Trigger Foods and How To Avoid Them Help

wheird

Eating breakfast can keep your blood sugar stable and help to reduce cravings.

Aside from that, just make pizza from cauliflower.

JUST LET ME LOVE YOU

AsaThorsWoman

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

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

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

Here it is!!! It's totes amazeballs!

http://www.theluckypennyblog.com/2013/02/the-best-cauliflower-crust-pizza.html

Oh Em Gee. Yes, let's totally hold hands and dance. This looks so good!!

pawoodhull

For me it's flavored chips and ice cream. Frankly I haven't found a way to have these in my life, so I eliminated them 3 years ago. I know that sounds simplistic, but it works for me. I can munch popcorn in place of the chips. There is no replacement for ice cream in my opinion, so I just don't try. Now before you get the wrong idea, I am not deprived nor do I miss these things. I am choosing not to eat them, my choice, so not deprivation at all.

janatarnhem

Cauliflower. Cauliflower is an acceptable substitute for everything. Crunchy deliciousness that only KIND OF looks like a venereal disease.

This!

Mikkimeow

Just eat breakfast.

Agreed. I learned in a very important science based factual true to life real quoted article that breakfast fixes everything and if you don't eat it you are doing life wrong because science.

What's even funnier is after "learning" all that, finding out that the person saying to eat breakfast doesn't really eat breakfast.

WHAT. IT IS LIKE MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN A LIE.

AsaThorsWoman

I would recommend eating those foods in moderation so they don't become "trigger" foods

Generally, when someone says "trigger food" they mean a food they find it nearly impossible to eat in moderation. It "triggers" them to overeat. If you can moderate your intake then it's not a trigger.

Drivel absolute drivel.


The term "trigger food" is just another excuse to prevent someone to actually change and take control of their lives.

Time to stop making excuses!

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:

Where does anyone say to force yourself to eat anything.

Op apparently wants to eat these foods. Why not eat them, in moderation, and enjoy them?
Why cut out foods you want to eat?

I eat a serving of chips/candy, whatever you consider a "trigger food". It's not just a little bit, it's enough for me to enjoy, and save the rest for the next time.


Stop arguing for the sake of arguing, it's getting old.

People are missing the learning curve part of this. It's a process. yes, one just simply needs to learn moderation. But, you don't just say, "Oh, ok, I'm going to moderate now." It's a process of constantly trying and screwing up massively, then trying and screwing up. A few years later, you're moderating pretty good, but still slip. A few years after that, you got it under control. It's a long learning process.

I disagree. Do or do not, there is no try.

this is ridiculous. And you know it. You just want to argue behind a keyboard. It is a ridiculous thing to suggest or say. Absolutely ridiculous. It is a learning process no matter how awesome you are about just doing whatever the hell you want at any time. I'm proud of you for just being able to moderate every god damn thing in your life. You must be a blast at a party moderating everything. Wheee! Enjoy your perfect life.

Ok... I'm officially dying of laughter at my desk.

Laughing to tears.

AsaThorsWoman

Just eat breakfast.

Agreed. I learned in a very important science based factual true to life real quoted article that breakfast fixes everything and if you don't eat it you are doing life wrong because science.

What's even funnier is after "learning" all that, finding out that the person saying to eat breakfast doesn't really eat breakfast.

LOL's.

neandermagnon

I would recommend eating those foods in moderation so they don't become "trigger" foods

Generally, when someone says "trigger food" they mean a food they find it nearly impossible to eat in moderation. It "triggers" them to overeat. If you can moderate your intake then it's not a trigger.

So you learn will power and apply it to your life and grow as a person!? Just a thought, instead of avoiding the things you love...

Since when does learning to eat chips or cake in moderation = growing as a person? It's just food.

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.

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.

If that was all I was capable of - then yes. That's what I would do. Thank goodness I was able to change some bad habits relating to food. I can eat anything I want and know how much I can fit into my weekly calories. This was a HUGE bit of personal growth for me. For many years, I used the excuse that I just couldn't control myself around some foods. Hooey. It was hard - but I did it. How you can see this as anything other than personal growth, is mind boggling.

That does seem to be personal growth for you. I concede the point for you. Well done. And I'm not being flip, I truly mean well done.

I appreciate this response and your willingness to learn from other points of view.

