It's that time of the year. Whether there are suddenly candies everywhere at your workplace, or buckets of goodies at a Halloween party are catching your eye, or your kids got a good haul from trick or treating (or pre-Halloween trunk or treating), you may be feeling frightful of the influx of Halloween sweet treats. Let us help you out. Here are 5 ways to keep Halloween candy from spooking you.
1. Don't Starve Yourself
First and foremost, make sure you're managing your hunger. You have less impulse control when you're hungry, and you may not be able to stop yourself from eating candy. Make sure you're eating well-balanced meals, and if you feel an intense craving to eat one of your sweets, try eating something else before you eat the candy. That may fulfill you more than a tiny piece of candy would.
2. Honor Your Sweet Tooth
Don't sit there, telling yourself that you can't have something you want. That sense of deprivation and obsession will only make you want the candy more. Instead, give yourself permission to enjoy something that you have been craving. After all, enjoying a single piece of candy won't ruin your goals. In fact, allowing yourself to honor your cravings might keep you from derailing from your goals entirely.
3. Eat Sweets Mindfully
Think of why you're eating the candy. You're not doing it for the nutritional value: you're doing it because it's sweet, it tastes good, and maybe even for an emotional reason. That's not a bad thing! It's normal to eat for pleasure. Instead of taking that for granted, try sitting with those feelings. Be mindful while you're eating candy, enjoying the flavors, scents, and textures. Take your time and enjoy the experience, instead of counting built-up calories and wrappers. Eating candy slowly and more mindfully will help you reduce the mindless munching that comes with having excess candy lying about.
4. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
It's much easier to forget the temptation to eat candy when it isn't staring you in the face. Keep the candy in a jar or bag in the pantry, out of sight and harder to reach. The extra effort to get the candy may not seem worth it at the moment. Putting candy in a harder-to-reach corner or cabinet will help you consider if it's candy you're craving or just something on which to munch.
5. Don't be afraid of candy.
It's just candy. At the end of the day, you're the one in charge, not the candy. Remember that you can eat candy whenever you want (not just on Halloween), and let yourself enjoy the candy in moderation. Eating a single piece of candy won't ruin your goals, and it might help you keep the willpower to resist other temptations keeping you from your goals.
Let us help keep you on track this holiday season at Merritt Clubs with our Nutrition & Wellness services.
