Trigger Foods and How To Avoid Them Help

redversustheblue · June 2014

Omg, I don't think I should laugh as hard at this as I did.

JassiBear · June 2014

I def want to make my own pizza I must try that. Thankss.

bcattoes · June 2014

Excuses?? So forcing yourself to eat little bits of chips or candy = taking control and change. Not eating chips and candy =/= control and change. :huh:

Escloflowne · June 2014

Regardless of what it is, being able to control something will help you grow

easeintofitness · June 2014

Potato Chips: Eat baked chips! Baked chips are a lot lower in calories (and taste better, too). Also, there is a great product called "Fit Popcorn." It is DELICIOUS. Two cups of this popcorn is only 60-70 calories. I always eat it while drinking a lot of water (or diet soda => a problem I need to remedy lol), and this makes it swell in my stomach curbing cravings.

Pizza: Make it yourself! If you make pizza yourself it cuts down a TON of calories. I have to be gluten free (so I don't have a frame of reference on non-gluten free pizzas), but 1/2 of my entire Udi's pepperoni pizza is only 350 calories. I always fill up the other half of my plate with some raw veggies (either a salad or raw carrots) and eat these with reduced fat dressing. It is very filling and satisfying.

Cake/cookies/pies/baked treats: There are not many substitutes for these wonderful items unless you are baking them yourself. However, it can be complicated to bake things with natural sweeteners because you have to put a different amount in than you would sugar. You may can use skim milk in the recipes or egg whites (I'm not a baker, so be sure you look this up on a website because you might have to add something else to the mix). I will say to curb my cravings for these items I will eat a favorite chocolate candy (miniature Heath bars, M&Ms). I can eat these slowly and really savor the chocolate, and this usually curbs my craving. I have to do this a lot anyway because (being gluten free) I have to usually make the item myself, and that is a hassle.

Escloflowne · June 2014

I guess I'm just stronger mentally than most people, I worked hard at it and I have no issues with it anymore.

Four_Leaf_Clover · June 2014

Don't buy it so it's not in the house, the purse, the car, the desk drawer...

Eat enough protein - it really helps to keep hunger away and helps me curb cravings - esp for carbs.

Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

Sit down and think about why you want those things (quick energy? bored? celebrating? sad?). Write it down. Try and stop yourself when you want something that you aren't sure you can yet eat in moderation (I say YET because you can conquer this)and think about WHY and address that need. When my children were young, I often grabbed chocolate when I would feel stressed. It did not stop babies from crying or make my day any less harried, but it did put many lbs of weight on me!

Prelog it and work it into your day. I wanted pizza one night - but one slice of the NY style I enjoy is a lot of calories, so I worked it into the day and had one slice with a side salad and a big glass of iced tea. I also went out to get it so there were no leftovers, etc. I savored it - it was delicious.

bcattoes · June 2014

And "control" can only mean that must eat a little of it? You are being silly.

Jacwhite22 · June 2014

I've got a recipe around here for a cauliflower crust.....It's amazing. I will find it for you.

Escloflowne · June 2014

No, "control" is being able to eat or do something you enjoy in moderation. Obviously I'm not telling someone to eat something they don't want to eat....

wow....

redversustheblue · June 2014

Are you like a professional arguer or something?

asdowe13 · June 2014

I'm sorry did i forget to add on about weight loss/maintaining or gaining?

Who forces anyone to eat little bits of chips or candy?
I eat a serving or two of chips, candy, ice cream. Do i do it every day? no, they don't fit into my caloric intake daily.

I have no trouble losing weight, now that i have learned to moderate my intake.

I've stopped making excuses for being overweight and lazy.

stop arguing for the sake of arguing please, it's getting old!

SconnieCat · June 2014

I see what you did there.

And I like it.

Cliffslosinit · June 2014

DING DING DING!!! We have a bingo!!

CaitySins · June 2014

I replace them with lower calorie alternatives, so instead of crisps get the 100 cal packs or weight watchers brand, instead of chocolates I have special K biscuit moments etc Generally I find it easier just not to buy them. Having food you know you shouldn't eat sitting in the house is like a smoker keeping a pack of cigs in the house while quitting

deksgrl · June 2014

Eat all the foodz, with ice cream, and beer.

bcattoes · June 2014

What does what you do have to do with the meaning of the phrase "trigger foods"?

srslybritt · June 2014

This.

OP, if you can't eat something in moderation, don't put yourself in a situation where you have to eat it. Then when you have more of a sense of self-control, re-introduce.

Then again, maybe more protein in the morning is the answer.

JassiBear · June 2014

That would be grrrreat. I didn't even know you could make a cauliflower crust for pizza. I did just come across a recipe for a roasted cauliflower head though that looked delicious. Still have yet to try though

UsedToBeHusky · June 2014

I think it's probably been mentioned a million times before with you, but learning to eat in moderation is about developing a better relationship with food, instead of a toxic one. If you can completely omit eating a food you love, then you didn't love it very much, did you? But if you can teach yourself to manage to only eat a reasonable portion, then you have taught yourself to manage temptation. Deprivation, while also a form of self-control, could also have potential self-destructive implications.

