By Laura Crooks

Halloween and all of the associated candy is upon us. Do you have a plan for avoiding the extra calories from eating extra candy? If you do not want to ban all candy, try 1 or more of these 7 tips to control your candy intake this season.

1. Purchase only candy you don't like. If there is any left over after trick-or-treating you will be less likely to eat it. Candy we don't like is less tempting than candy we do like.

2. Select a reasonable amount of candy to keep at home and send the rest to the office. If you will be tempted by it at your office, send it in with your spouse, neighbor, or friend.

3. Freeze it. Some candy freezes well. Once it is out of sight you may forget about it and by the time you rediscover it, it might be time to throw it out.

4. You may want to plan for and allow yourself one small piece of candy occasionally. Aim for a specific number of calories you can have and let that be your treat. Eat only candy that you really enjoy, and when you do eat it, do nothing but enjoy eating it. Sit down, savor it and eat it mindfully; pay attention to how it smells, looks, tastes, and feels in your mouth. Be prepared to add in more exercise or cut out other treats so you don't end up taking in more calories than you burn.

5. Decide whether you would rather waste the candy or "waist" the candy. Can you afford to eat it calorie-wise? In the long run it is usually cheaper to throw away a few candy bars than to live with the health consequences of additional pounds. The temporary comfort and sweet taste of the candy will be long gone when you are still trying to shed the extra pounds.

6. Keep the candy out of sight and out of the kitchen. Store it in a hard-to-reach place such as the back of a closet or in the basement where maybe, just maybe, you will forget about it. This can eliminate mindless munching as you will have to make a special trip to get it.