Trigger foods?

LoupGarouTFTs

KrissyMuree wrote: »

Absolutely, but why not look at self-control a different way?

You're right that the food I find to be a trigger is a comfort food - but it was used in mass amounts to give the comfort. While I may not be able to control myself from consuming the entire jar, I can walk past the jars of Nutella without putting it in my cart. I have the self-control to say, "No. You have a history of abusing it. It isn't good for you (in the amounts you (I) eat). You're not getting it."

I completely understand this kind of self-control, but it seems rather defeatist to me. Instead of labeling a food as a "trigger" food and declaring it off-limits, why not teach yourself to eat it in a reasonable way and not deprive yourself? Keep in mind, I'm using "you" in a generic way here and not saying that you personally have no self-control.

krysmuree

LoupGarouTFTs wrote: »

KrissyMuree wrote: »

Absolutely, but why not look at self-control a different way?

You're right that the food I find to be a trigger is a comfort food - but it was used in mass amounts to give the comfort. While I may not be able to control myself from consuming the entire jar, I can walk past the jars of Nutella without putting it in my cart. I have the self-control to say, "No. You have a history of abusing it. It isn't good for you (in the amounts you (I) eat). You're not getting it."

I completely understand this kind of self-control, but it seems rather defeatist to me. Instead of labeling a food as a "trigger" food and declaring it off-limits, why not teach yourself to eat it in a reasonable way and not deprive yourself? Keep in mind, I'm using "you" in a generic way here and not saying that you personally have no self-control.

A trigger, by definition, "cause(s) (an event or situation) to happen or exist". It triggers me because I eat the entire jar, mindlessly, and then feel I've fallen off the wagon, leading to feelings of failure, which leads to a desire for more comfort food and even less self-control. It leads to old habits, which have yet to die (though it gets better and better with each day!).

I've tried for months to eat it in a reasonable way. Doesn't work.

I don't deprive myself. I choose not to consume it and choose to leave it on the shelf. That's my own version of self-control. I do NOT crave it if it is not in the house, period.

Self-control is, by definition, "the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations."

There does not have to be only one kind of self-control. It's not one size fits all. If I can't help myself when it's in the house, the next step is to remove it from my diet altogether, end of story.

Not until after I realized I had the empty jar sitting next to my bedside with a spoon in it did I realize this food was a problem food for me. Whether that is my own psychology or simply because it's so damn good, I don't know, but it remains a trigger for me.

LoupGarouTFTs

*shrugs* I understand what you're saying, and that's fine. I just don't see the value of cutting something out of my diet if I enjoy it. That's when I need to develop mindful eating instead of mindless eating.

So far I'm not seeing any convincing arguments for actual triggers over simply giving up control or convincing oneself that control is so lacking when consuming something that it must be controlled by eliminating it from one's diet. Personal responsibility. Internal locus of control. Why give them up to food?

krysmuree

I'll agree to disagree.

LoupGarouTFTs

Agreeing to disagree . . . another pet peeve of mine. But that's another thread on another forum. I'm sorry that you couldn't give me something that could convince me they might exist, though.