When I found myself going over my Weight Watchers Points allowance two weeks in a row, I decided it was time for a change. Looking around my room, I realized I had a surprising amount of sweet and salty snack foods. Mixed nuts and Dole fruit parfaits aren’t so bad once in a while, but when Sunday night comes around and I haven’t done any homework for the week, my anxieties take over and the mindless snacking begins.

I still need to work harder at using those handy emotional and spiritual tools I talked about earlier. However, I can’t rely on my own devices all the time, and counting Points on the Flex Plan has gotten old. So I’m going to switch to the Core Plan. On Core, you can eat as much as you want from a list of foods that are low in energy density, as long as you pay attention to hunger levels. You may have heard of volumetrics or a similar diet theory. The point is to eat foods that are low in calories relative to their weight: A handful of grapes will fill you up as much as a handful of raisins, but at a lower caloric cost. Everybody wins!

Then again, my Lifetime Member friend Janna claims the Core plan is more expensive because you’re buying whole, fresh foods, and it requires more cooking. But something tells me that avoiding pre-packaged, processed snacks will be better for me. I also want to learn how to feel my body’s hunger signals and to plan my meals better on my own, without the crutch of a point system. I hope that by fueling my body with wholesome foods, I can jump-start back into some serious weight loss: I’ve been holding steady at 160 and change for a while now.

It won’t be easy. To give you an example of how serious Weight Watchers is about having you stick to this plan, here are the foods I currently eat that aren’t on the special list:

• Cheerios
• Raisin Bran
• Special K
• rice cakes (are they serious?)
• mixed nuts
• Lean Cuisine frozen dinners
• light english muffins

I have a small number of Flex points to use throughout the week to indulge in such forbidden foods, but I want to save those for treats only. So what does make the list?

• skim milk
• eggs and egg substitute
• Canadian bacon
• salsa
• frozen brocolli
• Crystal Light
• canned black beans

Well, I definitely need to go grocery shopping. And that is actually a refreshing thought. My advice to the average dieters who are not on Weight Watchers, but are feeling restless or tired about their plan? Switch it up! Throw in more fresh foods and satisfy sweet-tooth cravings with fruit, sugar-free Jello, or delicious pudding made with skim milk. If you crave salty foods, pick up a healthy brand of microwave popcorn (the only salted food on the Core plan).

Giving up so many foods that I am accustomed to eating — including bread, as it’s not a Core food — seems like a big sacrifice just to avoid tallying up points. But life is full of trade-offs and choices, so I’ve decided to make the switch and see how it goes. The good news is that if after two weeks I’m not feeling it, I can switch back to the Flex plan. So, on that note, I’ll let you know when I get tired of soy burgers.

One of the Good Health Guidelines on the Weight Watchers program is to get five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. I know that this isn’t earth-shattering or controversial, but no one ever said I was the Ann Coulter of dieting. Eating stuff that came from plants that grew in the ground is the best way to get the nutrients we need to feel good.

I know, I know. It’s easier said than done, right? The produce section in the grocery store is overwhelming. What’s a good price for bell peppers? How do you know if that cantaloupe is good to buy? Where are the plastic bags and do I have to use them?

Since I don’t get off on being withholding, I’ll do my best to answer your biting produce questions. While I’m not sure about bell peppers specifically, if you buy any produce while it’s in season, it’s bound to be cheaper. As you shop more for yourself, you’ll get a feel for reasonable prices. Cantaloupes are good if they smell sweetly of melon and feel firm and somewhat hollow. And as far as the bags go, use them for things you don’t want rolling loose in your cart. If you’re buying bananas in a bunch, or maybe one apple at a time, it might be nice to save a bag. Green up a bit while you’re eating your greens. If anything gets too confusing, find the produce manager and talk to him — that’s what he’s there for.

At my last Weight Watchers meeting we discussed painless ways to insert fruits and veggies into your diet. Here are some of the best suggestions I heard from my leader and the people there:

Cut up some sweet potatoes fry-style and bake them in the oven with a bit of cooking spray. One woman said her kids love eating these for breakfast, and I can’t blame them — who doesn’t love sweet potatoes?

If you’re one of those people who loves to grill, try grilling up some veggies (and if you’re adventurous, fruit). Bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, bananas, cantaloupe, peaches, and pineapple are all interesting choices. Plus, they’d be amazing in kabob form.

