It’s one of the most fun times of the year to be an adult – we get a chance to be like kids again! Of course, not everyone has the childish metabolism of an 8 year old, who can most likely fill themselves with candy and not give it a second thought. For you and I, the reality is that a typical Halloween weekend of parties, candy and late nights could easily wind up with a result on the scale that’s more scary that any costume or haunted house. So check out this Survival Guide for handling the ghouls and ghosts of Halloween foods.

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. It’s a lot of fun, and can make for some great photos to share (or not share) with friends and family.
But there’s a problem.
Halloween, out of all the holidays, is most likely the number one offender when it comes to sugary, sweet treats. And there’s not much chance Halloween is going to change.
So, the solution is to make some adjustments before the parties start, so you can not only enjoy yourself, but feel good knowing that some finger cookies and candy apples aren’t going to set you weeks back in your fat loss.

Survival Tip 1: Don’t be scared of the treats
Too often, along with success in fat loss comes concern, worry or outright fear of regaining weight back. It’s justified, if you look at the figures for long term weight loss, however those come from people using calorie restriction to lose weight. Slow carb helps you lose fat, not weight, by allowing you to eat enough, rather than starving you to one degree or another. This means there’s not need to fear the fat, and no need to fear the treats that you might worry could give you some extra pounds around your hips.

Survival Tip 2: Use your cheat day to your advantage
Whether your party is Friday night, Saturday night or Sunday morning (?), use your cheat day timing to effectively nullify most of a party’s worth of treats. If it’s the right time to be enjoying some high-carb snacks, and all those goodies you’d never dream of eating during the week, then you can get double the value from cheat day this week.
Of course, this assumes that you’re sticking to one Halloween party.. which brings us to our next point.

Survival Tip 3: Don’t party all weekend
The last thing I want to do is kill your fun. But there’s no other way to say it, other than clearly stating that extending a cheat day beyond the regular lunch to bedtime routine, on one day, could have some pretty large effects on your next weigh-in. It’s much less likely you can dodge the fat-gain bullet if the partying starts Friday night, and lasts until you catch the bus to work Monday morning. Stick with one really big party, and if there are other social gatherings, get into the fun in ways other than food and alcohol (other than the allowed 2 glasses of red wine).

Survival Tip 4: Bring a slow-carb friendly treat
If you’re headed to a house party where food is welcomed, think about creating a couple of snacks that everyone will love, that work for your slow carb routine. Try Kat’s Slow Carb Chocolate Brownie recipe, or whip something else up. There’s a lot of creative ways you can use slow carb ingredients to create a once-in-a-while treat.

Survival Tip 5: If you’re going to cheat, then limit the damage
If you think there’s no way around having a few extra goodies, away from your regular cheat day, then think about including the standard damage control activities around this time – take your PAGG, do your 120 seconds of air squats and wall presses around eating, and consider using fiber, protein and a small handful of nuts before eating to slow down your digestion, and limit the impact on your blood sugar.
Consider selecting your snacks according to how much you enjoy them, not their availability. Pick only the things you really love, and you’ll be able to eat less of them whilst enjoying their flavor.

Survival Tip 6: Find a kid, and watch them eat your candy
The only thing better than enjoying Halloween candy is seeing a kid enjoying Halloween candy. Of course I’d never recommend stuffing a kid full of candy, but if they’re playing with friends, the odds that most of the sugar will go into their muscles, and not be stored as fat means that it’s probably healthier for the kid, than it is for you. Plus, giving gifts feels great.

Survival Tip 7: Whatever you do, get rid of all the candy you give out, before your cheat day is finished
There is nothing more distracting than a half-full box of bite sized candy. And it is far too easy to rationalize just eating one of the tiny candy bars that you were handing out the day before. Whatever you do, however you do it, make sure you don’t wake up next to a box of Halloween candy. That’s the scariest Halloween trick or treat I can think of!
So, there you have it, some Halloween tips for keeping your fat loss going, even if the streets are littered with chocolate bars, suckers and gum (and the occasional drunk party-goer). Enjoy the weekend, have  a blast on your cheat day, and take it easy. Odds are the only things you’ll have gained come Monday is a big smile, and some great memories.

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By four hour body couple