Halloween has come and gone, but there are many, many less than subtle reminders out there of that scary day that are unfortunately likely to linger for days, maybe even weeks to come. Of course I am referring to the many pieces of Halloween candy collected by your little trick-or-treaters and the leftover candy that you never gave out at the door.
What do you do with all that candy? Hands down the smartest thing to do: throw it away. Proceed to the nearest trash receptacle and throw it away. I have always believed that the fun in Halloween was the dressing up in weird costumes and walking around the neighborhood with a bunch of your friends. It's not about all the candy you get at the door. After all, a lot of it is not even the good stuff.
Many people have the attitude, "Listen, Halloween only comes once a year. As soon as I eat what's left I will not eat anymore. It'll be out of the house and I will be done with it." OK, but by the time you have finished eating it you have consumed another couple of thousand calories or three, or four. Yep, a lot of calories in that chocolate. "But they are mini-candy bars," you say. So, you justify you can eat more of them. Remember these words, "several thousand calories" (only trying to help).
Please be aware, unthoughtful colleagues, yes, unthoughtful in that they are not really thinking of your best interest will bring their left over candy to the office, put it in a big bowl and put a sign near it in the kitchen that reads, "Help Yourself." Yeah, it gets it out of their house, removes them from temptation, but what about everybody else? Somebody at my office did that. A lot of the staff in my building are trying to lose weight too, always trying to resist temptation. Now they see a big bowl of candy in the kitchen every time they walk through, calling to them. By the way, by the end of the day, the overflowing bowl of Kit Kats and miniature candy bars was nearly gone. Not a good thing. A lot of people's healthy meal plans were sabotaged that day.
Think before you grab. Think before you put it in your mouth. Is the short-lived (very short-lived) pleasure that the goody brings worth the heartache and work it takes to shed the calories from your body? I think not, but of course it is ultimately up to you.
And finally, the next time you reach for a miniature bag of M&Ms, remember these words, "To burn up the amount of calories in one M&M, the average-sized person would have to walk the length of a football field."
Enjoy.