your name, remember you're prepared with the tools you need to help you stay on track!
   

• Bring something YUMMY and HEALTHY to the party!
  

  Halloween party and tempting treats go hand-in-hand. We recommend to fill-up on protein-rich foods and vegetables before showing up, and also bringing something healthy to the party that you can turn to when temptation strikes. It may not be the first thing that disappears from the snack table, but at least you know it'll be in your corner when you need it :)
  
   

Even with these tips, it's sometimes easy to fall deep into the sugar vortex. It's OK. Just dust yourself off and got back on-track the next day. We're all human after all!

What are your favorite strategies for staying on-track with your fitness goals during the holidays? We'd love to hear from you!
 

Yours truly,
 

Andrea, Lianne and Shannon