Ten Tricks to Avoid Halloween Treats
The candy is coming. It is already in stores near you, and soon it will be making its way into homes, offices, and candy bowls everywhere. Those Halloween candy bars might seem innocent; after all they are so little. But if you eat a couple during your morning break, one after lunch, just a few in the afternoon, and then a handful in the evening – you have just added 800+ extra calories to your day.
I used to buy Halloween candy early so I could get a good selection. Then once I had it home it became irresistible. A piece here, a little bit there, it was hardly noticeable – at first. But a little bit calls for more. This is true with all sweets – the more we eat the more we want. It seems like it is never enough, and even when we are not hungry we can find room for more. I always ended up eating more of those little candy bars than I care to admit to.
What worked for me was to think about it ahead of time and develop a plan. When I don’t, I get caught up in it without even realizing what I’m doing. When I have a strategy I can gracefully sidestep most of the temptation. Even though I can’t control the bowls of candy at the bank, office or friends homes, once I’ve decided to not eat it, it is easier to resist.
When you have a plan, you are making choices rather than just getting mindlessly swept away because it is there. Here are some tricks to help you limit those treats. Choose the strategies that work for you.
- If you plan ahead, you can find healthy alternatives to Halloween candy. When researching this article, the healthiest choice I could find in Halloween packaging was pretzels. Choices that are always available, but a little more pricy, include individual packages of almonds and small boxes of raisins. There must be other creative options out there.
- If you buy candy, wait until the last minute. That means it has less time in your cupboard to tempt you. When you buy late, you’ll have less choice – which could be a good thing. If you buy candies you don’t like they may be easier to resist.
- Once you get your purchase home, store it in the back of a cupboard, in the garage: somewhere where it is out of sight and out of mind.
- Don’t open bags until you are ready to start passing them out on Halloween night. Have you ever noticed that once a bag has been opened it feels like fair game? Even if you start with a promise of “just this one”, once the bag is open it calls your name.
- Decide ahead of time how many, if any, candies you will eat on Halloween night. Be realistic – don’t say “none” unless you really mean it, but do set a limit. Do it consciously.
- Set limits for your children. When I was a child we were allowed two candies that first night and then my parents would hide the bag. After that we were allowed to choose one a day. We had to ask for it, and usually after a couple of days we’d forget and they would toss the rest. Parents: be careful that you don’t gobble it up yourselves!
- Eat a satisfying dinner: don’t go into Halloween night hungry. Eat ahead of time and make healthy food choices. You may even want to plan your own small treat of something you like better than Halloween candy, for example a square of really good dark chocolate.
- If you attend a Halloween party, choose your temptation. You don’t have to have one of everything. Pick what appeals to you the most, enjoy it and let that be satisfying and complete.
- After Halloween the leftovers make their way into offices and business settings. Decide ahead what you will do. It is okay to throw away leftover candy! Choose to be done with it and pass up the bowls that suddenly pop up everywhere you go. You can avoid getting caught off guard and mindless munching by anticipating bowls of candy and deciding ahead to pass them up.
- Think differently about Halloween candy. Is it really that good? Is it what you want to spend your hard-earned calories on? Or would you rather save those calories for something that you actually like better? Before you eat it, ask if it is worth it.
A good reason to keep Halloween candy in check is that it gives you a great start to the fall food season. If you can get through Halloween with your healthy habits intact, you are well positioned for Thanksgiving and the beginning of all the holiday events. Have a plan: you can be ready for it.
Kathy Nichols is the Healthy Habits Coach. Kathy
blends her background as a registered dietitian with life coaching
to help you create healthy and sustainable habits. Contact Kathy
at 707 431-7524, Kathy@HealthyHabitsCoach.com
or www.HealthyHabitsCoach.com.
Blog: www.HealthyHabitsCoach.wordpress.com
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