Nothing could be easier than buying pre-made bag salad, grape tomatoes, baby carrots and some light Italian dressing for a quick and filling snack or meal component. But when you get bored of salad, which you will, think about stir fries and vegetable soups to get in your “five a day.”

Brownies can hide a number of less appealing flavors. Sure, there’s that one plant, but search the web and you’ll find recipes for brownies with exotic things such as prunes and black beans. Most of the time, no one’s the wiser. Fool yourself into eating veggies! It works!

Speaking of hiding things, if you want some low-carb mashed potatoes, try mashing some cauliflower. Soak it in chicken broth first, for flavor. My meeting leader said she made it for her daughter, who proceeded to eat the whole bowl before she realized there wasn’t a tuber to be found. If you like eating jello, grate a few carrots in when you mix it and before you put it in the fridge to set. It sounds crazy, but the ladies at the meeting swore it adds a pleasant nutty flavor.

If you want a low-carb alternative to spaghetti, get acquainted with spaghetti squash. The insides of this thing come out looking like pasta and tasting like … mildly crunchy pasta. Use your favorite pasta sauce and enjoy not feeling bloated afterward.

V8 juice is always a nice and lazy way to take your vegetables. If you can tolerate the low-sodium variety, that’s even better. They also make a spicy variety — if that’s your thing, go for it!

Use salsa instead of queso, ranch, or sour cream dip for your chips or crudite. Or mix the two. Every little change helps.

Finally, there was a woman who suggested that raw turnips made a great snack. While I’m a little skeptical (and you may be too), anything to add fruits and veggies into your repertoire can’t be a bad thing.

It takes a little effort, but when you start eating fruits and vegetables, your body will thank you. Those of you who still eat out of a dining hall have no excuse — that’s probably the easiest place to start (provided you can slide by the hot cookie bar unscathed). Just make it a point to fill half your plate with vegetables. I started losing weight when I was still eating out of Hinman; if I can do it, you can do it. Good luck in the grocery store this week, and try the jicama.

It’s disconcerting how much my mood is affected by my perception of weight lost or gained. Part of me knows it’s because I’ve been trained by society to extract a certain level of self-worth based on the numbers on the scale or the tag of my jeans. When I showed off my new Easter dress to my mom, I made sure to mention that it was a size 11.

There’s also the smugness and self-satisfaction that comes with divulging the difference between my old size and my new size; my old weight and new weight; old pictures and new pictures. I’m torn between resting on my laurels and still wanting more. Why did I stake so much in one little number in the inseam of my dress?

In these situations, I try to keep in mind some Buddhist principles. As a religion major, I’ve gained some insights that have a lot more to do with dieting than you’d think. For one thing, the principle of doing good now, in order to be rewarded later, applies both to dieting and to religion. Exercise can be used as a redemption for past indulgent sins, but ultimately, moderation in all things is the best approach from the beginning. The Buddha, in his own quest for enlightenment, realized that it wasn’t to be found through extreme asceticism. Rather, he espoused what is sometimes known as the Middle Way.

In Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness, he relates a time when his friend Jim was eating a tangerine quickly, stuffing the pieces into his mouth while simultaneously talking about something he was going to do later. Hanh describes Jim as eating not the fruit, but his future plans. When your conscious mind becomes detached from the mechanics of eating — whether it’s by reading the newspaper with your morning cereal or watching TV at dinner — you might as well not be eating anything at all. If we tried to be a little more connected to our dining, we could keep from overeating.

Traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism and Native American religions make little, if any, distinction between religious rituals and everyday living. Dieting should be approached with that same view: it’s not something to idly engage in on a Sunday afternoon for an hour, but something to be lived every day. Of course, dieting shouldn’t become a consuming obsession, but only one facet of a greater lifestyle.

Consider the food you have eaten so far today: How has it made you feel? Forget the guilt or shame you’re still attaching to that extra cookie, I mean the physical reaction your body has to the fuel you’ve provided it. The body, resilient as it may be, has a harder time digesting a cheeseburger and fries than it does grilled chicken, brown rice and asparagus. For that matter, a whole banana split is a bigger obstacle to digest than one cup of ice cream. Your body can tell you what foods it gains the most from and when enough is enough - listen to it.

