Halloween! The first of the big year-end holidays is upon us, which means candy poppin', baked good gorging, sweet treat eatin' is upon us.
But fear not, this post isn’t to tell you not to enjoy anything or to be a hardliner. (Unless you know that’s your clearest road to avoidance and success). If you’re an abstainer like me, maybe you do feel much better not having anything so you don’t crave anything. I’m the type that doesn’t crave candy. But one piece will become 20..
My wife on the other hand is a moderator; she can eat two bites of ice cream and put it back. Phenomenal. To read more, check this out:
Like I said, the purpose here isn’t to tell you not to have the treats. It’s to give some food for thought (pun) on how to best have the treats. Here we go!
Acknowledge the treat
You are giving yourself permission, not debating guilt. Guilt and shame are powerful things, so check those out the door. It’s like the “cheat meal” concept, but again, that’s negative association. So call it a “treat” or “treat meal.” You didn’t earn it, you didn’t deserve it. Those associations of reward are slippery slopes, too. You’re simply deciding to have something super tasty and enjoyable with your fam or friends.
Pre-determine what and how much
Decide on your favorite candy or treat. Then tell yourself how much you want. Pick your favorite candy, eat a few of them and call it good. This will keep you from eating all the dumb candy you don’t even really like and won’t be worth the extra calories.
Eat well
This will help the prior ones, but have a solid nutrient-dense, protein-packed meal beforehand. This will make you fuller, put good stuff in your body and also blunt the sugar/insulin spike you may experience from just candy or dessert.
Don’t be lazy
If you’re taking your kids trick or treating, TAKE them, don’t chauffeur them and creep after them in the car. Get outside and get those steps in. Be with them. Plus, people are crazy, trust the cop!
Why walking is so darn great https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/why-walking-might-be-one-of-the-best-exercises-for-health
Be cold
We live our modern lives in 68-72 degree weather. A little over that and we are passing out, a little under and we are shivering. Sometimes it's good to be cold. Another reason to go outside and walk with your kiddos.
Workout beforehand
Getting a great lift before treats will help you metabolize that fat and sugar better so you don’t store it. There’s a whole myriad of bodybuilders and strength athletes that actually PLAN on this as a strategy to get the most muscle-building and glycogen storage (for the next lift). You may have heard of it as carb-backloading or some variation of that.
So there you go. You all thought I was going to say just skip the candy and eat a steak, but hope some of these tips help you feel better (and less guilty) about the holidays.
Oh and lastly, eat a steak.
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