How to Make Up for Eating Too Much Halloween Candy

With bowls and bags of Halloween candy scattered around the office and home, it’s easy to eat way more sugar than you typically would.

For many people, eating episodes like this are considered a “food sin” and often lead to a make-up mentality that sounds something like this:

To make up for this, I will…

• skip breakfast and lunch tomorrow.
• work out extra hard all week.
• not eat sugar for the next 30 days.
• go on a detox diet for a week.

This penance approach frequently results in a vicious cycle of restricting and overeating. It’s ineffective, exhausting and demoralizing—and terribly unenjoyable.

The key to escaping this cycle is to stop believing you have to make up for your eating decisions—and stop making a fix-it plan.

Instead, when you feel like you’ve committed a “food transgression,” just go on with your life. Instead of feeling guilty and shifting into make-up mentality, resume doing what you always do.

And listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs.

For example, you may wake up and find your appetite is smaller than usual. So eat a smaller breakfast. Or, you may find you’re hungry for your usual breakfast. So have that.

Don't deny or punish your body because you feel you ate too much the day before. Doing so always backfires. 

By avoiding the make-up mentality, you’ll experience a greater sense of ease and peace with food and your body.

Eating Your Way Through Tough Times

With all the tragic events that have taken place over the past few weeks and months, like me, you may be experiencing a wide range of emotions, from disbelief, sadness and despair to helplessness, anger and anxiety.

You may have also noticed yourself more frequently reaching for a pint of ice cream, bag of chips or box of cookies to alleviate these strong emotions.

This is totally okay.

Eating sometimes for emotional reasons is part of normal eating.

It’s simply an attempt to take care of yourself—a coping strategy when times are tough.

The important thing is to not beat yourself up over it. 

It’s much more helpful to view each experience as an opportunity to learn more about yourself—to expand your self-awareness and cultivate more wisdom.

Doing so will help you approach future emotional eating episodes with a greater understanding of your true needs and a larger set of tools for fulfilling them.

Pause and Reflect
When you find yourself turning to food to regulate uncomfortable emotions, hit pause and ask yourself:

What need am I trying to fulfill with this food?

Maybe it’s comfort, pleasure, relief, distraction or connection.

Once you’ve identified what it is you really need, reflect on what will help you get it.

For example, if you discover what you’re really seeking is connection (not cookies), consider how you can meet this deeper need.

Perhaps it’s talking with a loved one, support group or therapist; playing with your dog; spending time with Mother Nature; volunteering in your community; or engaging with like-minded activists.

Whatever you come up with, add it to your toolbox.

Curiosity and Compassion
Sometimes you won’t know what you truly need until after you’ve brushed the chip crumbs off your shirt or washed the chocolate off your fingers. Keep reflecting; the answer will eventually come to you.

The key is to approach your emotional eating with curiosity and compassion, rather than criticism and judgment.

Doing so will enable you to become more aware of what drives your eating decisions, and empower you to have a different relationship with food—not a perfect one, but a more relaxed, trusting and peaceful one.

Screw It!
Even as you become more attuned to your true needs, you may sometimes say, “screw it!” and choose to emotionally eat. Again, this is totally okay and normal.

When you do make this more conscious choice, let go of any negative self-talk.

You know, that voice in your head that says, “I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m breaking the rules and being bad. I’m must make up for this food sin by working out extra hard and skipping breakfast and lunch tomorrow.”

Instead, squash that voice, sit down, and slowly savor every single bite. 

When Carrot Sticks Aren't Healthier Than Potato Chips

Stressed out and struck by a huge urge to munch, Suzie grabbed a bag of baby carrots instead of her favorite potato chips.

Craving cake after visiting a friend who just got engaged, Jill, who longed to find a romantic partner, drove home and ate a big bowl of plain yogurt sprinkled with chocolate chips instead of driving to the bakery.

Hankering for a snack when bored at work, Tim bought almonds from the vending machine instead of his usual bag of M&Ms.

Well-Intended, Ineffective Strategy
Each of these folks was proud to share with me their “win”—that is, their decision to go for a healthier option when a craving hit.

And yes, I agree. They should feel proud of themselves for making a more thoughtful choice.

Yet, while carrots, yogurt and nuts may be more nutritious than chips, cake and candy, eating food—no matter what it is—to cope with uncomfortable emotions is a well-intended, ultimately ineffective strategy.

Although eating brought them a moment of pleasure, distraction and relief, once they were done, Suzie’s stress persisted, Jill’s sadness and loneliness remained, and Tim was still bored silly.

Learn Another Way
Rather than use food (or booze, pot, shopping, screen time, etc.) to suppress challenging feelings, I teach my clients how to identify and address their emotional hungers. To feel—not feed—their feelings.

When they learn how to understand and meet their true needs, their emotional eating diminishes and their overall wellbeing improves.

Learn more by reading about how I crumbled a mad cookie craving here.