trigger foods

daniellethesheep

what do you do about them? any foods you've completely banned? right now, almost everything other than select fruits, plain oatmeal, peanut butter, bread and protein powder seems to trigger binging for me. its just expensive to go out and buy a single granola bar/serving of nuts/etc every time i want something thats not "safe" for me to keep in my room

KnitOrMiss

@daniellethesheep

For me, it really depends on what the foods are. Some things, I just don't buy, period. Other things I buy in single serve. For me, myself, if a food is a crazy trigger food, I would be looking into the whys.

Is it sweet? Then I don't NEED it.
Is it salty? Consider adding salt to other things, drinking broth, eating a pickle.
Is it a fat? Add healthy fats to other meals/snacks.

If it is a very specific food, look at the nutrient profile. Many things are high in magnesium or zinc or some random other nutrient your body may need at that time, and that specific food is the one your brain identifies with receiving that nutrient. Look at nutrient level swaps, etc.

But sincerely, if I can't figure out why I'm binging on an item, I work on not making it available to me where I can perform that action. But I do a lot of writing, journeling, screaming, venting, etc. to work on getting to the root of my issues. 3-4 years later, some foods, I still don't trust myself to keep around.

Sometimes it is expensive to buy a single serving, but isn't the cost higher on our body to provide a binge opportunity ready and waiting for us? I have to rationally argue and logic myself out of things sometimes. Reminding myself that something is off in my neuro-chemistry that causes this reaction, and that certain things are beyond my control, so I must employ every tactic I can to stack the deck in my favor, give myself the best chance for success.

At some point, the extra expense gets to feeling more like a motivational tool. Do I really want to pay as much for a single item than for a box because I can't stop myself? Can I stick the extras in a freezer? Ask my roommate to hide them from me? Stick them in my sweaty gym bag as a deterrent? Or maybe, if I can control myself this time, I can stick the cost difference in a savings jar and use that to buy myself a set of new workout pants (or whatever) when I make it a month, or whatever.

There are many many strategies you could use here. It's really up to you to figure out which ones work best FOR YOU.

IonaEllenRose

Mine is anything with lactose in. Breads, chocolate, sauces, noodles list could go on... Being intolerant I know that I shouldn't have it meaning the more I want it.