Reflecting on why one has picked up that extra bag of chips before dinner is not a question most people actively engage in. But try keeping a food journal for a couple of days, writing down not only what you eat, but also what you’re thinking when you eat it. What are the reasons? Are you upset? Bored? Bitter? This can shed light onto your own behaviors when it comes to food. This week, let’s all be more mindful about the things we put in our body.

For those of you who are new to my column, I used to be fat. (Funny how I never get tired of saying that: “used to be.”) At my heaviest, my doctor weighed me at 226 pounds. I have never felt comfortable revealing that until now. People could tell I was fat, but to quantify it like that is frightening. Now that I’m squarely in the healthy lifestyle I’ve created for myself, I don’t mind telling you that at my first Weight Watchers meeting, I weighed 169.2 pounds. That is just under 60 pounds of weight loss accomplished all by myself (and Dr. Phil). But I needed a boost. I’d gotten in a rut. That’s where Weight Watchers came in.

I picked out a meeting based on time rather than location (the beauty of finally having a car on campus), so my meetings are Monday nights in the basement of the Wilmette Lutheran Church, not far from the Linden stop on the Purple Line.

I stepped inside, observing the setup. My friend Janna, a Weight Watchers Lifetime Member and receptionist in Austin, tells me that there are two types of meeting places: They can either be held at an actual Weight Watchers center or somewhere else, usually some sort of community center. There are fancy displays with items Weight Watchers sells: cookbooks, measuring cups, smoothies, bars and anything else you’d need or want to help you lose weight.

When I told the receptionists I was new, they got very excited and had me fill out a card. Then I weighed in, chose my payment plan and sat down as I munched on a sample of a new flavor of their energy bar. I made myself a mental note to buy a box next time - it was almost as good as a Milky Way.

The meeting began, and the leader was wonderful. She knew her stuff backwards and forwards, constantly referring to specific pages in booklets and materials that answered key questions, like why it’s important to have at least two servings of both milk and oil every day. She also remembered almost everyone’s name and his or her specific situations. One lady was about to have major surgery, so the leader gave tips on how to avoid weight gain during recovery, when it would be tough to exercise.

One of the great things I noticed about these meetings is the enormous amount of positivity. You get a special sticker after losing five pounds. You get a special keychain when you lose ten percent of your starting weight. And if you tell a good story in which you stuck to your plan in the face of adversity (what they called “toxic environments”), you get a “Bravo” sticker. It may sound silly, but every bit of positive reinforcement helps when it comes to weight loss.

After the main meeting the leader met with me - the only new member - to discuss the specifics of the plan. She laid out how their Points system works and the differences among their two eating plans. I chose the Flex plan, because it seemed like you could eat more junk food that way. Having attempted Weight Watchers long ago, right before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I remembered the basic concepts. She asked me about my life and goals, and then she shared her before and after pictures with me. She reached her goal weight the year I was born! She’s a seasoned pro who knows her stuff.

The thing that strikes me the most about Weight Watchers is its similarity to the Catholic Church. There are meeting places virtually everywhere and the structure of meetings is pretty much the same nation-wide. There are leaders, and there are members looking to them for inspiration and guidance, much like a priest and his flock. And just like the post-Vatican II Church, Weight Watchers has adapted and changed from its original incarnation in 1963, but still holds the same basic ideas true. All in all, this was a great first meeting and I’m excited to go back.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress. After I lose ten percent of my body weight, I’ll think about where I want my final goal to be and I’ll keep you posted.

Oh, and I’m getting me one of those Bravo stickers. I resisted pizza twice in one weekend.

No, I don’t mean physically. Please. I am a powerhouse. Hitch me up to a pickup truck and I can pull it. I mean weak in the sense that when it comes to new foods. I just can’t pass up the opportunity to try them. I have this thing about regional fast food: I try it and if I like it, I have to eat as much of it as I can, because who knows when I’ll be back? (Note: For some reason this does not apply to Jack in the Box.) Nowhere was this truer for me than among the abundant eateries of L.A.

I also attribute my scandalous behavior to a combination of cockiness and despair. I had been following my healthy eating habits of yesteryear, but my weight was staying the same. I gradually started testing the waters more and more. I figured, if I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t, why not enjoy myself?

A typical meal at In-n-Out Burger. Photo by jslander on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.

Having never been to L.A. before, I knew very little about the landscape — except that my hipster SoCal friends couldn’t stop raving about something called “In-N-Out Burger”. Naturally, I had to try it. They have some pretty good burgers — I’m telling you, it’s gotta be that secret sauce. Their fries were nothing special but still, they have a secret menu. I mean, tell me of a quick-service restaurant with more street cred. Just try.

