{"id":3386,"date":"2019-10-30T00:29:13","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T07:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bingeeatingtherapy.com\/?p=3386"},"modified":"2024-02-07T21:42:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T05:42:05","slug":"how-not-to-binge-on-halloween-candy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bingeeatingtherapy.com\/how-not-to-binge-on-halloween-candy\/","title":{"rendered":"How Not to Binge on Halloween Candy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"So all of you living in the United States are undoubtedly being bombarded by Halloween candy. There are giant, larger than life displays at every store you walk into, and most likely, it\u2019s sitting in giant bowls in your house as you get ready to pass it out to little ghouls and goblins and witches and Batmans and Wonderwomans, Trumps and Melanias\u2026 (and maybe some Stormies, who knows!)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And, if you have kids, you will have bags and bags of candy in your house for months. If you don\u2019t, the candy will be at your office in bowls as people bring in all their leftovers.\u00a0How Not to Binge on Halloween Candy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not easy for someone dealing with Binge Eating issues.\u00a0 I have many\u00a0patients who are already in a daily fight with that bowl outside the secretary\u2019s office, trying to figure out\u00a0how not to binge on Halloween Candy<\/em>\u00a0when it\u2019s absolutely everywhere taunting them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Halloween itself is usually binge day. You tell yourself that this day, today, you get to eat as many of those little Twix and Almond Joy bars (and everything else that looks interesting) until you\u2019re sick to your stomach and then you\u2019re done- never again until next Halloween.<\/span><\/p>\n

But of course with BED it\u2019s not and never is that simple. You\u2019re going to eat those candies and you\u2019re going to feel guilty, you might even purge, you might wake up tomorrow morning feeling sick to your stomach and depressed. You might see more candy laying around and just lose control completely \u2013 and this might last for weeks, going into months, trickling into Thanksgiving and then into Halloween.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quick guideline for dealing with all the Halloween Candy\u00a0and How Not to Binge on Halloween\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1.\u00a0Eat what you want.<\/strong>\u00a0But think about giving yourself some loving and kind limits.\u00a0Think about how much would taste yummy without making your body feel bad. I usually can eat about\u00a02-3 of those\u00a0fun-sized candy\u00a0bars and still feel comfortable, not full and no sugar headache . If you need a guideline, you can look on the back of the package and see what they consider a serving size.\u00a0 Across the board,\u00a0it seems that the serving size for most of these treats is about 3 pieces.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0HOWEVER<\/strong>\u2014 don\u2019t limit yourself to just Halloween day. You can have 2-3 servings of those candy bars every day. This way you will get to enjoy everything without feeling deprived and without bingeing on candy. You can eat a couple of pieces of Halloween candy every single day for the rest of the year if you want. I do suspect that you\u2019ll get sick of it after a few days or weeks though\u2013 but don\u2019t even think about that or worry about that- let yourself enjoy it each day for as many days or weeks as you are enjoying it.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. The most important thing is that you\u00a0give yourself permission.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

4. You\u00a0don\u2019t beat yourself up.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Plan for what you\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0want to eat<\/strong>\u00a0that day and you tell yourself that tomorrow you get to eat the next thing. This way you will feel satisfied and you won\u2019t set yourself up for a binge.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0When you\u2019re done, let yourself be done.<\/strong>\u00a0You might eventually become sick of Halloween candy.\u00a0Don\u2019t let your black and white thinking make you finish something that you\u2019re not actually interested in.<\/strong>\u00a0Sometimes we eat because we think we have to eat even if we don\u2019t want to. If it\u2019s harming you and you\u2019re eating because you think you have to or you should, then just pack it up and give it away. No reason to have it if you don\u2019t want it. My dentist does a Halloween candy buy back from neighborhood kids and sends it to the troops. Be creative. You can donate it or give it to someone for a birthday party or leave it at work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Um But What About Starbucks? What About\u00a0\u2018Dem Pumpkin Spice Candy Corn Turkey Cranberry Frappuccinos?<\/strong><\/h5>\n
How Not to Binge on Halloween Candy<\/span><\/h5>\n

