(Ahh youth. Days of chipped nail polish & no fretting about candycalories.)
Im a misfit.
I may stand alone but I’ll say it: Im tired of the plethora of posts focusing upon how to have a healthy Halloween.
I liked the post the first time I read it—but after the thirtieth beating of the poor, dead, Halloween horse my brain began to whirl.
It began to rebel.
It started to obsess about craft the myriad reasons we *should* indulge on Halloween.
Please to enjoy. Please to agree. Please to disagree. Please to simply know this is what I am choosing to do on this Halloween day.
(Please to head over here if you desire a more traditional How to be HEALTHY on Halloween post)
Life is too freakin short. Ive lost a number of friends since last Halloween and I guarantee they’d not recommend you pass on the snickers you love or the candy corn you covet. I agree they’d also concur theres no need to eat yourself into a sugar coma (as, really, who enjoys that?!), but some sugar snackage in the name of savoring and socializing? Life is too short to live in a constant state of longing & deprivation. If youre gazing lovingly at the candy bowl & indulging in a little food fantasy I’d say reach in, grab a few, and enjoy.It’s an exercise in mindful eating. Many of you have asked about my first forays into mindful or intuitive eating (my thoughts on eating this way for 10+ years are here) . While I can tips ya till the proverbial cows come home (as can the Tornado!) at some point it becomes all about trusting yourself, jumping in and giving it a go. What better night than Halloween? Make it a conscious/mindful choice to eat & savor candy you enjoy. Focus on taste sensations you experience (heck, you can even make this a journal exercise!) & how you feel physically before, during and after. For me mindful eating has been a journey & a learning process. It will be for you, too, no matter when you start. And it’s worth it.It may prevent binging later. A dear friend of mine has gained & lost hundreds of pounds throughout our twenty-three year friendship. One night she ordered dessert, turned to me and said: It isnt the crab-cakes or dessert I eat which causes my gain weight—it’s the large pizza & pint of Ben & Jerry’s I eat later *alone* which piles on the pounds. This resonated with me. It’s the same scenario I saw with clients. The weight they gained wasnt from, say, candy eating while trick or treating with their children. It was the sweet stuff snarfed alone later which piled on the pounds. Experts agree. Trying to suppress all thoughts about candy are actually counter productive. Dieters tend to eat more chocolate when they try to avoid it all together. (Susan Albers, Psy.D)We all deserve a treat. Now that Ive ranted & raved you MUST! EAT! CANDY! (why yes. my tongue is firmly implanted in my cheek)—allow me to veer slightly off-course. We are a family of misfits. The word “treat” in our household never refers to food. For us treats & indulging refers to experiences. (going to a movie. one-on-one time with a parent etc) Halloween is a tremendous treat for the Tornado because she stays up late, traipses around the ‘hood with friends, & is simply a louder, more boisterous version of herself with no repercussions. What better day than Halloween to explore a *small* way to indulge your grown-up self, too. Dress up in a silly fashion you’d never attempt on a ‘normal’ day. Foist the children upon a significant other or neighbor & steal a quiet evening for yourself. Get creative (big or small), but get to indulging. You deserve it.
And there you have it.
My misfit plan for today and tonight!
Remembering life is short (seriously. you KNOW Im downing me some candy corn for a fallen homie. sound irreverent? hell yes. was she? HELL YES!), consuming mindfully, snacking socially and knowing Im worth it.
And you?
Whats your four-pronged (or one-pronged. plainolepronged) plan of ‘ween attack?
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