Eat Candy and Lose Weight!

I recently wrote an article on ezinearticles.com in repsonse to the numerous requests I've received about what people can do this Halloween to ensure that they don't go off their fitness plan. Although Halloween is over, I think the information in this article is relevant to any time you feel like going off of your fitness plan and having a cheat day. Read up and learn how to eat your favorite carbohydrate-laden junk food and still make progress!

Halloween is a time for costumes, decorations, and of course...CANDY; and most likely, a lot of it! This is bad news for anyone who is trying to start or stick to a diet since one piece of candy is just never enough. Not to mention that candy typically has zero nutritional value and is comprised of only fat and sugar. But it's just not Halloween without the candy. So if you are the type of person who has not been blessed with the gift of a super fast metabolism, there is only one of two options that you can choose from. You can either watch the amount of candy you eat, or you can stuff yourself with zero guilt...or at least only a little bit of guilt. If you are interested in option number two, keep reading and find out how to eat your candy and still diet.

So, am I talking about eating sugar-free candy? No. How about fat-free candy? No. So then how is it possible to eat a decent amount of Halloween candy and still stick to your fitness program? There are three ways to do this, and I suggest you use all three.

1. Eat as close to no carbohydrates as possible all day long. The reason for this is because of something typically referred to as glycogen "spill over." When you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, some of those carbohydrates get stored as what is called "glycogen." Glycogen is responsible for preventing muscle fatigue. So when glycogen is present in the muscles, your muscles are fuller and stronger. However, when the amount of glycogen in your muscles have reached their limit and can no longer be stored in the muscles, that glycogen "spills over" and is then stored as adipose tissue (fat tissue). So by not eating carbohydrates all day long, the candy that you eat at night will have a better chance of being stored as muscle glycogen first before spilling over as body fat.

2. Do cardiovascular exercise in the morning on an empty stomach. The reason for this is because in the morning and on an empty stomach, your blood sugar levels are at their lowest, which means that at this time during the exercise, your body will be more likely to burn excess body fat to fuel your workout rather than carbohydrates. You see, if you eat and then exercise, your body will be burning off the food that you just ate as opposed to the body fat that you are already carrying around. Also, be sure to wait an hour after your cardio session before you eat anything, since your body actually burns the most calories the hour after cardio exercise. So if your cardio session ends at 8:30a.m., wait until 9:30a.m. before consuming any food.

3. Lift weights. This one is to be done after you are done chowing down on your Halloween candy. The reason for this is because you now have a fresh supply of glycogen in your muscles, which can be used to fuel your weight lifting workout. And if you're like me, the chances are that you've eaten enough candy to where your muscles have been over-loaded with glycogen from the carbohydrates in the candy. So now you are stressing your muscles, causing them to utilize the glycogen inside of them to keep them moving the weights, rather than being stored as body fat.

I hope this article will help to make your next Halloween both a healthy and enjoyable one!

Yours in health,
James Hallmark
Certified Fitness Trainer