Making Decisions Ahead of Time: A Simple Tool to Curb Overeating

I spoke with a client yesterday who told me she couldn’t stop dipping into the Halloween candy her husband brought home “for the kids.”

Maybe you can relate? :)

(I actually smiled when she told me this because somehow, our household also ended up with a giant box of Halloween candy—thank you, fiancé—even though we had no intention of handing any out due to our area’s COVID restrictions for trick-or-treating.)

She explained that once she had those first few pieces, it was like something took over.
She couldn’t stop—even when she felt physically sick.

Since then, she’d sworn off candy completely.

But each night after dinner, once the kids were in bed, she found herself dipping back into the stash—eating more than she wanted, despite her best intentions.

I suggested the option of donating it or throwing it out. But she didn’t feel right doing that—it was technically for the kids.

So we came up with the next best option:
Make a plan.

“Why don’t you plan to eat it?”

She looked at me, confused.

Yes, rather than fighting herself—knowing deep down she’d probably eat it anyway—I encouraged her to decide ahead of time how many pieces she would eat.

For example, instead of trying to resist completely (and ending up eating 7 or 8 pieces), she could intentionally plan for 2 or 3 pieces.

And if that time came and she didn’t feel like eating them?
She didn’t have to.
But at least she’d made a clear decision that aligned with her goals.

She was surprised.
She thought I’d suggest cutting it out entirely.

But I reminded her that the approach wasn’t working. In fact, it was backfiring.

And isn’t a few pieces of candy—enjoyed mindfully—better than a full-blown candy binge?

Especially when that binge leads to guilt and frustration… and erodes the self-trust that’s needed to make lasting change.

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Why This Strategy Works

When we make decisions ahead of time, we activate the prefrontal cortex—the part of our brain responsible for planning, logic, and long-term decision-making.

We’re acting from our higher brain, not our reactive, in-the-moment survival brain that wants dopamine and relief.

This has a few major benefits:

• It frees up mental bandwidth—no more debating in the moment
• It reduces impulse eating
• It builds self-trust through follow-through
• It interrupts the all-or-nothing cycle

The goal isn’t perfection.

The goal is to rebuild trust in yourself by following through on realistic, achievable actions—like planning for two pieces of candy instead of “none ever again.”

This approach has helped my clients reduce or manage:

• Overeating
• Nighttime snacking
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Mindless sugar intake

And I’ve personally used it in my own life, over and over again.

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Ready to Try This?

Start with one decision you typically struggle with—something like:

• “I will have 1 glass of wine tonight, not 3.”
• “I will eat 2 pieces of candy after dinner—no more.”
• “I will skip the afternoon cookie today and have fruit instead.”

Then follow through.

You don’t need to be perfect—you just need to start proving to yourself that you can honour a plan you made with intention.

That’s how you rebuild self-trust.

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Related:

Want a deeper breakdown of how this tool fits into a larger behaviour change framework?
👉 Read: The 24-Hour Plan (Decisions Ahead of Time)

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Want Personal Support?

If you’re tired of white-knuckling it and want a sustainable, personalized approach that helps you make confident food decisions—without guilt or restriction—let’s work together.

👉 Click here to learn more about my 1:1 coaching program.