5 Tricks to Avoid Halloween Hangover
We all know that Halloween is the unofficial beginning of the holiday food fest. Sometimes we consciously or unconsciously chuck our healthy eating plan until January 1, but I’m going to encourage you to stay the course and Intentionally Eat this holiday season.
You can avoid a Halloween Hangover, I promise.
Those cute little fun size candy bars are fun for your taste buds, but not so fun for your waistline. They may seem harmless, they are, if you limit your consumption. I ask myself, “Can I limit these?” Even more telling, “Do I want to limit these?”
HECK NO!
Those little chocolate cuties call my name and beckon me to eat them. I can hear them calling from the cookie jar, from the depths of the pantry where I hid them, even from our detached garage. Yes, sometimes I ask my husband to “hide” food that I DON’T want to control in the garage. Notice I didn’t say CAN’T control. I can control what I put into my mouth, I just don’t want to sometimes.
I try to be realistic. Is it realistic to buy fun size chocolate candy bars to give to children at Halloween and not eat half of the bag? Probably not. Is it realistic to buy the bag of candy 2 weeks before Halloween and still have any candy left to pass out on Halloween? Probably not. Is it realistic to ration the candy and allow myself to enjoy one per night? For me, probably not. If you can – more power to you.
I’m realistic and believe Socrates when he said, “Know thyself.”
So, since I know myself I have created these Tricks to Avoid a Halloween Hangover. 
1. Buy candy you don’t like!
I really don’t like sugar type candy, i.e. licorice, gummies, jelly beans, etc. My motto is, if it doesn’t have chocolate why bother. So, I will hand out those type of candies. Kids love them and I don’t, so I stick to Intentionally Eating.
2. Give away non-candy treats!
Yes, I’m the one handing out pencils, stickers, glow sticks, toy rings, etc. You know what – kids LOVE it! They get enough of the candy bars and sugar snacks, but not many people are handing out toys. Why? Because the adults want the candy as much as the kids! If you want to stay on track this Halloween this is the way to go. Best of all, if you have leftovers you can save them until next year. It’s not like candy that will go bad.
3. 3 Days and whisk away!
If your kids stash is calling your name, I suggest the 3 day rule. Let them enjoy the candy for three days and then the Candy Fairy takes the candy and replaces it with coins or cash. You (the candy fairy) throw the candy away. I know that sounds horrible to throw perfectly good candy away, but think about the alternative and how hard you will have to work to burn those sugary calories. Candy is not going to get you to your goal.
4. Keep your goal in front of you!
Speaking of goals, what is yours? To maintain through the holidays? To lose a pound a week through the holidays? Write it down and keep it in front of you. Put it on the fridge, your desk, the bathroom mirror, wherever you need a reminder of why you don’t want to eat the candy. 
5. Make a Treat Free Zone!
If your co-workers are torturing you with tempting treats you can try a few different things depending on your office atmosphere.
- Make an office pact to keep it a treat free zone
- Ask your co-worker to put the candy in a covered dish, so it’s not as easily seen
- Have healthy treats on your desk, i.e. mandarin oranges, apples, box of raisins, nuts, etc
- Count your candy wrappers. Okay, worst case scenario, your co-workers won’t put it away and you eat some. That’s okay. Enjoy it. However, keep your wrappers in a container on your desk so you can visually see how many you have enjoyed. It’s a good deterrent from mindlessly eating 10 bars a day.
There you go! 5 Tricks to Avoid a Halloween Hangover!
If you need a healthy treat for Halloween check out these Black Bean Brownies. No one will ever know they have black beans and your blood sugar will stay nice and steady with the protein and fiber from the beans.
You will also love these healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies! I will even show you how to decorate them with a spider for that spooky effect!
Intentionally Eat,
Cindy