Aradia_Silvermoon · June 2014

For a sweet snack I found the 90 calorie Fiber One brownies are sweet enough to satiate my cravings while being single serve so I don't binge.

Have you tried making English muffin pizzas? Half a muffin with some sauce a bit of cheese and some veggies or a few slices of pepperoni. They are small so you don't overeat but they taste just like pizza.

TBH I don't really have "trigger" foods. I don't deny myself anything so if I want a Oreo cookie I will look at the serving size (which is 3) take those and put them on a plate. Then I put the rest up in the top shelf of my cupboard, get my milk and cookies then go sit down. Once things are put away and I am comfortable on my couch watching TV (usually Doctor Who lol) I don't want to get back up for more...because I might miss something lol. I have found that out of sight out of mind works wonders for me.

bcattoes · June 2014

No, no. I don't get paid. I do think it's adorable when someone keeps arguing with me and then points out that I am arguing, though.

redversustheblue · June 2014

I wasn't arguing with you? Nor do I really care to.

srslybritt · June 2014

Cauliflower came up so early in this thread. That's the closest thing I have to a trigger food.

It triggers my gag reflex.

2lisagibbs · June 2014

When you want pizza, you want pizza. Eating "around" your craving doesn't always work, but sometimes if you identify the main ingredient you crave it's possible to focus on jus that one thing. For example, sometimes I really want pizza, so sometimes I order the thin crust and load it with veggies and just a bit of pepperoni. Other times I want pizza or spaghetti or something Italian...but it's really the tomato sauce I want. So...that night we have steamed green beans and mushrooms (and sometimes cauliflower) and mini turkey meatballs in a bowl with tomato sauce. Is it a substitute for cheese cannelloni? Of course not. But it gets me over my "I-want-Italian-pasta-tonight" craving, and I can get creative with the vegetables. I've used Brussels sprouts with mini meatballs covered in tomato sauce (yes, from a jar!) and it was actually pretty good.

When I'm tempted by cookies and baked goods at work, I choose the oatmeal cookie over a sugar cookie. And then I have to leave the break room! Some days are more successful than others. Sometimes I'll eat one of the single-serve dill pickle packs before I participate in the birthday celebration because sometimes something opposite of what you crave will suffice...and sometimes it doesn't...at least the pickle packs are < 15 calories so if I do decide that piece of birthday cake is still calling my name then I haven't compounded my indulgence. The pickles work for me about half the time, so for me that's a win.

When I comes to donuts I'm doomed. I just have to avoid them except for once or twice a year. I tried eating 2 jelly donut holes instead of an entire jelly donut, but 2 turned into 5 so I would have been better off eating the stupid full size donut. No help from me here, sorry.

I've lost 48 lbs. since January by making changes to my eating habits. Some small, some big. The main thing is that I ask myself, "Is that (cake, donut, pack of corn chips, cheeseburger, whatever) really worth it?" Sometimes the answer is "HELL yes!" and sometimes it's "Nah, not really" so I skip it.

But I swear by the tomato sauce + veggies as a substitute for lasagna or pizza!

deksgrl · June 2014

Losing_Sarah · June 2014

For me, trigger foods have to be avoided. Moderation is just not an option for some people. I've learned this after years and years of trying to lose weight.

If this is you then you should just avoid it. I'm not depriving myself, as some people say when one avoids something. There are still plenty of other things out there to eat that are good and some that are even similar to them. I make spaghetti squash with marinara/sausage sauce, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and cheese - a "pasta" dish and it has some of the flavors of pizza. (BTW - I'm not a pasta lover (it's just ok), so this isn't a sub for pasta, but I prefer this to pasta. It's awesome!) I also found a recipe for cauliflower pizza crust, and I'm telling you...it is fantastic. Just like the spaghetti squash, I prefer it to the real thing.

Really, if you can find a way to moderate go for it, but otherwise, including some of the flavors of your triggers is one way, and just avoid the actual things all together.

Oh, and when it comes to "trigger food withdrawals" it gets better. When I stopped eating junk I craved it immensely for a few days and by the time a week or two had passed the cravings were gone. The key was eliminating them from my house and shopping cart. I also avoid the grocery aisle they are in if I can, but if I need to I just look down when walking by to get to what I'm in that aisle for.

Good luck.

bcattoes · June 2014

If you can teach yourself to not give in to temptation at all, then you've also taught yourself to control temptation. Feeling that you can't live without eating a little bit of every food doesn't seem any more in control or have a healthier relationship with food than simply choosing to not eat something at all.

Sometimes it's good to just break up.

_John_ · June 2014

Binge eater's mentality...

UsedToBeHusky · June 2014

I'm not arguing that you are wrong. I said that deprivation is a form of control... what I said was that deprivation can lead to self-destructive tendencies. That is the point of self-moderators.

For you, walking away from food works and maybe its healthy for you... maybe not... but it's not healthy for everyone, and the concern of the self-moderating crowd is that you never know who on the internet will read something and take it too far.

Trigger Foods and How To Avoid Them Help

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