A Scaled-Down Halloween

Fall feels like an obstacle course for those watching their weight. First hurdle:  Halloween! Did you know that Americans purchase an estimated 600 million pounds of candy a year for Halloween???

So, whether you're still buying treats to hand out or sneaking a piece from your child's stash, here are some potential damage control tips.

Test your knowledge with Delish's Halloween Candy Calorie Quiz or Real Simple's Which Halloween Candy is Healthier? to compare different candies. Or, check out Yahoo! Shine's The 10 Worst Halloween Candies for Kids.


Looking for some healthier alternatives that won't get your house egged?
Try TLC's 5 Halloween Candy Alternatives or WebMD's Halloween Candy: Lower-Calorie Treats Make the Holiday Less Scary (which also offers tips to help balance the extra calories).


Wondering why you feel so weak & tortured around sweets?
US News & Report's How to Handle Halloween Candy Cravings to understand why we crave sugar & strategies to get through it.


Quick Reference Tips
- Only eat the candy that you really enjoy.
- Pay attention to portion control. Even small pieces can quickly add calories when eaten throughout the day.
- To help balance the extra calories, add in some extra physical activity or trim other calories from your diet.
- Out of sight, out of mind. Put the candy away or somewhere difficult to get to.

WLC Maintenance Weigh Out Schedule

Attention WLC Participants-- Maintenance Weigh-Outs

The Weight Loss Challenge 

6 month Maintenance Weigh-Out 

October 29th  – Nov 2nd, 2012

If your weigh-in was at:
- Granville County Health Dept, please weigh-out there.
- Maria Parham Medical Center, please weigh-out there.
- South Granville Medical Center, please weigh-out at Granville County Health Dept.

Granville Medical Center employees who weighed-in at GMC may weigh-out there.


Nine $50 gift card prizes will be awarded. To be eligible for the Maintenance Challenge prize drawing, you must meet one of the following guidelines:
·         If you lost 10 pounds or more in May, you must maintain or exceed your weight loss at this upcoming weigh-out.
·         If you did NOT meet the 10 pound goal in May, you must have lost at least 10 pounds at this upcoming weigh-out.
·         If you did not weigh-out in May, you must have lost at least 10 pounds at this upcoming weigh-out.


Please weigh-out to see if you are eligible. Regardless, if you continue to focus on your weight loss goals and maintaining healthy habits, YOU ARE CLEARLY A WINNER ALREADY!

Keep Eating Smart and Moving More!

Sit Happens!

What is now being recognized as one of our greatest enemies?

Too much SITTING!

Check out the Mayo Clinic's How Harmful is Too Much Sitting? for an explanation.

Prolonged sitting (both too much & too often) is regularly blamed for back pain & stiffness. However, it also increases your risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, cancer, heart disease, stroke, etc. Plus, studies are showing it can shorten your life, too.
CBS News' Sitting Too Much May Double Your Risk of Dying


Less sitting & TV time often leads to improved quality & quantity of life. Even small changes help. USAToday's Sitting Less Could Extend Your Life shares how much of a difference physical activity can make.

At minimum, experts recommend getting up, moving around, &/or taking a "wiggle break" for at least 10 minutes every hour. For tips to include more activity into your day & lessen TV time, check out Eat Smart, Move More.

A small study recently indicated that participating workers who stood at a workstation for about 1 hour per day felt more energized, productive, & happier. Although results may vary in other situations, it may be worth trying!
NBC News' Workers Find They Like Taking a Stand

Are You Getting Bad Advice?

How often have people commented on what you "should" do to manage things like your weight, health conditions, etc.? 

Many times, it's a well-meaning (but potentially misinformed) friend, family member, or co-worker. "Old wives tales" & health myths often get passed around like the flu (a subtle reminder to get your flu shot, by the way)! While research shows that a few have a basis in truth, many just aren't true & can even be harmful (e.g., some detox diets). Check out Eating Well's The 13 Biggest Nutrition and Food Myths Busted for other examples.

Sometimes, it could be someone motivated by money-- pushing a service or product (e.g., a less ethical personal trainer or salesperson). How about a talk show or magazine looking for a sensational segment, product endorsement, or advertising sales? Or, perhaps, it could even be a trusted professional who doesn't have a thorough education or hasn't stayed current on the specific topic.

Unfortunately, even research can be misleading (either purposefully or accidentally through poor study design, researcher or reporter bias, demands of the funding source, oversimplification, overgeneralization, etc.).

Worried that you're getting misinformation? Check out WebMD's Seven Telltale Signs You're Getting Bad Nutrition Advice to know what red flags to look out for.

Grocery Cart Smarts

As I plan & prepare for my "Food Stamp Challenge", it really hit me tonight how expensive food has gotten. So, in that spirit, here are some things you can try to take a bite out of your grocery bill.

- Shop on sale. Plan meals around what's on sale or properly store good deals for later. Realize that some advertised sales aren't as good as they seem or require you to buy more than you need.
- Shop in season. Food that's out of season is often more expensive, less fresh (& possibly less nutritious), &/or less tasty.
- Predominately shop the store's outer edges. The more processed, less nutritious, & ultimately more costly items tend to be in the middle aisles.
- Consider buying generics. Many products are of equal quality but cheaper due to less flashy packaging & no advertising cost. The company may even make the brand name version. These are often positioned on high or low shelves.
- Use store loyalty cards (now often required to get sale prices).
- Use coupons. Whether you clip a newspaper's paper coupons, print online coupons, or clip electronically, this can save some money. However, it's important to recognize if a coupon isn't right for your needs (e.g., need to buy too many, cheaper to buy generic, don't like/want the item, etc.).
- Consider buying some items in bulk. Larger amounts are often (but not always) cheaper. However, it's only a deal if you can properly store items & will use what you buy.
- Be willing to put in some work... when you can. Food that requires more work is often FAR cheaper than their "convenient" cousins. (E.g., bone-in vs. boneless skinless chicken; veggies vs. pre-washed & chopped veggies; dried vs. canned beans; etc.).
Exception:  If you don't have the time or inclination, throwing away food doesn't save money! Sometimes, it may be worth paying extra for "convenience"if you're more likely to eat the food as a result.
- Create a list of items you buy frequently. Figure out which store carries each item for the best price.
- Think outside the grocery store. Sometimes, other venues (drug stores, multi-purpose stores, dollar stores, or farms & farmer's markets) can provide better prices on certain items.


For more tips & a look at supermarket tricks, check out:
- Weight Watcher's Supermarket Psychology
- Bankrate.com's 10 Grocery Savings Tips from Store Managers
- Yahoo's Financially Fit How Stores Trick You into Spending More