How To Eat Intuitively on Halloween
October 28, 2020
With Halloween coming up in a few days, I know you may be feeling anxious about all the candy that is laying around.
I remember growing up as a child, my parents never really told me that I could or couldn’t have a certain food group… so I always knew I could have candy if I wanted it. Because of that freedom, I never really craved candy, even around Halloween.
That is, until I found dieting when I was 13. Then, candy became off limits in my daily life (if I were “being good”) and Halloween became a day of full permission to devour as much as I could get in.
When we place restrictions on what we can and can’t eat, it makes our bodies (and our minds) feel deprived. That’s why, when we “allow” ourselves to have one bite of candy, we often find that we just can’t stop (and part of you just doesn’t want to stop!). Do you ever promise yourself that the day after Halloween you’ll “eat clean” and “be better”? Especially with the day after Halloween being the first day of a brand new month.
Yeah, I used to do exactly the same thing. However, what that led to was a belly ache and a mind consumed by “Crap. HOW did I just eat so much candy? I can’t have this around the house! Get it out!”
Since I started eating intuitively, I now treat candy just how I did as a child-it’s there if I want it, and I know I can have it at any time I want. Here are some tips on how you can eat intuitively on Halloween as well!
- Have an abundance mindset
We tend to think of certain holiday food as a “once a year” type of food. For example, I used to tell myself that I could only eat my favorite Thanksgiving foods on Thanksgiving Day. Because of this, I would stuff myself with all of those foods, feeling so sick afterwards. When I began eating intuitively, I realized that I could enjoy these foods literally every single day of the year if I wanted to.
This is the same for candy! You don’t have to wait until Halloween to have candy. Remind yourself that you can enjoy your favorite candy at any time of the year/month/day. A few things you can say to yourself to bring yourself to a state of calm around the candy are:
“There are SO many opportunities for me to eat candy, every day.”
“Look at all this candy… it literally never goes bad. This could last all year.”
“I can have any food that I want — even candy — anytime I want it.”
“There are so many holidays and opportunities to have sweets in this life. No reason to shove it all in now. I can have this food anytime I want it.”
This is meant to take away that urgency. The “eat it all now!” and “be better later!” mindsets. These mindsets make it HARD to listen to your body, so ditch them.
POUR on permission and remind yourself that if you can TRULY have anything you want, anytime you want it, then there is no reason to shove it all in today and make yourself sick.
- Do a taste test before Halloween Day
Ask yourself-do you even really like this candy? First of all, it is completely okay if you do! However, I want you to try a taste test before Halloween day-think of it like a wine tasting. Get the candy you think you like, and then get a high quality, fresh treat, like See’s candy, or a freshly baked croissant. Sit down, without distractions, and take a small bite of the Halloween candy. Really taste the candy, noticing the flavors, the textures, the way it smells – all without expectations. Next, take a small bite of the high quality dessert. Do the same for this-again, without expectations.
Which one do you like better?
There is no right answer. However, this experiment will help you go into Halloween knowing what you prefer, and not feeling deprived.
- Make sure that you are physically full throughout the day
One of the biggest mistakes we can make during the holidays is to “save up our calories” for the candy or meal you want to eat later.
You know what this is setting you up for? To eat a lot later.
Instead, eat your normal meals throughout the day.
If you’re craving something with sugar in the morning, have it. Don’t NOT have it because “you’re going to eat all the sugar tonight.” You know what that is setting you up for? To eat ALL the sugar tonight.
- Finally, visualize exactly how you want this Halloween to go.
Picture exactly what you want to be doing, and how you want to feel. Remind yourself of the state of calm you want to be in throughout the day, and how you can always have candy. It isn’t going anywhere, and you can always have it!
I hope this helps in feeling less anticipation around Halloween!
Have a question you’d like some coaching on? Share it in the comments below. I’d love to help!