My take on the idea that learning to eat food in moderation is about personal growth, is that it's kind of similar to doing life drawing art classes... i.e. the ability to be around a naked person, and draw them too, without having silly adolescent fits of giggles or acute embarrassment. Like being able to just chat with the model as you draw them and not even bat an eyelid to the fact they've got no clothes on. Additionally, which is also in keeping with this analogy, it's people who are the least exposed to naked bodies who are the most uncomfortable and/or have the most OTT reactions when confronted with one. Learning not to see these kinds of things as something that makes you freak out or behave in an OTT way (uncontrollable overeating is an OTT reaction) is a form of personal growth, i.e. learning to take these things in your stride and not have OTT reactions to them.

Also (but not with the same analogy) being able to eat foods in moderation includes the ability to take it or leave it, as in you'll have it one day but not another. It's not "I have to eat 30g of chocolate every day or I'll snap and binge eat on it" - it's "I fancy some chocolate, well I have the calories for 30g so I'll have some" and on another day it's "I fancy some chocolate... oh look, no spare calories, oh well I'll make room for it tomorrow" and many days where you don't bother with the chocolate at all because it's not constantly on your mind.

ETA: re the last paragraph.. the "I have to eat 30g of chocolate each day to avoid binge eating it" is a step on the journey towards true self control and moderation with food, so I'm not knocking that or people who are at that stage.

I get all that. I just fail to see what is wrong with simply not eating chocolate?

And there were certainly some earlier posts that seemed to be knocking those excuse makers at that stage.

It depends on your reaction when you do come across chocolate. As in if you can take chocolate or leave it, and choose to leave it, then that's having control. If, when you come across chocolate, or eat a bit, or whatever, you lose control and binge eat on it, and the only way you can avoid binge eating on chocolate is to forbid yourself to have it in the house, be around it, etc, then that's not having self control. The OP asked about "trigger foods" i.e. foods she can't stop herself from binge eating on, and many of the responses are "don't have it in the house" and similar... well that's not overcoming the problem, it's systematically avoiding it.

From personal experience, I gave a list earlier in the thread of a whole bunch of foods that I couldn't eat in moderation in the past, as in I'd start eating them and not stop.... in the past, I would have considered donuts like krispy kreme to be one such food. These days, I almost never have krispy kreme donuts or similar kinds of donuts. Not because I've banned myself from eating them, but because when I changed my mentality towards all these foods (i.e. allowing myself to have them whenever, and not considering them as bad or forbidden, putting them in the same category as all other food) I found I didn't actually really like them that much. They're too sweet. If I'm going to have a donut (which is rare, because I'm not that keen on them) then I want one that's sugar coated with something like apple and cinnamon in the middle, not one that's covered in bright frosting and sprinkles, because they're just too sweet for my taste. Moderation does not mean you have to eat them every day or even with any kind of regularity.... it means you can take them or leave them and they're not constantly preying on your mind and you're not tempted to overeat on them and you can just fit them into your calories as and when you want to. If you never want to, then that's moderation. What is *not* moderation is banning them and then when you do find yourself in a situation where you can't avoid the food, or when you start eating it, you end up overeating on it in an uncontrollable fashion. That's not moderation. And simply systematically avoiding those foods is not moderation and is not learning how to exercise moderation around those foods. It's just avoiding the problem.

But banning certain foods is often the first step to moderation when it comes to trigger foods. And honestly never getting over a trigger food really isn't that bad. Everyone I know knows not to bring Cheetos in my house without asking. I can't eat just one handful. Correction, I don't eat just one handful. Obvoiusly, I could control my hand, but I won't and don't control myself around Cheetos.

This hasn't ruined my life or dimished it in any way. When I choose to eat Cheetos, unless someone else is really quick, I eat all the Cheetos. I prefer it this way. All or nothing. Usually nothing.

It often *isn't* the first step in learning moderation, that's the problem. People usually think that it is, but it isn't. It generally makes the problem worse, not better. And your comment about cheetos kind of proves that really. Banning yourself from eating it isn't making this problem go away, because you still can't control yourself around cheetos, to the extent that you ask your friends not to bring cheetos round to your house at all.

