The Leaf | Healthy Weight Loss Blog

Halloween doesn’t have to be all about candy. In fact, if you’re trying to slim down, it shouldn’t be about candy at all. This year, let it be about family fun. Here are eight healthy Halloween ideas to boost the holiday fun factor, most of which have zero calories! 1. Up your jack-o’-lantern game. While triangle eyes and nose and fanged grin are the classic pumpkin carving go-to, keep your hands a little busier this year (and less likely to dip into the candy) with something a little more, well, spooktacular. Head to the internet to get some fun pumpkin carving Halloween ideas. Buy or download free pumpkin stencils that will make your jack-o’-lanterns the talk of the neighborhood. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to create a spooky zombie face, a witch on a broomstick, a hooting owl or a Day of the Dead Mexican skull, even if you have zero artistic talent. Invest in a pumpkin carving kit that contains tools to make it easier. It’s so satisfying and fun, you may not stop! 2. Ma

With Halloween coming up, the influx of candy in the grocery store aisles may mean temptation is lurking around every corner. While those sugary sweets might feel frighteningly detrimental to your healthy diet, you can whip up some equally satisfying but guilt-free homemade Halloween candy at home in little to no time at all! Swapping your Halloween candy with these healthier alternatives will make the Halloween season much less spooky—at least when it comes to your health. 1. 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Candy Bites > When it comes to simple Halloween candy, it doesn’t get much easier than four ingredients! These candy bites are made with corn flakes, peanut butter, brown rice syrup and chocolate chips. With the beloved combination of peanut butter and chocolate—plus just a bit of crunch—these bites have all the indulgence of a candy bar without the guilt. Get the full recipe here! > 2. Halloween Peppermint Gems > There’s something about the classic combinatio

Don’t wait for New Year’s Day. The start of fall is the ideal time to embark on a crisp, cool journey to weight loss success. Why? The unpredictability of summer barbecue fare is over, as are the splurges of summer vacation. It’s time to focus on yourself, your food choices and your health. We put together a list of reasons to embrace the bracing chill of fall as the start of your weight loss victory. Here are six reasons why autumn is the best time to drop pounds: 7 Vegetables That Taste Best in Fall Read More 1. Fall is all about routine. The kids are back in school, which means getting back into a routine. Getting up for the bus, packing lunches, after-school activities and scheduled bedtimes. This also makes fall a great time to create new routines and solidify new, healthy habits of your own. According to Jamesclear.com, one way to help cement these new routines is by doing something called “habit stacking,” where a new habit is paired with one you’re already doing. D

In some ways, Halloween is the toughest holiday to navigate when you’re dieting . While most seasonal festivities involve food, this one involves candy , one of the most irresistible sugar delivery systems ever invented. It’s sweet, delicious and almost addicting. With so much candy around, you need diet tricks and treats to stay on plan. You can avoid candy the rest of the year (if you exert willpower in the supermarket checkout line) but on Halloween, you bring tons of it into your house to give away. Then your kids bring more. You may try to limit yourself to “just one,” but that gives way to “just one of each” and before you know it, those bite-sized morsels turn into unwanted pounds. If you don’t have trick-or-treaters at home, you could skip the holiday altogether. Keep the porch light off and hide in the dark. Better yet, leave it off and go out to dinner until the ghosts and goblins are back home in bed. If there’s no way out, you can use these creative diet tricks to help