Next, I had to stop by Del Taco, where they serve Mexican-type cuisine, except with french fries. If that isn’t crazy-town then I don’t know what is. I also ate at El Pollo Loco, another Mexican place, whose angle is that they don’t fry their chicken, so it’s healthier. Seems sensible, but in my lazy state I opted for the cheesy quesadillas and other things that I’m sure weren’t part of their healthy eating menu.

Then came my introduction to Carl’s Jr. You might know their commercials — people eating ridiculously large burgers like it’s something normal people do every day. They look as happy as pigs in you-know-what, which meant I had to try it. I sampled much of their fine fare, from the fried zucchini (more caloric than a small serving of fries) to the chilicheeseburger — you know, the kind with the really high napkin quotient.

I had to stop and evaluate where my life was going when I found myself intentionally navigating through L.A. rush-hour traffic just so I could go to the Carl’s Jr. Jr. (not a typo — a smaller Carl’s Jr.) to buy a Cap’n Crunch milkshake. You heard me. They mixed a bunch of Cap’n Crunch cereal into a vanilla milkshake. And I drank it. And it was delicious. But maybe the universe was trying to tell me something, because while I was in L.A., the founder of Carl’s Jr. died. May he rest in unnecessary-food-item peace.

What is my goal in airing my dirty fast-food laundry, confessing my sins as though you were some sort of diet priest? One, to tell you that you’re not alone in being tempted. The healthy row can be tough to hoe, especially when your healthy eating habits aren’t yielding weight loss, as was my case. And two, to announce right here, right now, that I am joining Weight Watchers. I thought I could do it on my own and though I’ve made it more than half way, I need that push. My best friend in Texas (whom I’ve spoken of before) has used them to great success and now she works as a receptionist for her meetings in Austin. So here’s to pointless fast food binges being a thing of the past. And with God as my witness, I will never drink a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake again.

Dieting is hard because not only does it involve changing outside behaviors, but also internal attitudes. These attitudes are put to the test daily, but especially during the holidays. For an effective long-term diet, harmful conceptions you may have had toward food must change. If food has been a replacement friend when real-life ones bail, a cure for boredom, a reward for a job well done or something to be eaten always because there are starving kids in Africa, it’s not fulfilling its primary job as nourishment. It has become affection, entertainment, incentive, obligation and who knows what else.

I thought I was going to be okay on Thanksgiving: indulge one day, then get right back on track with my exercise and eating on Black Friday. Simple enough. But in practice, I had to face the reality that I was alone in my apartment with leftovers of my holiday feast, calling to me from the fridge. And since I’d slept in until past two, it was quickly growing too dark and dreary for me to want to do anything physical, even an exercise DVD; I do despise living at the edge of Central time. So my Friday included browsing online sales (beating the Cyber Monday rush!), compulsively checking Facebook (what else is new?) and clearing the DVR of things I’d recorded on a whim (Samantha Who? is okay, but I can’t see myself watching it regularly). I also managed to eat way more than I intended.

Was it the loneliness? Was it the close proximity to pie? Was it that the only thing I felt like doing was watching TV? I’m pretty sure it was a tangled web of all these things. “I’m doomed for sure,” I thought. “If I can’t get my butt in gear and back into health mode now, how hard is it going to be once I’m more than a week into these old bad habits?”

But Sunday, I found myself popping in my workout DVD and cooking up a nice batch of brown rice with some broccoli on the side. Believe me, I was as surprised as anyone. I guess these new behaviors are more of a part of my life than I thought.

Sometimes we all want to take a break from dieting, and that’s perfectly okay. We just need to know that we’ve built inertia into our healthy ways, and that stopping and starting again too much is at best ineffective for weight loss, and at worst taxing on our psyche. As we head into the bulk of the holiday season, I hope your healthy habit recovery goes as smoothly as possible. Yes, it’s hard to come back from cheat days and festive food celebrations, but it can be done. If you’ve made the changes to your whole self, your body won’t forget it. Believe me, you’ll soon start craving vegetables and a good workout. You also won’t think twice about that leftover pumpkin pie.

