How To Avoid the Halloween Candy Binge

I am hearing from my clients that they are frightened (not by the new Michael Myers movie) but the Halloween candy bowl!

If Halloween candy scares you too, take a deep breath. When you live in an “all foods fit” mentality that means you can enjoy the Snickers and FEEL GOOD.

Things you think you’re doing right:  

• Waiting until the last minute to buy Halloween candy
• Only buying candy you don’t like
• Throwing away or donating any leftover candy immediately

If you HONESTLY don’t like candy than this is ok. If you’re doing any or all the 3 above because you don’t trust yourself around it, then read below and let’s chat!

Because guess what? You can have candy around and eat the candy without going all crazy and binging on it!

Tips for the next week leading up to the big day:

If you stocked up on bags of Halloween candy at home already and you hear it calling your name, give yourself permission to eat it. Take away the “bad” or “unhealthy” label you have given it.

There is no such thing as BAD foods or foods you should NEVER eat (unless you’re allergic to them).

By giving yourself permission to eat the candy now (alongside your meals), the appeal will fade by next week and even the weeks after when the candy is still lingering in the pantry.

When you are eating the Halloween candy think about this:

• Eat it mindfully, so still listening to your why (bored, hungry, stressed?) and hunger and satiety cues.
• Try not to mindlessly snack while sitting on the couch in front of the TV.
• Mindfully decide to eat a piece or two, of the pieces you really want and then move on.
• Eat it alongside a meal (this is optimal for blood sugar control) as well as overeating the candy because you’re super hungry
• Reflect on how you feel after eating it

Halloween is here now what?

If you have kids leading up to trick or treating is hectic, I get it. And it often starts before and runs through dinner time. I know where I live it’s around 5:30-7:30pm. What can you do to manage the day?

• Eat healthy and balanced meals throughout the day.
• Don’t skip meals because your super busy finishing, fixing, or creating costumes.
• Eat a balanced meal or a paired snack BEFORE trick or treating. Same goes for your kids!
• Set yourself up for success. Know you are going to have a few pieces of along the way. Think about your favorites and how you want to feel at the end (i.e. no stomachaches  from binging)
• Remind yourself the candy isn’t going to miraculously disappear tomorrow. It may no come in the same fun size packages or in the shape of pumpkins but there is no need to feel a sense of scarcity and that they are going to disappear once the holiday is over.

Halloween has come and gone now what?

You have the bowl of leftover Halloween candy and your kids loot bags overflowing in your house.

Resist the temptation to get rid of the candy right away. This sends the signal to yourself (and your kids!) that this food is bad and unhealthy and that you can’t be trusted around it.

I think we can all agree that candy is not the most nutrient dense food, but allowing yourself the freedom to have some is not going to “ruin” anything or keep you back from reaching your goals.

While I don’t recommend eating bowls of it every day in place of your meals research has shown that creating a healthy relationship with ALL foods is better for you than restricting to only “healthy foods” followed by big binges on the “unhealthy” foods.

If you improve your relationship with food then when holidays like Halloween arrive you won’t feel anxious or stressed. Candy will have lost its appeal and you’ll likely care less about it being in the pantry and your diet will include a variety of foods including protein, vegetables, fruits, fiber, whole grains etc.

Creating Balance Including All Foods

Creating balance with food and removing the diet rules we have normalized are part of the program I help women with so they can rebuild a healthy relationship with food and feel their best!

No foods are ever banned (unless of course you have an allergy). We take an all foods fit approach to creating a sustainable healthy lifestyle.

So if you have demonized candy and your cravings are through the roof and you can’t stop thinking about the pumpkin Reese’s I want you to give yourself permission to eat one or two and then this cravings will die down.

Halloween is the kick off of the 3 month holiday season! Remember this is supposed to be an exciting time of year. Check out my pumpkin recipes here for some fun and festive Halloween dinner ideas! And if you want to feel confident this year schedule a free Ditch the Diet Consultation to make balance a reality!