Trick or Treat...Not This Year

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year and also one of my most dreaded. I love looking at the changing leaves, getting apples from the farm and handing out candy to all the cute little ghosts and goblins. To me it signals the beginning of the holiday season and all the wonderful craziness that surrounds the holidays. I also dread Halloween. It's the beginning of a three month food binge. Who can blame me? These next three months brings pumpkin lattes, pecan pie, stuffing and Birthday Cake. Now you might not have Birthday Cake during this season, but every November comes my birthday and I get my vanilla cake vanilla frosting fix. YUMMY. After December 25, these things no longer exist so I better get my fill. Right? Wrong!! Sure I love all the eating the holidays bring, but I hate all that comes with it. I hate the self loathing, the promises I make to myself that tomorrow I will eat better, feeling so full that it hurts to sneeze. I hate all that. Worse by the time Christmas comes I’m not even enjoying the goodies anymore. I just eat because by January first it will all be over. That’s when I resolve to get on track again. I make the same promise to myself every year. So this year I vow to be different. And I’m going to start with Halloween:

• I’m buying Candy the day before Halloween, not two weeks before. This way it can't tempt me and call my name from the cupboard “Lori, come eat me. One little piece won't kill you."
• I’m not buying my favorite candy. No Snickers or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. This year I’m handing out Runts (I don’t know what they are. They didn’t exist when I was growing up.)
• I’m working out Halloween morning. I’m starting the day on the right path.
• I’m drinking at least 65 ounces of water. It helps me not to feel hungry.
• I’m going to make sure I eat every two hours and I’m not letting myself get hungry. I know when I’m hungry I make poor decisions.
• If I do give in (and I probably will even though I’m 40 plus it's HALLOWEEN!), I will have one or two possibly even three pieces of candy that I have stolen from my son’s loot (shhh he’ll never know). I will enjoy them and then I will be done. Just because I ate three pieces of candy doesn’t mea I have to eat all the candy I can steal...ummm I mean find. it doesn’t mea I’m a terrible person. It doesn’t mean anything. It means I enjoyed Halloween and I’m done.

If I can get through Halloween by making good choices the rest of the holiday season be a cinch.