It’s nearly Halloween, you’ve been invited to a party by a close friend who has asked that everyone dress up in their most spooky costume ever! Instead of being excited, you’re immediately in panic mode! What will you wear, how will you keep on your diet and should you bother going at all? You remember last year when you turned down an invitation and really regretted it when you heard about all the fun your friends had while you stayed in and watched scary movies on TV all night stuffing your face with Halloween delights. Oh yes, it had been great in the beginning as you’d scoffed bat shaped chocolates, jelly spiders and wiggly worms but after a while all you’d felt was sad, fat and ugly. To make things worse, you’d had to unzip your jeans as you couldn’t contain your stomach in the jeans that were threatening to cut you in half!!
You definitely don’t want to repeat last year but you’re worried how you’ll survive this year let alone hope to actually enjoy it. I was exactly the same, I loved all the hype about Halloween, all the discussions about what my friends were going to wear and what the plan was for the night itself. On the flip side, I was inwardly dreading having to find an outfit I felt good in and had to build up the courage to turn up and try and avoid all the tempting food that was always available.
If you can relate to any of this, help is at hand!! Here are some things you can do to have a fantastic Halloween:
- Outfit
Inside all of us, there’s the vamp. We want to look scary yet sexy at the same time! We need to look no further than the shelves of every shop that sells Halloween costumes to find outfits we’d love to be able to carry off. The vampires, Cat woman, Bat woman or any slender long black dresses to kill for! Instead, you end of squeezing into something that just makes you feel like a pumpkin.
Well, worry no more. Here are a few tips to help you look and feel good on the night:
(a) Don’t leave it to the last minute! Start right now. There are so many places you can look for a costume online but you have to make sure it will arrive in time.
(b) Don’t opt for a tight-fitting costume. No matter how good it looks on the model in the store, it will make you feel self-conscious and uncomfortable all night!
(c) Choose a soft material that is flexible. Look for outfits that have layers, lace around the waist, mesh overlays or shawls are great and you won’t feel the urge to breathe in all night letting you relax more.
(d) Dark colours are great but so is a bright red!
(e) Paint those nails! – There’s nothing like beautiful nails to make you feel a million dollars! Have them done professionally or save money and have a go yourself. There are so many decorative nail stickers you can use to add the spooky touch.
(f) Make up to the nines! – Great make-up can add so much to our confidence. Allow enough time to put on your make up so that you don’t have to rush. I’m not saying you have to wear make up if you don’t want to, I’m just suggesting that a little effort is bound to give your confidence a boost.
(g) Shoes – Comfortable and sexy is totally doable! – There’s nothing worse than wearing beautiful shoes that cripple you all evening. The internet is a godsend in these situations. A simple search will bring up multiple options for you to look good AND be comfortable. Also, many of us (me included) tend to have a huge shoe collection as it is. Make it your mission to ‘hunt’ in your wardrobe and try on different styles – you just might find the perfect match!
- Food
This is a biggie. There’s no getting away from the fact that you will be faced with temptations galore. As the weather gets colder, comfort food takes on a new meaning altogether! Hot sausage rolls, jackets with cheese, mini party food items of all kinds and of course the array of sweet delights. Just the mention of these has my mouth watering. So, how do we tackle these situations? Here are a few tips to help you:
(a) Eat before you go! This is a must, if you are hungry (or worse, starving) you will eat more. You can’t not. As soon as the delicious smells waft over, your stomach will instantly crave a mountain of food! Therefore, before you leave, make sure you eat a filling meal.
(b) Eat slowly – Yes, easier said than done, but, with a little practice, it will become second nature. There are two reasons for this:
- (i) Eating slowing lets you actually taste the food. If you don’t believe this, try it the next time you eat. When we eat things we feel we shouldn’t, we tend to ‘hoover’ the food so fast that, in our guilty mind, we forget to actually enjoy it. Sure, the first few bites are great but after that, we shovel it in as if it was running out. So, plan to eat slow, purposeful mouthfuls. Remember to chew and totally enjoy the flavours.
- (ii) Eating slowly lets your stomach have a chance to recognise when it is full and to send a signal of satisfaction to your brain. This way, you only eat until you are satisfied and not until you are stuffed!
- (iii) Don’t deny yourself as this will make the craving monster grow. Also, it will make you eat more than you otherwise would because after a while we tend to think ‘what the heck, I’ve broken my diet so I might as well truly stuff my face to make it worthwhile’. So, allow yourself to eat what you love and to do so without a shred of guilt. In fact, as you eat, remember to acknowledge to yourself how much you are enjoying eating whatever it is that you desire.
I hope you find these tips useful and hope you have the spookiest and happiest Halloween!!
Happy Anti-Diet Halloween to everyone!!
Written by Sherry Taylor, author of The Anti-Diet Lifestyle
