Boo! . . . or Boo Hoo?

Here’s what’s really scary about Halloween. We’ve chosen a sample of favorite Halloween candy, and it’s not unreasonable to expect that one person could (would?) eat this much in one day (or one night) if it’s sitting there in the “treat bowl” or if you happen to be raiding your child’s treat bag.

20 pieces of candy corn

2 Hershey’s Kisses

2 Brach’s caramels

1 mini Tootsie Roll

1 Fun-size candy bar (Milky Way, Butterfinger, Snickers)

1 mini bite-size candy bar (Milky Way, Butterfinger, Snickers)

1 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

1 Fun Size M&M packet

Total calories: 515

Think of the above as little fat bombs, with almost no nutritional value and a ton of calories. To burn off those 515 calories you will need to walk 5.15 miles or 10,260 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps. And, Halloween candy isn’t just a “one-night stand.” The tempting bowls are probably already out, tempting you to have “just one more” as you pass by. Then, after Halloween, your evil co-workers will bring in their leftover candy—all those small, colorful, innocent-looking treats.

It’s true that just a few pieces of Halloween candy won’t derail your long-term weight loss efforts, but it’s the “just one more” temptation that over time will pack on the pounds.

Scared yet? It only takes nine small fun-size candy bars to put on a quarter-pound of fat.

For a few “helpful hints,” be sure to check out our new “Get Me Through the Holidays” pdf, and the annual “Here Come the Holidays” poster on our website. They contain some “food for thought” that won’t pile on the pounds.