In my opinion, not having to tell people not to bring certain foods to my house is better than having to do that. I'm not saying it's something you *have to* learn *or else* or anything like that.... but surely you can appreciate that overcoming this problem completely, as in learning how to just have a small portion of cheetos would represent personal growth...? Maybe you've chosen to not do that, that's your choice. But I think it's important for people who have this problem to realise that there are alternative, and better, choices to just banning themselves from eating these "trigger foods" and that banning themselves from eating them can make the problem worse, and that it doesn't solve the problem. Additionally, the psychological impact of calling a food a "trigger food" is basically allowing that food to have control over you.... people should not be controlled by food. Food should be controlled by people. And that control is something that can be learned.

FeebRyan

Definitely avoid buying stuff that is bad for you.

The only things I buy that are bad for me are digestive biscuits because the children have one each before bed and cheddars which are like biscuity crackers. I just make sure I don't start eating those or I will not stop!

I also find I have to isolate when i am going to be hungry and wanting to munch on stuff, which for me is always the evening so I have my meal-replacement shakes in the morning and early afternoon, usually a diet pepsi or diet Dr pepper and some chewing gum in the afternoon and then I am famished for my main meal of salad and fish/chicken in the evening. I have that and then later I have the best low-calorie dessert I could possibly imagine which is

Blueberries .3cup
Raspberries 14
Strawberries .5cup
on top of a shop-bought meringe nest (52kcal)

and the whole lot covered with a mullers light yogurt (99kcal)

it fits into my daily allowance nicely and for 150kcal it gives me a really nice evening snack that fills me up and breaks up the evening so I am not constantly thinking about food!

I always have an options hot chocolate before bed and today I had a second one in the day because I was getting the munchies. If I do pig out which I really try not to, I have lots of Go Natural bars which are around 150kcal and feel really naughty even though they are a pittance of the calories of a chocolate bar.

So basically don't buy crap and then you won't be able to eat it!

bcattoes

It often *isn't* the first step in learning moderation, that's the problem. People usually think that it is, but it isn't. It generally makes the problem worse, not better. And your comment about cheetos kind of proves that really. Banning yourself from eating it isn't making this problem go away, because you still can't control yourself around cheetos, to the extent that you ask your friends not to bring cheetos round to your house at all.

In my opinion, not having to tell people not to bring certain foods to my house is better than having to do that. I'm not saying it's something you *have to* learn *or else* or anything like that.... but surely you can appreciate that overcoming this problem completely, as in learning how to just have a small portion of cheetos would represent personal growth...? Maybe you've chosen to not do that, that's your choice. But I think it's important for people who have this problem to realise that there are alternative, and better, choices to just banning themselves from eating these "trigger foods" and that banning themselves from eating them can make the problem worse, and that it doesn't solve the problem. Additionally, the psychological impact of calling a food a "trigger food" is basically allowing that food to have control over you.... people should not be controlled by food. Food should be controlled by people. And that control is something that can be learned.

No, honestly I wouldn't see eating Cheetos in moderation was any type of personal growth. I don't normally think of any food in that way. Though I think I might feel something akin to personal growth when I finally perfect a recipe.

Perhaps if I'd had some type of eating disorder then I could see that, but you know, it's just a chip I find hard to stop eating once I start. So I don't start. I don’t want to eat 10 Cheetos. I’d rather eat zero Cheetos. Seriously seems like we're romanticizing food a little too much.

Edit: remove wall of text, it's all up there in other posts.

Alluminati

Eating breakfast can keep your blood sugar stable and help to reduce cravings.

Aside from that, just make pizza from cauliflower.

You're just saying that cause OP loves you.

ebbingfat

Donuts are a huge one for me, and they're hard to avoid because I work in a bakery. We make our donuts fresh every morning, and they taste like heaven. I've had to (mostly) cut myself off of them by force of will. And when I do crack and decide to have one, I just get a plain old fashioned donut. That way I'm not also getting all the calories and sugar from the glaze/icing.

Other than that, I also stay away from things I know I shouldn't be eating too much of by planning out healthier treats for myself. Find something that tastes delicious and sinful, but isn't actually as bad as some other things. Then whenever you want a trigger food (donuts) tell yourself that you don't want it because you're going to have your other desert later.

