A Spooktacular Guide to Managing Halloween Treats

Tiny Tummy Tips, Issue #43 -- Halloween After Weight Loss Surgery

Goblins, ghouls, and ghosts may haunt your streets, but the real scare is the monstrous pile of candy that may find it’s way into your workplace and/or your house.

So it's time to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to conquer the candy cauldron! Let's dive into the wickedly delicious world of Halloween candy, including its devilish calorie counts and the tricks to offset them.

Conquering the Candy Cauldron

Calorie management is kind of like money management.

Sometimes when you want to buy something expensive… like a designer purse or a new car… it requires that you cut down on something else…or pick up an extra shift… to afford the purchase, right?!

It’s the same with food. Everything you eat and drink “costs” you something in the form of calories.

I may not be a fan of meticulous calorie counting, but I'm a firm believer in calorie awareness.

When you're aware of the calories you're indulging in during your Halloween festivities, you gain the power to make informed choices.

Think of those 6 mini Reese's peanut butter cups and 2 fun-sized Snickers from your child's Halloween stash? Do you sense a calorie overload? Or do you justify that they’re just a “few little ones” and it doesn’t matter? Now, picture this – knowing the answer to how many calories they cost you!

And what about that handful of candy corn and a fun-size pack of Twizzlers? Can you taste the potential calorie damage? Imagine knowing just how many minutes of walking it would take to vanquish those extra calories.

Well it’s time that you know! Knowledge is power.

Candy Language

• “Minis” are bite-sized candies and therefore the lowest calorie choices. But don’t trick yourself…too many minis adds ups to more calories than a single snack size treat!

• “Snack-size” and “fun-size” treats are usually about 2 inches long and weigh ~ 1/2 ounce.

Calorie Roundup

list of popular Halloween candies and their nutrition facts.

Looking for a specific candy?

Look it up here.

Calculation Tool

Simply enter your weight and how long (in minutes) you plan to exercise.

According to this calculator, I burn approximately 200 calories in 30 minutes of biking. So now I know that if I eat 2 fun sized candy bars (approximately 90 calories each) …say one Butterfingers and one Snickers… I need to ride the bike for half an hour to offset them!

Am I willing to pay the price? Possibly.Hmmmm.

Sampling of Halloween Calories

• Hershey's Kiss
• Tootsie Roll

Minis

Under 30 calories

• 3 Musketeers

35-45 calories

• Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
• Snickers
• Butterfingers
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate

50 calories

• Twix mini

Snack Size and Fun Size

50-65 calories

• 3 Musketeers
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate
• York Peppermint Pattie

65-90 calories

• Snickers
• Butterfinger
• M&M's Milk Chocolate or Peanut
• Junior Mints
• Milky Way

Chewy Candy and Lollipops

35-60 calories

• 2-3 Starbursts (20 calories per piece)
• 1 Skittles fun pack size

55-70 calories

• 3 Swedish Fish (22 calories each)
• 10 pieces of Candy Corn (7 calories each)

60 - 70 calorie lollipops

• Tootsie Pop
• Blow Pop

Over 100 Calories

• 7 Sour patch Kids (16 calories each)

Sugar

Here’s a handy rule of thumb to remember:

4 grams of sugar is roughly the equivalent of 1 teaspoon. Picture eating a sugar cube from the sugar bowl for every 4 grams of sugar on the label.

Say you're eyeing those tempting, bite-sized Reese's peanut butter cups. A handful of 5 of them will set you back about 220 calories and a whopping 23 grams of sugars. That's roughly 6 teaspoons of sugar (equivalent to 2 tablespoons). Now imagine going to the sugar bowl and gobbling down 6 sugar cubes.

There you have it.

So keep this little sugar scoop in mind. It might just be the sweet reminder you need to make those healthier choices and/or smaller portion sizes.

After all, the journey to a healthier you is all about making informed decisions!

The Final Spell

Keep your celebration to ONE day. And enjoy it! Keep your calorie management in mind. If you happen to overdo it despite your good intentions, be sure to throw out or give away all the extra candy so it doesn’t become a habit! It’s that simple.

Don't let the treats cast a dark shadow over your festivities. Armed with this knowledge, you can now face the candy cauldron with confidence.

After all, there's nothing scarier than not having a little fun on Halloween!

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See you in the next issue!

In Health,