Key Takeaways
You can contribute a balanced snack tray to Halloween parties instead of always bringing sweet treats, helping create more nutritious options.
Moving away from candy bowls after eating helps prevent mindless snacking by keeping treats out of sight and out of mind.
You can swap the high fiber carb portion of your balanced plate for Halloween treats while keeping vegetables, protein, and healthy fats.
Restricting Halloween candy completely often leads to food anxiety and binging, while eating without awareness can leave you feeling tired and disconnected from your goals.
Physical hunger can drive candy cravings, so ensuring you eat satisfying meals helps you make more intentional choices about treats.
Halloween will without a doubt look different this year with 2020 in full effect. I think we can safely assume there will be far less trick or treating and far more at-home Halloween parties and get-togethers instead!
With that still comes plenty of candy, chocolate, snacks, and all the fun! Which is definitely okay but can be hard to maneuver when you're trying to eat mindfully and still hit your weight loss goals.
In the past, it's been common to either skip the candy all together or eat it until we feel sick. It's the norm around the holiday's right? A diet will tell you to severely restrict and give you all the sugar-free hacks to get through Halloween. The candy companies will send out advertisements prompting you to eat more and want more of your favorite fun-sized treat. Neither of those two extremes are ideal. Restricting often leads to fearing foods, being anxious during the holidays, and binging. Going all out, eating what you want when you want just because a commercial prompted you to do so, can leave you feeling tired, not yourself, and a step further from your health goals.
There's a practical balance between these two things and you can have it. You can reach your goals and participate in the Halloween festivities with these 3 Tips to a Balanced Halloween!
1. Contribute with a Snack Tray:
It's no fun to go to a party or holiday gathering empty-handed. We're pretty conditioned to bring the trendiest pumpkin log or spider-shaped cookies along with us even though there are always plenty of sweet treats. You can challenge that "norm" and contribute to your Halloween Party with this Balanced Spooky Snack Tray that is still very much on theme!
2. Eat and Move On:
Do you ever find yourself hanging out in front of a bowl of candy and wondering why you "can't stop" eating it? There's a couple reasons this can happen. You might be physically hungry and need real food, you might have an "I can't have this" mindset so you want it more, or you might be sitting right in front of it…
The latter is a lot more common than you might think. When you hover around food it's "In Sight" and most certainly "In Mind" making it so easy to mindlessly pick at one, two, three, and 7! Eating and moving on can be so helpful to just get those snacks out of mind and out of your hands! Eat, enjoy, and move on by focusing on the people and activities happening around you instead of the food.
3. Balance Treats Into Your Day:
This tip is for all of the people out there that have a sweet tooth or simply find themselves eating extra candy and treats because they're physically hungry. You can absolutely balance that cookie, cupcake, and candy into your day as a whole. I recommend my clients do this by following the method of a balanced plate to implement practical nutrition with treats. A balanced plate tends to consist of half a plate of non-starchy veggies, about a quarter plate of protein, and a quarter of a high fiber carb or starchy vegetable, with a sprinkle of high-quality fats through cooking oil, garnishes, dressings, and dips. When you're eating at a party or get together it can be helpful to keep this plate in mind to assure you're getting full and satisfied with foods that can help you hit your goals, but still, enjoy treats.
I typically recommend my clients swap out that high fiber carb and a sprinkle of fats for a more indulgent treat if they prefer! It's a practical way to enjoy treats and the holidays while still keeping in mind your health goals -- restriction and guilt FREE!
BONUS TIP:
Just like any meal or any day, the AteMate App can be extremely helpful with keeping you in tune with your tastes and hunger during Halloween. Log, ask yourself "why," and remind yourself that eating past fullness doesn't make you feel good and restricting never has a positive end result. The happy middle and practical balance in nutrition takes time, and finding _your balance doesn't happen overnight. Be patient with yourself and recognize the little wins and 1% improvements.
Happy (Balanced) Halloween!
* Improving your relationship with food and pursuing weightloss by yourself can be a battle. Just like anything in life, having a support system and expert to guide you in the process is a game changer. To work with me find me @LivingWithLeena on Instagram or LivingWithLeena.com! I look forward to chatting with you soon!
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