Weight Loss without Worry

No need to fear the candy, cupcakes, cookies, lollipops and other sugary snacks this Halloween. I am handing out some tricks on how to avoid overdoing it on treats this week.

1. Buy Trick-or-Treat Candy on Trick-or-Treat Night — Not Before. Trust me on this one, stores will not run out of snack-size candy bars if you wait until the last minute to buy them. The earlier you buy the longer those bags sit there tempting you. Wait until the night that your neighborhood holds Trick-or-Treat to purchase candy for the kids and save yourself from the temptation.

2. Put The “Candy Stash” Out-of-Sight. If you have kids at home who bring home the goods, put their treats in a tight container and get it out of your sight. The harder you make it to eat the more time you will have to consider if you really need it. Hint: Your body really never needs a mini-size Snicker’s bar.

3. Don’t Tell Yourself You Cannot Have Any Candy. It is basic human nature to crave what we cannot have so if you tell yourself you can’t have it you will actually risk making your craving worse. A suggestion is to allow yourself to have a piece but don’t eat it alone. Before you unwrap the treat have a healthy low-cal snack waiting to be eaten with the treat such as carrots and low-fat dip. This helps you avoid going for a second piece.

4. Sniff Peppermint. I know it sounds a bit voo-doo-woo-woo but it works. A recent university study showed that participants who sniffed peppermint were able to avoid giving into their cravings. And this worked so well in fact that the average participant was able to cut 2,800 calories out of their diet over a week. It seems the strong scent helps divert the brains desire to eat the treat.

5. Avoid Getting Too Hungry. If you are ravenously hungry you will find yourself very vulnerable to eating the Halloween candy. For the next few days practice good eating habits by eating 5 or 6 small meals spread throughout your day and pack a healthy snack to carry with you in case you miss a meal. A small bag of nuts or a low-fat cheese stick work well.

6. Remind Yourself That It Is Not All About The Candy. It can seem like Halloween and candy are synonymous but remind yourself that this time of year brings many new and fun things. Take your focus off the candy and go all out on creating a fun costume, decorating your home or going to an orchard and picking apples. Expand your focus and you will see your cravings for candy diminish.

7. Eat mindfully. If you have a treat don’t just gulp it down, instead take your time and eat it mindfully. You will feel less guilt and actually enjoy the treat more making you feel satisfied on less.

Try this little trick, use all 5 of your senses when eating your treat. Before putting it in your mouth look at it and notice it’s color and any other distinguishing characteristics and also really notice the aroma of the food, is it a good smell or not? Now take a bite and listen to hear if it makes a noise as you bite and also pay attention to how it feels as it moves inside your mouth and lastly note the taste.

By eating mindfully you will experience the treat in a whole new way (good or bad) and you will be surprised at how little you need to eat in order to feel perfectly satisfied.

Use these tricks to navigate the treats this Halloween and have a wonderful time!