What I’m handing out to the little ghosts and goblins tonight. My challenge: Not to eat any of it and toss out what’s left over. A big challenge, as Kit Kats and Peanut Butter Cups are my favorites.

Tonight’s test: No Halloween candy! Yep, I’m going candy-free tonight. Past Halloweens, I’d set aside a few “fun size” treats for myself. I gave myself permission to eat a few, thinking I won’t binge later. Ha!

Sure, I didn’t binge, but I always ate more than I set aside for myself. Also it made it harder to toss out any left over candy…I mean, why toss it out if I can “handle” it, right?

What was I thinking? I’ll tell you what: I’ll set aside a few pieces of candy so I won’t feel deprived. But seriously, if I feel deprived by not eating 5 (6, 7, 12) pieces of candy, then I’m living a very sad life.

Yes, I know that when people feel deprived on diets they are more likely to binge. But I’m not on a diet. This is my new life. The only thing eating candy (no matter the quantity) will do is shoot my insulin level sky-high. Since one of my goals is to lose weight, I think it’s best if the fat-storing hormone isn’t coursing through my veins more than necessary.

Last year I tried drinking wine as a way to minimize my candy popping tendencies. All I ended up doing was picking a wine that paired well with chocolate. Ugh!

I just can’t win.

Well, actually I can. By not eating candy.

The truth is I really don’t have any desire for it tonight. The other day I visited a fast food drive thru for an unsweetened ice tea. Of course, like Leo Getz predicted, they gave me a sweet tea. Thankfully I kept my window open, because I had to spit it out once it hit my taste buds.

Yuck! All that sugar. And it’s not just the tea. This week, when I grabbed a low carb energy bar for an on-the-go snack, I noticed a change in taste. The bars taste off…something isn’t right. Yesterday I ended up tossing one out after a bite and switched to sliced cucumbers.

Perhaps by eating real foods, I’ve trained my palate to not enjoy sugar as much. Or by limiting the fat-storing hormone, insulin, my taste buds changed for the better. Who knows, but I’m hopeful I’ll stay strong tonight.