Halloween Candy Has No Calories

I've decided. Halloween will be a night off, where I can blissfully indulge in all the sugar I want! So there. Just try and stop me (translation - stay out of the way to avoid injury).

I'm back to calorie counting, and although I haven't been updating my daily counts on the side column of this blog, it's been going fairly well. According to my lovely scale I've even lost 2 pounds, which although it's not as much as I'd like, is better than nothing :) I'll take it!

If you (from the title of this post) were looking for some kind of magic that deletes the calories in Halloween candy, I apologize. I could spin something about how having a day full of sugar maybe shakes up your metabolism and makes it speed up (is that plausible? We can pretend!), but without research to support this theory I don't know how credible it would be. Hmmm.

Instead, let's just say this: Halloween Candy Has No Calories In My Head (because there's plenty of research to support that ;)

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Dr. Phil's Weight Loss Book: The Ultimate Weight Solution

This is the book that I'm currently reading.

While I haven't lost any weight yet (I'm only on page 73), what I do appreciate about this book is that he examines the psychological and behavioural mechanisms behind weight before he starts in on the diet advice. It's like he's prepping you mentally first, which I believe in: I think all that we are and do begins with how we think.





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Mmmm POP!

Yummy, sugary, and having no nutritional benefit whatsoever: pop!! At anywhere from 130-180 calories per can, it can find it's way to your waistline pretty quick.

The best solution is to simply not buy it, which, if I lived alone, would be my answer. However my husband is a Pepsi-aholic, and we're the house that hosts the family parties, which usually include a flat of mixed pop for the kids (mine are normally only allowed 1/4 can two or three times a week as a treat).

I could:

a) Torture myself and not drink any, and end up eating or drinking something else just as bad,

or

b) Give in and just chug the stuff,

or

(drum roll)

c) Crack open a can, have a few sips, and leave the can in the fridge. I periodically come back and have a sip or two, but usually I'll forget it's there. The next day it's flat (and disgusting), and it gets dumped down the drain.

Wasteful? Sure. (Keep in mind that I don't live alone and therefor share in the decisions about what comes into the house.) Waist expanding? No.

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Tasty Tummy Filler

I'm struggling with perpetual hunger (as I usually do when I calorie count) and I just discovered yet another low-cal void filler:

1 can green beans (about 50 cal.)
1/4 cup salsa (about 25 cal.)

Heat the beans, drain the water, mix in the salsa. Presto: hot, tasty, somewhat filling, and only 75 calories :)

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Resuming Calorie Counting

Today I started calorie counting again. I was trying a few other things (smaller portions, exercise, etc.) but not really having much success. It occurred to me that even though I had the right intentions, unless my calories burned exceed my calories consumed, I'm not going to lose weight. How do I ensure this happens? Eat fewer calories. How do I do this? Count the flippin' things.

I'm an unconscious snacker. I eat all day long, PLUS eat full meals. In theory snacking often can speed up your metabolism, but you still won't lose weight if you consume more calories than you burn.

Today my count was 2,030. I was STARVING, which will give you a glimpse of what I would have eaten had I not restricted my intake. Yeesh.
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