1. Hold Off On Buying Candy Until the Very Last Minute

Let’s be honest:  When food is around, we eat it.  So the earlier you buy Halloween candy, the more time those bags have to sit in your house and the more likely you are to open them (and eating a piece…. or seven). Instead of getting a head start on Halloween candy prep, buy your candy the night before Halloween.  It will not only help you to avoid candy temptation, but many stores offer clearance deals on Halloween Eve, so you will likely get a better deal too.

2. Buy Your Least Favorite Candy

One simple way to prevent yourself from eating leftover candy is to buy the stuff you don’t like.  That way, if there is any candy leftover, you are less likely to indulge.

3. Be Generous With Trick-or-Treaters

If you find that your Halloween candy bowl is still pretty full toward the end of the night, start handing out more candy to trick-or-treaters.  The trick-or-treaters will be happy, and you will save yourself from candy temptation.

4. Store Your Candy Out of Sight

Studies show that when food is in close proximity, people are more likely to eat it.  The same holds true for candy. If you put the leftover Halloween candy in a candy dish front and center on kitchen counter, it’s going to be tough to resist the urge to dig in.  Instead, store excess candy out of sight and out of reach.  

5. Be Prepared With a Healthy Sweet Treat Alternative

If you know that you are going to have a hard time resisting candy temptation, then plan ahead and prepare yourself a healthier version of your favorite.  My all-time favorite was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups until I learned of the not-so-great ingredients that are used to make these little guys.  My go-to replacement are these Easy Chocolate Almond Butter Cups from PaleoOMG.  Made with real food ingredients and none of the yucky stuff ~ they taste delicious so you won’t even miss the store-bought version.

6. Mindfully Eat Your Treat

Mindless eating is a good way to eat way more than you initially intended to. We tend to eat mindlessly when we are distracted by something else, whether it be TV or surfing social media.  Select the one piece of candy that you most want to eat and chew it slowly, and mindfully, savoring each bite.  Studies have shown that the first three bites of sweet foods are the most satisfying, so enjoy those first few bites and then step away from the candy!

7. Eat Well and Get Your Protein

We are much more likely to overindulge on candy if we are hungry.  Eating nutrient-dense whole foods regularly that include a hefty serving of protein and fiber will keep you feeling full, balance your blood sugar and thwart sugar cravings.

8. Beware of Emotional Eating

We often reach or grab for the first thing we see when we are stressed, bored, angry, lonely, or sad.  Before you head to the candy for that afternoon pick-me-up or after dinner treat, ask yourself if you are really hungry, or are you eating for some other reason.  Awareness if the key to avoiding emotional eating.

9. Get Rid of the Candy

Many of my clients ask this time of the year how to cope with bags full of candy hanging around the house.  I often tell them to get rid of it.  If you know it is going to be too tough to avoid the candy temptation, then getting rid of it, whether donating it, tossing it into the garbage or finding a dentist who offers candy for cash is the way to go. Out of sight means out of mind, so getting the candy out of the house is often the best solution to avoid temptation.

We hope you enjoy these tips and we’d love to hear your tips and tricks to avoiding Halloween candy temptation. Have a safe Halloween!

Article By: Jill Chmielewski

xo Alex and Jill

P.S. – Our next Girlfriends Meetup (in Chicago) has been scheduled. AND we’d love to invite you to join us.