If the Halloween candy "called" you, here's why

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There’s a definite pattern when it comes to adults and Halloween candy. Many adults resist candy on Halloween. Then, the next day if it’s in the house or at the office they start to pick. “Just a couple” pieces here, a couple there. The same thing goes for Thanksgiving. Day of, many clients are on plan. The next day? The leftovers take them down.

Why is this? Many people make a decision, ahead of time, not to eat candy on Halloween or not to eat the 5,000 calorie meal on Thanksgiving. It’s clear what the plan is for the holiday itself. The day after? There’s no plan for that and so deliberation begins. “Should I have it?”  and this line of questioning rarely ends well.

I read a thought-provoking Vox article, “the myth of self-control”. The first portion of the article is a little depressing as the case is made that it’s super tricky to pass things up. “Human beings are terrible at resisting temptation.” Then came the  interesting part. “The people who are really good at self-control never have these battles in first place.” It’s not that some people have more willpower, it’s that some people avoid having to exert it.

If you want to avoid the exhaustion that comes with fending food (or other temptations for that matter) off some ideas:

Planning

I talk about this throughout The Little Book of Thin. The fewer food decisions you make on the spot, the better. When you’re staring face to face with the muffin tray and negotiating, your odds are slim. A Foodstalking client has a coworker with a candy bowl or “bowl of bullshit” as she calls it. The bowl was her downfall every afternoon. “One or two things only” wasn’t cutting it. Instead she called out of B.O. B. and put it on her “no” list. No piece here or piece there, no contemplating no bullshit…period.

Reminders and reinforcement

 In research mentioned in the article, people were texted reminders of their goals to help them make good choices. A couple of years ago, we started our Foodstalking program. We were astounded by the success and demand for spots. In this email-based program, we are in touch with clients daily. This encouragement and accountability helps establish new behaviors. Having a buddy is another way of doing this. Enlist a friend or coworker (spouses aren’t best idea for this) and work together to skip the candy, make it to your workouts etc.

Substitution

 “No candy” for some sounds daunting. In order to avoid the bowl of bullshit, my client has an RX Bar at 3pm every day. You can replace a food with a food or it can be a behavior. Taking a walk after dinner or meeting a friend for a workout instead of a drink are other examples of substitution.

So don’t beat yourself up for a slip. Instead, backtrack and see where you could’ve avoided that temptation all together. I’ll remind you about this  again before Thanksgiving and leftovers come into play.

Cashew Addiction Explained

Assume there are 100 cashews here. Assume that's a portion.

 You can binge on anything. Once when I  told a client “you will not overeat on chicken” she swiftly corrected me, “I eat a whole chicken Lauren…well except for the insides and bones.” Interesting. And one night my younger son complained of a stomachache and said,  “I probably ate too many bananas after soccer.”  I asked my son how many assuming he had two or so, he said five. While these instances are rarities, cashew binging is extremely common. You are more likely to overeat (translation the whole package, regardless of its size) cashews that any other nut. You may not find that in a scientific journal but it’s the truth.

I saw 10 clients yesterday. Two reported cashew issues. Foodtrainers will turn 15 in November, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to conduct cashew research but I did and have a theory. Cashews are carby. I know that sounds as dumb as when people claim carrots are sugary. Cashews have four times the net carbs (carb grams minus fiber grams) of walnuts or pecans and more than double the carbs in almonds. Grace, our resident researcher, and I both poked around and she concluded; “only chestnuts have them beat”.  When I offered this explanation to one of my cashew challenged clients she said, “I think it’s the texture, think of how creamy cashew milk is.” She has a point. Cashews are the most widely used dairy alternative. So there are the carbs, the texture and there’s also a natural sweetness of cashews…shit.

Here’s where science tells a different story. On PubMed I read of a study finding that cashew extract improves insulin function and the “damaging effects of high blood sugar”.  So cashew extract has anti-diabetic properties whereas cashews (and cashew addiction) give you diabetes. Another interesting tidbit, you don’t see cashews in shells in stores because the shell of the cashew is poisonous. For this reason, cashews are heat treated before being shelled so; raw cashews are never really raw. And I’ll add that “raw” cashews are binged on too.

When we convened our office cashew conference, we formulated our addiction advice. We joked that we should all eat the shells as a deterrent but are not in the business of poisoning people. Carolyn voted to remove cashews from the Foodtrainers’ nutcase.

Betcha can't have 15...unless you have a nutcase

 Instead, we agreed to advocate cashews via nutcase only. That way, you avoid over-nutting (thanks Well and Good for the shout out). 

Are you a cashew addict? Or, what do you feel are the most bingeable foods?