There are so many healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods, you just gotta find them. Just make changes where you can. If you want pizza, grab some pita bread, smear a small amount of sauce on it, and sprinkle some cheese on. I just did that the other day, and it was pretty tasty. It wasn't as good as a normal pizza, but it was sure good enough to cure my craving.

adrikozuch

My trigger food is Hot Cheetos. Oh man, I could sit down for an hour watching tv then look down to find myself covered in Cheeto dust and red fingers. I've tried countless times to cut it out of my diet completely but every single time there would be a moment of weakness and I would binge on two or three bags at a time. Since then, I've realized that the best option for me is to allow myself to indulge every once in a while (about once a week). And I manage my binging issue by pre-portioning the bag as soon as I buy it. One bag = about 6 portions. Even if I only make it last 6 days, that is still better than inhaling an entire bag in one sitting.

Try pre-portioning your favorite food and see if that helps. There is a sense of comfort knowing you can still enjoy these foods without the consequence of gaining weight if done in moderation.

neandermagnon

It often *isn't* the first step in learning moderation, that's the problem. People usually think that it is, but it isn't. It generally makes the problem worse, not better. And your comment about cheetos kind of proves that really. Banning yourself from eating it isn't making this problem go away, because you still can't control yourself around cheetos, to the extent that you ask your friends not to bring cheetos round to your house at all.

In my opinion, not having to tell people not to bring certain foods to my house is better than having to do that. I'm not saying it's something you *have to* learn *or else* or anything like that.... but surely you can appreciate that overcoming this problem completely, as in learning how to just have a small portion of cheetos would represent personal growth...? Maybe you've chosen to not do that, that's your choice. But I think it's important for people who have this problem to realise that there are alternative, and better, choices to just banning themselves from eating these "trigger foods" and that banning themselves from eating them can make the problem worse, and that it doesn't solve the problem. Additionally, the psychological impact of calling a food a "trigger food" is basically allowing that food to have control over you.... people should not be controlled by food. Food should be controlled by people. And that control is something that can be learned.

No, honestly I wouldn't see eating Cheetos in moderation was any type of personal growth. I don't normally think of any food in that way. Though I think I might feel something akin to personal growth when I finally perfect a recipe.

Perhaps if I'd had some type of eating disorder then I could see that, but you know, it's just a chip I find hard to stop eating once I start. So I don't start. I don’t want to eat 10 Cheetos. I’d rather eat zero Cheetos. Seriously seems like we're romanticizing food a little too much.

Edit: remove wall of text, it's all up there in other posts.

no I'm not... quite the opposite. stopping seeing certain foods as special/forbidden is what enabled this major shift in attitudes towards the food.

seriously, I used to have a problem with overeating and it was with a lot of foods, chocolate and other sweets being the main ones. The fact that right now I have 3 large size cadbury's bars in my fridge, one of them partially open, the others untouched, and they've been like that for at least a couple of weeks now, when in the past they'd all have been gone within a day.... yes that's personal growth. Because I can take or leave the chocolate, and still enjoy it when I want to.

I really like the taste of chocolate... nowadays I enjoy the taste of it and stay within my calories. In the past I massively overate on it and would never have been able to have chocolate in the house without eating all of it. Yep I didn't do that when it wasn't in the house, but when I did have chocolate, I had no control over it. Banning myself from eating chocolate (which is what I did mostly for many years) did not work. Changing my mentality towards it, i.e. stopping viewing it as this forbidden food that I wasn't allowed, and allowing myself to have it (and the other foods I had this problem with) whenever I wanted (but had to adjust my calories to fit it in) totally changed my behaviour around all these foods.

It wasn't binge eating at an eating disorder level, it was just an inability to have it in the house or on my person without eating it all in a short time frame. And if friends offered me sweets or similar, I was a total fiend for it, I couldn't say no, I'd have it every time.

Maybe this kind of overeating isn't a big issue for you because it's only a small number of foods. But for me it was a lot of different foods, and foods that I enjoyed, and most of them I still enjoy these days (not all of them, because some like donuts I've found I don't really like that much, but I haven't banned myself from eating them, I just don't want to eat them).... but that sense of "gotta eat it all NOW" has completely gone away, and I can eat these foods in quantities where I can savour and appreciate the taste, without that urge to eat all the rest of it, then put the food away and eat the rest later (which for stuff like sweets or frozen things like ice cream may not be for another couple of weeks).

BTW the only reason why I currently have 3 large bars of the chocolate was because it was on special offer... usually I don't even buy it in that large quantities because it takes a long time to get through it all, because I don't have that urge to eat it all at once any more... I have a little when I fancy it and leave it the rest of the time. The last time couple of times I went to the supermarket, I didn't buy any chocolate, because I still have those three bars (well, currently about 2 and a quarter bars)... so it's saving me money too.

