Happy Halloween my little angels and devils! When it comes to your diet this holiday season are you going to trick or are you going to treat? I looove me some candy, two of my favorites are candy corn and Snickers. Not only do they taste so damn good, but also they remind me of a simpler time in my life. Even after losing over 100 pounds and re-establishing my relationship with food, I still have such an emotional connection to eating. Eating plays a central role in our culture, and the holiday season presents such a challenge for me every year. So when this first of the major holidays hits, and it’s all about eating (sugar), then what are people like us supposed to do? The answer is to trick our bodies with little treats.

I lost 96 pounds over about eight months, between February and August of 2003. That was the first year of my life that I ever had a holiday season where I was conscious of what I was eating. I had changed so much that year, it was a real test to the validity of what I had achieved thus far. It’s funny because I remember my parents being skeptical of the “new” Bobby. Was I going to stay this way? Was I going to gain it all back? They already looked at me like I had two heads because I had made such a drastic change over the year; they barely recognized me. Every time I put something in my mouth it was like, “Uh oh, here he goes, fat Bobby’s coming back!” This was particularly the case during that first holiday season.

I was extremely cautious of every single morsel, as people who have lost an exorbitant amount of weight often are. Ten years later I’m confident, knowledgeable, and know that this weight is staying off, so I’ve downgraded from extremely cautious to just plain cautious. My advice to you this Halloween is to allow yourself some room emotionally and physically. It’s ok to have a couple pieces of candy, it’s ok to satisfy your craving, and it’s ok to live like a normal human being. The important part is that you do it in moderation, and you make up for it with the exercise. Do not have an entire bag of candy, do not go overboard. There are going to be other Halloweens and there’s always going to be candy in this world. (No need to cram it in like the world is ending!) Thinking this way always helps me. When I ask myself “Why do I need to eat all of this right now? I can have it anytime I want!” That kind of tricks me into thinking “I don’t need it now, I’ll keep it in the food bank for another time.” At the end of it all, when I’m 100 years old and I look back on my life I want to remember fun and enjoyable Halloweens, not ones where I obsessed over calories and missed the big picture. There are lots and lots of healthy sweet alternatives for Halloween as well. Just surf the web or look through a health magazine and you’ll find tons of options with less refined sugar and saturated fat.

LWFY is about sharing my successful experience with weight loss and weight management with you. The whole idea is to guide you and give you support, especially when times get tough. I wish you a spooky Halloween, but not a spooky sense of regret when you step on the scale the next day. Have fun, satisfy your cravings, and get back to your healthy diet the very next day! (Remember, Halloween is only 1 night, it doesn’t last the whole week or weekend!) Have fun kids!