If Halloween Candy Feels Scary, Read This

Halloween can be such a fun – but also stressful – time. Costumes. Decorations. And candy – everywhere. I know that last part can definitely feel both fun and stressful.

If you like candy, it can feel both exciting and scary to have so much at your constant disposal. On the one hand, tons of candy going around is awesome. But on the other hand, it’s also really nerve-racking – how do control yourself around it?! How do you not binge on it?

These feelings are not only valid, but also really common.

I remember in college feeling all the things around Halloween time: excited, nervous and triggered all at once by Halloween candy everywhere.

A dietitian I loved at the time, tweeted something about “keeping candy wrappers in sight so you know how many of them you eat.”

Insert eyeroll here. Seriously, I love my profession, but it’s so sad how disordered the advice some people can give is.

Anyway, that’s clearly not at all what I recommend doing. Instead, I recommend – like with anything – a more balanced approach. One that allows you to enjoy candy mindfully, not to feel nervous around it, and definitely not feel guilty about eating it.

If this sounds impossible, I promise you, it’s not. And this sounds like something you’d want this Halloween, read on, girlfriend.

1. Choose your favorites and keep them at home.

I’ve seen some really shitty advice telling people to keep the candy they don’t like at home. Guess that person above wasn’t the only one giving bad advice. Double eye roll.

But here’s the thing: when candy is restricted or off limits, any candy will appeal to us – for the sole reason that we’ve told ourselves we can’t have it.

At some point, we probably will eat it. And, if we only keep candy that we don’t like in the house, then that’s what we’ll end up eating. So at that point, we’d not only be eating from a place of restriction, but also eating candy we don’t even like.

Not a fun situation.

Instead of all of the above, I highly recommend keeping candy at home you love. In fact, keep a few of your favorites. And even more so, remind yourself that you are allowed to eat them. 

I know this probably sounds really scary, but knowing the candy is there any time you want it and that it’s allowed truly gives you the opportunity to ask yourself when you want it and know that it’s there when you do.

It takes the candy off of its pedestal where it’s not allowed and not available. By making the candy both allowed and available, we’re giving it much less power.

And with less power, eventually, we can enjoy the candy without all those stressful emotions attached.

2. Enjoy the candy mindfully.

Remember what I just said above: you are allowed to eat this candy. Allowance is a big piece of the puzzle here. In fact, it’s probably the overarching theme.

Allowance is the opposite of restriction. Instead of craving candy simply because you “can’t have it,” allowance lets you better determine when you actually are craving candy.

It takes repetition and practice to believe. But, take it from me as your own personal dietitian: you can eat that candy.

Here’s an example from my own personal life.

This past weekend, I had a really specific craving for peanut M&M’s on Friday night. I was finally able to get them early on Saturday morning.

Early on Saturday morning though, I didn’t want M&M’s. Even in the afternoon, I craved a slightly more balanced snack that would keep my energy level up for a long day of momming. It wasn’t until that night that I was ready to enjoy the M&M’s while watching TV after dinner.

This is what allowance does: even though the candy was there, I knew I could eat it any time, and therefore, was able to really decide when I actually wanted and would best enjoy it.

I promise, you can – and will – get here too.

And once you do decide that you really want that candy, I want you to enjoy it.

Enjoy it mindfully. Try not to stand up grabbing handfuls out of the pantry or mindlessly eat from the bag while answering emails.

Instead, put some in a bowl or wherever you like to eat (personally, I love things in cups). Sit at the table or on the couch. Really taste the candy you’re eating – after all, it’s a food you love! And enjoy it.

Mindful eating and enjoyment are the keys to satisfaction. And satisfaction is the key to really satisfying a craving.

3. Know that it might take an extra amount of candy to feel satisfied.

Here’s one of the important things to remember: like with anything, if you’ve been avoiding or restricting candy for a long time, it might take a little more candy to feel satisfied.

And that’s okay.

Let yourself go through the motions. Remember, this candy – and all food – is allowed.

After you’ve finished what’s in your bowl, sit with that. See how you feel. Are you full? Satisfied? Do you want more?

If you do want more, that’s perfectly okay. Go get some more. Repeat the same process again. Get more candy and enjoy it mindfully.

You might eat more than you were hungry for. That’s okay too. Sit with that and see how it feels. Are you overfull? Uncomfortable? These things are perfectly okay to feel. Maybe next time, you’ll feel motivated to eat to a place of more comfortable fullness.  Or, maybe the feeling of being overfull isn’t too uncomfortable to avoid and you’d prefer to eat more candy and feel a little overfull. There’s no right or wrong here.

Either way, recognize that, at first, it might take more candy than you expect to feel satisfied. Whenever a food been restricted or not allowed for a while, it may also take a while to feel satisfied when that food is finally allowed.

My favorite example is this one from the book, Breaking Free from Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth, where the author finds that she eats cookies for almost 2 weeks straight once she finally allows them. But, after 2 weeks, she eventually does feel satisfied and craves something else.

I don’t know how long it will take you to feel satisfied. But I do know this: the more you continue to allow candy, the more easily you’ll feel satisfied from it.

You’ll recognize that you can eat the candy whenever you want. It won’t become that’s high on a pedestal or holds a lot of unnecessary power. Some days, you might just want a piece or 2. Some days, you might want a lot more. 

But you’ll be able to enjoy any amount without any persistent guilt.

I know this might sound really hard or scary. It might sound like a long process. 

Keeping candy in the house is part of creating a healthy relationship with food. And it very well might be hard, scary or a long process at first. But, it’s one that’s also very worth it.

Continue this process. Challenge yourself this Halloween to start by keeping those favorites in the house and practicing a mindset of allowance. 

The more exposure you give yourself to candy, the more easily satisfied you’ll continue to feel. And as that continues, it’ll start to feel easier and much less stressful overall too.

Happy Halloween – you got this!

(For more on keeping trigger foods in the house any time of year, read this blog post.)

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Want more tips on creating an easy, sustainable healthy relationship with food? Check out my membership program, All Foods Fit, with 12 thorough lessons to teach easy ways to create a healthy relationship with food. Or, check out my e-book, 7 Days to Make All Foods Fit, to learn a step by step guide to create a healthier relationship with food in just 7 days.