Really that is personal growth, it is learning self control around food. All kinds of food.

It's interesting that in the Arabic language, the word "haram" can mean either sacred or forbidden, depending on the context. Because forbidding things makes them special, and that gives them power over you.

Serah87

Just eat breakfast.

+1

OP why are you not eating breakfast.

paulawatkins1974

I would recommend eating those foods in moderation so they don't become "trigger" foods

Generally, when someone says "trigger food" they mean a food they find it nearly impossible to eat in moderation. It "triggers" them to overeat. If you can moderate your intake then it's not a trigger.

Drivel absolute drivel.


The term "trigger food" is just another excuse to prevent someone to actually change and take control of their lives.

Time to stop making excuses!

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:

Where does anyone say to force yourself to eat anything.

Op apparently wants to eat these foods. Why not eat them, in moderation, and enjoy them?
Why cut out foods you want to eat?

I eat a serving of chips/candy, whatever you consider a "trigger food". It's not just a little bit, it's enough for me to enjoy, and save the rest for the next time.


Stop arguing for the sake of arguing, it's getting old.

People are missing the learning curve part of this. It's a process. yes, one just simply needs to learn moderation. But, you don't just say, "Oh, ok, I'm going to moderate now." It's a process of constantly trying and screwing up massively, then trying and screwing up. A few years later, you're moderating pretty good, but still slip. A few years after that, you got it under control. It's a long learning process.

I disagree. Do or do not, there is no try.

this is ridiculous. And you know it. You just want to argue behind a keyboard. It is a ridiculous thing to suggest or say. Absolutely ridiculous. It is a learning process no matter how awesome you are about just doing whatever the hell you want at any time.

I agree with this. Anyone who's on here because they're overweight, were NOT able to practice moderation from the get-go. Otherwise they never would've been overweight.

mamaomefo

I just don't buy them...makes it much easier at home.

tennisdude2004

I need help on figuring out good substitutes for my trigger foods.
My trigger foods are usually pizza, donuts, cake/cookies/pies/baked treats, and potato chips. Does anyone know any good substitutes to these foods? What are your trigger foods and how do you derail the cravings without giving in?

I would say go cold turkey - but for me cold turkey is a trigger food!

I have had success getting to a point of moderation by eliminating certain foods for about a month and then slowly re-introducing.

Although in a lot of cases the foods I eliminated for over a month, I found I didn't really fancy re-introducing them as they had lost tree appeal!

asdowe13

It often *isn't* the first step in learning moderation, that's the problem. People usually think that it is, but it isn't. It generally makes the problem worse, not better. And your comment about cheetos kind of proves that really. Banning yourself from eating it isn't making this problem go away, because you still can't control yourself around cheetos, to the extent that you ask your friends not to bring cheetos round to your house at all.

In my opinion, not having to tell people not to bring certain foods to my house is better than having to do that. I'm not saying it's something you *have to* learn *or else* or anything like that.... but surely you can appreciate that overcoming this problem completely, as in learning how to just have a small portion of cheetos would represent personal growth...? Maybe you've chosen to not do that, that's your choice. But I think it's important for people who have this problem to realise that there are alternative, and better, choices to just banning themselves from eating these "trigger foods" and that banning themselves from eating them can make the problem worse, and that it doesn't solve the problem. Additionally, the psychological impact of calling a food a "trigger food" is basically allowing that food to have control over you.... people should not be controlled by food. Food should be controlled by people. And that control is something that can be learned.

No, honestly I wouldn't see eating Cheetos in moderation was any type of personal growth. I don't normally think of any food in that way. Though I think I might feel something akin to personal growth when I finally perfect a recipe.

Perhaps if I'd had some type of eating disorder then I could see that, but you know, it's just a chip I find hard to stop eating once I start. So I don't start. I don’t want to eat 10 Cheetos. I’d rather eat zero Cheetos. Seriously seems like we're romanticizing food a little too much.

Edit: remove wall of text, it's all up there in other posts.

Seems like you are demonizing food too much!

Food isn't the problem here.

SideSteel

In my opinion, short term elimination or avoidance of foods that you know are going to be significantly difficult to moderate, is a reasonable course of action.