By Genny Glassman
If you’re trying to stay healthy through October, Halloween can seem like a real obstacle to staying on track with your weight loss journey. But it doesn’t have to be. Of course you’ll want to celebrate the season with your kids, dress up in a special costume, hand out candy, and go door-to-door trick-or-treating, but you shouldn’t stress about the leftover candy that your kids will bring home.
There are ways to deal with your sweet tooth even when it seems like it’s impossible. All you need is a little planning and maybe even a little support from a weight loss program — like Noom. Remember, you don’t need intense will power or self-control to get you through challenges; just keep some simple tips and tricks in mind to help you stay mindful.
Buy less candy than you think you'll need.
Fall weight loss can be tricky, but sometimes it isn’t just the candy that our kids brings home that is the culprit. If you tend to buy candy at big-box retailers such as Costco or Sam’s Club, you might be buying more than you’ll be able to give out. Of course, that means there is a good chance that you’ll be stuck with leftover candy long into November. If you don’t want to eat leftover sweets, try buying less candy than you need.
Eat a full meal before trick-or-treating.
It can be easy to give in to snacking pangs if you haven’t eaten a healthy meal before indulging. And we all know that once your kids go to bed, that is the easiest time for mom and dad to ransack their candy bags. Make sure to eat a filling, healthy meal before going out for trick-or-treating — we like some of these tasty Crockpot recipes selected by Noom to get you started. But any healthy fall meal will help you stave off a craving to eat sweets.
Take a break.
Overindulging happens to all of us, but if you can start to feel yourself losing track of your snacking, you might want to pause and pay attention to what you’re eating. Try taking a break and counting the candy wrappers from the treats you’ve already eaten. It will help you slow down if you find yourself rushing to eat too much candy. Better yet — get up and take a walk outside or leave the room. All you need is to break the momentum of your overeating to give you a little perspective.
Set limits and end dates.
You may not be able to control how much candy your child will receive on Halloween, but that’s okay. All you need to do is come up with a game plan before the big event. There are many ways you can do this, but first decide how much candy you want your child to get and how much you want to keep in the house.
Some parents only allow their children to pick their favorite 10 pieces of candy, whereas others allow their kids to keep half their loot and save the rest for Christmas. You can also repurpose the sweets for goody bags, donate them, or even participate in a candy buyback program if you don’t want to keep it in your house. Learning how to set boundaries on habits can be hard, but a program like Noom can help give you the tools to learn when enough is enough.
Savor your sweets.
We’ve all sat down on the couch and mindlessly munched on chips or candy, but learning to be present as you eat can be just as key as eating the right things. Mindfulness is not just a tool for stress relief — it can also be helpful for weight loss.
Select a single piece of candy that you're most excited to eat, and then really savor your experience as you eat it. Chew slowly; really think about the taste and texture of your treat. Mindless eating is an easy habit to break once you have the right tools and support. Noom has many tips for how to get started with this technique.
For more healthy living tips, visit Noom.com.
