Halloween - My Scary Truth

I love costumes and love to watch my 5 year old morph into character, right now he is Optimus  Prime (who he claims is the most powerful of “all”). He is constantly evaluating which character is the most powerful, who could win against the other, and who has the best skills. This I love. What I don’t  love is the crappy candy, the Stitch like crazy he gets after eating all that sugar, and the fact that he will sell our car for a single miniature size bar.

He is not alone, as evolved as I pretend to be, I too appear to be from the Exorcist when the thought of the candy enters into my brain. I find myself “sneaking” candy, as if the calories won’t count if no one sees me eating it! This year I have decided to do things differently, no head spinning, no sugar crashes and no candy binges. My son is 5, and while not ideal, he can have a single piece of candy or two, and then move on. I have learned with him that if the rules are clear up front “tonight you can have 2 pieces of candy”, then he will live with that, as long as he knows what to expect. Sadly, I am not the same.

I can say I will only have 1 piece, but I never stop at one, in fact I often don’t stop until it’s all gone-yikes. Each of us is different and we all play different head games, the key is knowing yourself and what you can control and what you can’t. I grew up eating candy, I stopped at the convenience store on the way home most days and had a coke and a candy bar, so you see, I not only love candy but I have a strong candy memory. When my body gets the deadly duo of fat and sugar at the same time all bets are off. I begin to defend, explain, and rationalize all the reasons I can have the candy. But, I CAN’T.

This year I will not eat candy. There are no excuses, no deals, and no exceptions. I lost 70 pounds over 7 years ago, and part of my maintenance strategy is being honest with me. The truth is that I am not the gal who can have “just a bite”. For me one bite leads to two, which then triggers a cascade of chemicals and hormones in my body, all telling me it is just fine to eat more. After I eat more I feel guilty…which just leads to more eating. Let’s all agree that this year we will be honest with ourselves. If you can enjoy just a piece of two, then that is your truth and that is your plan, the key is knowing yourself and then creating a plan that allows you to roll into November in control of your food choices.