You’ve already read pieces about how to get a good workout in your day-to-day life or even without leaving the comforts of your dorm room, but at some point you might want to visit Northwestern’s gym facilities. They are free. Let me rephrase that: FREE. For the last time in your life, you have free access to a gym, so enjoy it before you’re out in the real world being charged way too much for the gym membership that you only used in January.

What does a gym have that’s worth the walk? In case you’ve never ventured to any of our on-campus fitness meccas, here’s a brief rundown of what you can expect when you do:

Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and Norris Aquatic Center (colloquially, SPAC): While campus Northerners are lucky enough to have this large facility in their neighborhood, SPAC’s perks are sufficient bait even for those who live farther away.  It has an Olympic-size swimming pool, a 165-meter, 3-lane track and cardio machines galore, not to mention the tennis, raquetball, squash and basketball courts.  Additionally, you can sign up for group fitness classes with fun titles like “Cycle Challenge,” “Boot Camp” and “Aqua Fitness.” About 1,400 people make it here every day - so what’s your excuse? Plus, people from the community use the machines here too, so maybe it will motivate you when you see those senior citizens who still make the time for exercise.

Blomquist: Though many freshmen have no idea that this unassuming building is actually a gym facility, it’s the best option for people who want to exercise but who are lazy or don’t have time to make it to SPAC. People will tell you it’s the “girly” gym, and while it is true that a bulk of the patrons are of the sorority variety, I can report of one instance where I was one of only 3 girls using the machines, while I counted at least 8 men. Boys, don’t feel self-conscious when using the ellipticals. There’s something sexy about a guy who’s man enough to use a so-called woman’s machine.

Patten: This gym is way the fudge up north, near Elder and Long Field. In the interest of full disclosure, I have been here for IM sports and Pilates classes but I have never stepped into the weight room. However, NU Fitrec discloses that, in addition to a bunch of free weights, there is a dip bar, a pull up bar and other equipment that you’d have to be pretty athletically inclined to try and use. As far as cardio goes, there are only a few Lifecycles, so you might have to get your heart pumping elsewhere. This gym is mostly used by athletes; I’m only going to check out this gym whenever I feel the need for someone to put me in my place by lifting 100 pounds more than I can.

But whichever gym you go to, remember some helpful hints:

• Don’t hog the machines, and if there are a lot of people, then sign up for a time. If someone is on the machine you signed up for, politely ask them to move, no biggie.
• Bring a towel or use the facilities’ towels to wipe down machines when you’re done. It just shows people that you’re thoughtful enough to realize that other people aren’t into touching your sweat.
• Ellipticals and bikes are awesome multitasking machines - get some of that reading done for class!
• Remember that everyone else is pretty much doing their own thing and not worrying about what you look like. Don’t let fear of judgment prevent you from getting a good workout. Better yet, bring a friend for motivation and moral support.

The first time I went to the dietician I was 12 and newly diagnosed with the ‘betes. This lady seemed nice enough, but she couldn’t make me change the way I ate; it was a rude awakening to discover that one serving of meat or protein is equal to a measly deck of cards, and that a bagel you might find at Einstein’s is roughly four servings of bread. Ho lee cow. I just had no interest in learning how to size up food on sight and eat less. I blame America.

How many servings of beef are in that burger?. (Photo by dusdin on Flickr.com, licensed under the Creative Commons.)

Why is portion control so out of control? For many people, food is like a drug. You can become addicted and need a bigger amount of food to satisfy your hunger. Why else would organizations like Overeaters Anonymous exist?

Luckily, you can fool yourself into thinking you’re eating more food than you really are. Cutting things up into smaller pieces creates the illusion of bounty — just ask Jesus. Dividing food also slows down your eating. It is well-known among the weight-conscious that the delay between putting food in your mouth and feeling full is about 20 minutes. So instead of scarfing down those two slices of pizza, why not try cutting them up to see if you’re really only hungry for one? Your friends may laugh, but who’ll be laughing when they gain the freshman fifteen?

Another trick is to eat foods that are largely composed of air or water. This is known as volumetrics. In this strategy, fruits and vegetables are your best friends. They are quite filling, considering the nutrients you get and the calories you don’t. You can have these to your heart’s content, just remember that you need five servings of fruits and veggies a day and a serving is about the size of a baseball.

Finally, there are tools out there designed for the frustrated dieter. Measuring cups and spoons are the obvious route, but there are also specialized plates that come compartmentalized, taking the guess work out of portion control. And if you ever feel confused, the oracle that is the Internet is chock-full of resources.

