While the costumes and decorations are fun, Halloween can be a little scary if you want candy constantly! I created a fun I Want Candy graphic to help you figure out whether it is a trick or a treat!
I want candy!
Being exposed to sweets constantly at the store, in commercials, and in your own cabinet can cause you to feel like eating. This is especially true if you don’t usually have candy the rest of the year and/or think of it as “bad.”
It may seem counter-intuitive, but making candy “forbidden” increases your feelings of deprivation, cravings, and guilt when you eat it anyway. Once you start, it is harder to stop because you think, “I already blew it; I might as well eat the rest” or “I’m not going to let myself have any more of this, so I better eat what I want now.’”
Instead of trying to avoid candy altogether (or bingeing on it while you have it around), mindful eating helps you make conscious decisions. So, I decided to have a little fun simplifying the decision-making process when it comes to Halloween treats.
“I want candy” flowchart
Here’s how the I Want Candy Flowchart works…
Whenever you want candy (or any food for that matter), first pause to check in and ask yourself, “Am I hungry?”
This step helps you recognize whether you are physically hungry, which I called “Treat” in the flowchart. If you aren’t hungry, this step helps you realize you want to eat for some other reason, which is why I called it a “Trick.”
I’m not hungry!
If you realize you want candy even though you’re not hungry, it’s not a trick anymore! At this point, you get to decide if you’re going to eat anyway.
While the option “eat anyway” may seem scary, think about someone you know who doesn’t struggle with food… It is likely they sometimes eat for pleasure or other reasons. But they don’t feel guilty about it or plan their next round of restriction. In other words, eating candy doesn’t fuel an eat-repent-repeat cycle, so it’s easy for them to stop when they’ve had enough.
Of course, you have other options besides eating. In the flowchart, I represented this with the thought, “Why do I want to eat?” In other words, consider possible reasons for wanting candy. Here are just a few ideas to consider:
By figuring out why you want to eat and deciding how to meet those needs, you will have more energy to live a vibrant life!
(Learn more about your options when you feel like eating and you’re not hungry in chapter 3 of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat.)
I am hungry
If you are hungry, the next step is to decide what to eat.
Of course, you might decide to have candy. You could also decide to eat a different snack or a meal, depending on how hungry you are.
If you think you will probably want candy for dessert, be sure to save a little room!
Once you’ve decided what to have, eat mindfully for optimal enjoyment and satisfaction.
This article has been updated from a previous version.
If this article was helpful, here are three more with tips for handling Halloween candy:
The Trick to Managing the Treats
Download and print a PDF of I Want Candy
