How Many Fun-Size Candies Are Too Many?

In this article:

• Candy can be bad for health and weight loss.
• Choosing fun-size candies can help you keep your treat lower in calories and sugar.
• Mini candies and smaller types of candy are also better choices than full-size bars.
• Lark can help you lose weight and improve health. Lark's nutrition coaching is always available on your smartphone

Halloween is coming. Are those candies calling your name? It can be hard to resist them when you see them in your home and anywhere else you go. So is it okay to eat candy? How many of those innocent-looking fun-size candies are too many? Here is some perspective on how much candy is okay for health and weight loss.

Daily Sugar and Calorie Limits

The amount of calories you may have each day can depend on a few things. MyPlate.gov lists them.

• Your height and weight
• Age
• Gender
• How much activity you do

Your calorie goals are lower if you want to lose weight. Mayo Clinic has a calculator you can use to estimate your daily calorie needs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest keeping daily sugar to under 10% of total calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, that means having no more than 200 calories per day from added sugar. That is a maximum of 50 grams of added sugar per day. If your calorie goal is 1,200 calories, your added sugar maximum goal is 120 calories, or 30 grams.

Calories and Sugar in Fun-Size Candy Bars

Now, how do you turn calories and sugar goals into fun-size candy bars? Let's take a look!

Many standard chocolate bars have similar counts. Fun-size chocolate bars and chocolate candies can have about 65 to 80 calories apiece. They have about 8 to 11 grams of sugar. Bars with peanuts or nuts are on the higher end of the calorie range, but on the lower end of the sugar range.

• Snickers
• 3 Musketeers
• Milky Way
• Twix
• Baby Ruth
• Nestle Crunch
• Kit Kat
• Mounds
• M&Ms
• Butterfinger

Fruit-flavored candies, such as Skittles, can be lower in calories but higher in sugar. For example, fun-size Skittles have 60 calories and 12 grams of sugar.

So how many fun-size candies can you have? If you are trying to keep added sugars to under 30 grams per day on a 1,200-calorie diet, you might want to limit your fun-size candy bars to 2 or 3 if that is the only source of added sugar for the day. Since it is likely that you will have other added sugars, it may be best to stick to 1 or 2 fun-size choices.

Remember that it is always best to ask your doctor if you are unsure about your health and weight and have dietary questions. Your doctor may recommend having less sugar.

250 calories, 27 grams of sugar

80 calories, 9 grams of sugar. 45 calories, 4.5 grams of sugar

Fun-Size versus Full-Size and Mini Bars

A fun-size bar is definitely a better choice than a full-size one. Even 2 fun-size ones are better than a full size one! But a mini bar (or two) can be a better choice.

Other Small-Size Candy Treats

What other smaller sized candy treats are around? Here are a few classics.

Lollipops such as Blow Pops and Tootsie Roll Pops can last a while as they satisfy your sweet tooth. They have only about 40 to 60 calories each. But your dentist may not be very happy if you eat a lot of lollipops.

Making Your Candy Treat Healthier

Candy is not a health food. But it does not have to derail your good intentions. These are some tips for keeping your little treat in perspective.

• Eat something healthy first so you're not starving. You do not want to wolf down your treat because your stomach is growling!
• Plan your special treat. Pick the candy you want and decide when you will have it. That can help prevent you from munching mindlessly on candy the rest of the day.
• When it is time to indulge, serve yourself, put the rest away, and sit down. Then savor your candy.
• Have a plan for what you will do when you finish eating. That way, you can do something else instead of getting more candy to eat.

It helps to remember that Halloween is a single day. It happens on October 31. The next day, November 1, is when it is time to get rid of leftover candy.

• Donate it to a school or shelter or bring it to the office.
• Ask your (older) children to hide theirs from you so you are not tempted to eat it.
• Count out the candies that younger children are allowed to have and get rid of the rest. After counting it out, let your children monitor their own candy so they will know if you steal a piece. That can prevent you from taking it!

Weight Loss Theme

Losing weight can lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and that's not all. When you lose a few extra pounds, energy levels can increase, cholesterol and blood pressure can improve, and clothes fit better. Best of all is that Lark makes weight loss simple!

Lark doesn't just know which choices can lead to weight loss. Lark coaches you on how to make good choices that can become habits. With small changes that fit right into your lifestyle, you can drop pounds and lower your risk for type 2 diabetes. Your personal coach is available 24/7 through your smartphone so you can get expert tips, track meals, physical activity, and weight loss. 

The entire program may be available at no cost to you if your health insurer covers it. Click here to find out if you may be eligible for Lark! You could be minutes away from taking the first steps to hitting your weight loss goals and improving health.