I like to think I’ve come a long way since I was the stubborn diabetic child who thought portion control was for losers. I’m now a stubborn diabetic adult who knows portion control will help me win.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to cut my grilled cheese sandwich into eighths and pretend I’m the queen of Tiny Grilled Cheese Land.

You should know how to eat healthfully at fast food restaurants because it can be done.

The first line of defense is planning ahead. Take a look on the food chain’s Web site for nutritional information. The site might even have a section on eating sensibly, with the least caloric food items grouped together for easy choosing.

What about those unplanned trips that always seem to happen when the drunk and hungry gather? There are a few simple rules you need to remember if you get caught up in a midnight food outing:

• Ask for burgers without mayonnaise — this will save you at least 150 calories.
• When it comes to salads, always ask for light dressing and go with grilled instead of breaded or crispy chicken. Proceed with caution: Salads are often more caloric than other seemingly unhealthy menu items.
• Do without cheese. You don’t need it and you’re not missing much by saying no.
• Opt for a side salad or fruit option instead of fries, onion rings or chips. Fast food restaurants provide more healthy side dishes than they used to because they feel bad about making us fat. Or they’ve beens sued. Use it to your advantage.
• Watch your portion size — if you must get that milkshake or other irresistible treat, split it with a friend. Or order off the kids menu. You might even get a crappy toy that will entertain you for all of five minutes.
• Diet soda, water or milk does a body good. Please, for the love of God, don’t drink regular soda. Okay, fine, “pop.”
• Next time, don’t drink so much. Besides causing me to order this monstrosity (and then proceed to watch an episode of The Biggest Loser because when I’m drunk I don’t recognize irony), alcohol is, I’m certain, one of the reasons I’m not losing weight as quickly as I once was. It packs on the calories super fast. After all, it takes less time to drink two shots than to eat a hot dog. Unless you’re Joey Chestnut.

When you dine quickly, the name of the game is compromise. If you seek out the healthier options, you can find them.

I’ll be honest — I don’t particularly like Halloween. It always seems to coincide with midterms, daylight savings and weather that makes me think way too much about which jacket I’ll need to wear. Plus, I always feel at least some pressure to come up with a creative costume. All this amounts to anxiety on my part. But by far the scariest thing about the eve of All Hallow’s Day is those darn confectionary delights that somehow trickle into my surroundings and, consequently, my tummy.

Back home, my mother would start preparing for Halloween trick-or-treaters much too far in advance. Bags of miniature Twix, Kit-Kats, Almond Joys, and Snickers were left brazenly on the counter tops, daring someone to just tear into them. Usually it would be my mom or dad, but if my sweet tooth was ravenous enough, I’d crack under pressure and opened the Rolos.

Being that this is a college campus and few kids are audacious enough to knock on dormitory doors and windows, pillow cases outstretched, we have less reason to buy bags of candy. That doesn’t mean that the temptation is totally absent; teachers’ desks stocked with plastic Jack-O-Lanterns full of goodies, Halloween-themed dorm munchies and the philanthropic event Project Pumpkin are all places you need to be extra aware of as potential for diet disruption.

If you do live in an off-campus house where kids might come by, and you want to minimize caloric harm, why not stock up on candy you can easily resist? Personally, the idea of candy corn makes me gag, and I’m not that big on gummi bears or most fruity candy, but plenty of kids go crazy for this crap. You can give out the so-so candy and make their Halloween just as fun without torturing yourself. There are also fun alternatives to candy like stickers and temporary tattoos, which take food out of the equation completely. It’s better than being the weird house that gives away raisins or pennies.

Let’s say you decide that Halloween only happens once a year and defiantly throw all caution to the wind. Who’s to tell you that you can’t tear into a nice bag of Milky Ways like they’re going out of style? And you’re right — holidays are built-in occasions to splurge. However, this columnist sincerely hopes you balance it out with lots of veggies and healthy things the rest of the day, and that you throw in an extra half-hour on the treadmill the next few days. It’s all about balance.

Here’s to looking the best you possibly can in your sexy Hermione costume!

On a more personal note: Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the start of my healthy lifestyle change. So far I’ve lost 53 and a half pounds! Thanks for continuing to read my column, and some day I’ll pull a Kirstie Alley and appear on Oprah in a bikini, I promise.