This is really the same for those pumpkin spice lattes. If you find them interesting, then go for it. However, you might want to put some kind and loving limits on them for yourself. Remember, you\u2019re not putting limits on yourself because you\u2019re restricting yourself or because you hate yourself, you\u2019re putting kind and loving limits on yourself because you love yourself, you love your body and you want to help give your body what it wants in the quantities it wants.\u00a0\u00a0For instance\u00a0get your\u00a0latte\u2019\u00a0along\u00a0with some protein (like a salad with chicken\/eggs or some cheese) rather than with a pastry. This is because your blood sugar rises and drops when you eat lots of sugar on an empty stomach and that can often trigger a binge as your body searches for more sugar to keep your blood sugar (and mood) elevated. The protein helps to keep your blood sugar stable and keeps you feeling steady.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Not To Binge On Halloween Candy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Also remember that Pumpkin spice latte season is sort of a psychological trap. This scarcity thing happens where people see something\u00a0\u2018for a limited time\u2019<\/em>\u00a0and feel that they have to get as much of it as possible. Remember that the holidays are famous for doing that to consumers and ask yourself, \u201cwould I want this anytime or am I being manipulated with scarcity marketing?\u201d For most of us, it\u2019s possible to buy the ingredients to make any of these things any time that we want, so think about how much you actually want it. As I said before, if you actually do want it, let yourself have it as the restriction and\u00a0punishment is what triggers a binge.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Not To Binge On Halloween Candy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Fall Can Just BE SCARY!!!!!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Fall is always difficult for people with any kind of dysfunctional relationship with food\u2026 and Halloween is a super scary holiday for binge eaters and emotional eaters because the candy is all over the place and then it lingers for weeks and months afterwards. I remember once having a client who was still bingeing on her kids\u2019 Halloween candy in January! After Halloween, Thanksgiving comes which is a full out binge holiday \u2013 it brings with it family drama, mashed potatoes and\u00a0phantom urges,<\/a>\u00a0and then there is December.\u00a0December is the worst!\u00a0<\/em>There are constant parties, constant drinking, there are cookie swaps, latke feasts, gift baskets full of peppermint brownies sent to the office every minute, baked goods in the staff cafeteria almost daily\u2026 and then there\u2019s that \u201cwell just screw it, I\u2019ll go on a juice fast starting on January 1st and then after 3 days I\u2019ll go Paleo\u2026\u201d and then you binge your way through December feeling awful, sick to your stomach, uncontrollable, uncomfortable and holding on to the promise that 2019\u00a0is going to be different. It\u2019s going to be your year and then by January 2nd- you\u2019re back on the cycle and you already feel as though you\u2019ve ruined the whole year!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Need extra support? This is a great time to join the<\/span>\u00a05 Week Program.<\/a>.\u00a0Starting in December I will be doing doing extra Facebook Lives as sort of support and group therapy and teaming up with buddies so that people can text each other through the holidays for extra extra support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Right now, for the month of December $497 when you pay in full.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get in now- and you will be part of this forever without ever having to pay another cent, even as more content, interviews and information are added. Join today and it\u2019s yours forever. This is a lifetime program and monthly payment plans are available to make it easily affordable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those of us who deal with binge eating behavior can often hide when we feel like we\u2019re not doing well. We think we\u2019re supposed to be okay and perfect all the time. Ironically though, eating disorders THRIVE in isolation. So if you\u2019re struggling, please don\u2019t do it alone. We are better together and we are stronger together. When you sit in your ED alone, it\u2019s difficult to find recovery because it\u2019s just you and ED. But when you have support, when other people know what you are going through, the part of the eating disorder that gets bigger and stronger when it is left alone to grow, that part is pushed out of the way. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! And you\u2019re not the only one. If you are feeling lonely, depressed, anxious, or like you can\u2019t do this, please reach out for support.<\/span><\/p>\n

And lastly, if you didn\u2019t get the chance to watch my presentation:<\/span><\/p>\n

5 Steps to Changing Your Brain to Stop Binge Eating<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 here is the video replay.<\/span><\/p>\n

In it you will learn:<\/span><\/p>\n