Happy Halloween from BariatricPal! - October 2017

[Alex Brecher 10,516]

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	Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy Halloween! Whether you are around children and have been planning for Halloween for several weeks, or whether it's a small blip in your radar, Halloween is almost guaranteed to present challenges because candy is everywhere! We know how hard you work to eat healthy and stay strong, and we hope this newsletter can help you stay on track this Halloween and beyond. Here is what we think may help. • Skipping the Halloween Horror Show: Problems and Solutions • Spooky Good Treats for Halloween: Fun AND Weight Loss-Friendly! • Making the Commitment to Stay on Track This Fall It may not easy to stay on track around Halloween, but you can do it. Enjoy the newsletter, then consider getting in an extra workout to boost your confidence. Then, we'll be looking for you on the BariatricPal Forums for even more motivation. Thanks for being a valuable part of our community, and Happy Halloween! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Skipping the Halloween Horror Show: Problems and Solutions Problem: pizza.< /b> Halloween is the third biggest pizza day of the year in the U.S. (It follows Super Bowl Sunday and New Year's Eve, if you were wondering). Have a reasonable-sounding 2 slices of pepperoni pizza with a breadstick and some dipping sauce, and you're starting your evening with 1,000 calories and over 100 grams of carbs. That's before anyone even breaks out the candy! Solution: Pizza. That's right! You can fight pizza with pizza. Up to a day beforehand, assemble the ingredients into a pizza. • Portabella mushroom caps or Protein Bread for the crust. • Marinara sauce or tomatoes and basil. • Grated or thinly sliced low-fat mozzarella cheese or chunks of fat-free feta cheese. • Chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and any other veggie. • Extra Protein, such as diced chicken breast. Bake or toast until the cheese is melted, and enjoy! Do it right, and your pizza solution can be just as tasty and faster than customizing an order with your smartphone. It can have 200 to 300 calories and up to 30 grams of protein. Problem: Candy. You do not need us to tell you that there is candy everywhere you turn, including at work and in businesses. How do you resist? Solution: Prep Your Own Foods. If you are just looking for something to munch on, have your own stash of almonds, grape tomatoes, and other finger foods to give your fingers and mouth something to do without grabbing a handful of candy corn every time you pass the secretary's desk. If you really need a sweet fix, get one that is high-protein and sugar-free. There is no need for sugar bombs when you can get your Chocolate, Caramel, Peanut fix in a Protein Bar or your mini chocolate pieces in a package of Chocolate Protein Snacks. snack - Chocolate"> Problem: Parties and Trick or Treating. It seems like there is nothing to do on Halloween Night but eat, and the food usually is less than healthy. Solution: Entertain Yourself. Bring your own fare so you can stay away from the pitfalls. A Hot Protein Drink may do the trick here for a few reasons. • It tastes good. Enjoy hot cocoa, Cappuccino, or mocha, and you will not regret skipping the Halloween treats at the party or the candy on the street. • It takes a long time to sip on that drink, so you are not tempted to go browse the refreshment table again. • You will get 15 grams of protein to help you stay satisfied while socializing or walking the kids around the neighborhood. Problem: Leftovers. You buy enough candy to feed the neighborhood and only get rid of half of it, plus your kids come home with a few pillowcases full of the stuff. Solution: Clean the House. Get rid of the candy when Halloween is over. Let your children select their favorites to make up the amount you let them have (if any), and ask them to keep it away from you (shouldn't be a problem). Donate or throw away the rest of theirs, plus the extras that you purchased for trick-or-treating. Spooky Good Treats for Halloween: Fun AND Weight Loss-Friendly! Cut back on carbs, sugar, and fat? Great idea! Skip the Halloween treats? No way! You can make festive, spooky, and healthy treats that even the kids will love. Here are a few ideas. • Carved hollowed bell peppers instead of pumpkin jack-o-lanterns; filled with Protein Pasta "brains" and marinara sauce "blood". • Eyeballs with a small dab of cream cheese on a carrot slice, with half a black olive on top for the eyeball. • Spiders with cream cheese between two small circles of ham for the body, with pretzels sticking out from between the ham slices for the legs. • "Fingers" made with carved Protein Bread dipped into hummus in a small hollowed pumpkin. • Witches brew...with pretty much anything. Try broccoli or pea Soup and chunks of chicken, carrots, and mushrooms. Serve it with string cheese strands arranged on top to look like a spider web. • Crudite (raw veggie) platter with veggies arranged in Halloween themes. Think orange carrots, yellow crookneck squash, and white cauliflower to look like a giant piece of candy corn, a background face of baby carrots with bell pepper rings for eyes and a mouth, or raw veggies surrounding a carved pumpkin overflowing with “brains” such as bean dip or guacamole. Making the Commitment to Stay on Track This Fall Whatever else it means, the coming and going of Halloween means that the holiday season has unofficially started. The problem goes beyond the minor annoyances of holiday displays luring you to buy decorations and gifts that you don't need. The real problem for WLS patients is the parade of food…leftover Halloween candy followed by Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers, holiday parties, Christmas Cookies, fudge and fruitcake gifts, Christmas dinner, and New Year's Eve parties. What's a savvy WLS patient to do? Have a Plan Keep Protein Bars and Protein Snacks at work so you never need to fall for the sugary treats from your coworkers. Bring your own healthy dish to parties so there is always something for you to eat. Prep food on the weekends or bring Protein Entrees to work parties so you can eat your food while others are eating the fare that could make you sick and will definitely make you feel guilty. Practice saying, “No,” so you are not caught off guard when someone offers you something you'll regret later. These are a few variations. • "No, thanks, I'm not hungry." • "No, thanks, maybe another time." • "No, thanks, I don't like gingerbread." (A little white lie is okay). • "No, thanks, my doctor said I can't have pumpkin pie." • "No, thanks, it's not on my diet." Have a Goal Set goals and remind yourself of your reasons for staying strong. Practice reminding yourself in the moment how badly you want to stick to your plan and lose weight. Visualizing the YOU you want to be in a few months can help you get through the tough moments now. You can commit to weight loss goals, fitness goals, getting surgery, starting the pre-op diet, or any other goal. Thanks for reading the newsletter. We hope it helps you get through Halloween and get a good start on those healthy habits as we head towards the holidays. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
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