Trigger Foods in House?

theresejoyce

Hi,
I have been in OA a few months now but still am not abstinent. I will have a day or two when I am but then I become compulsive in my eating again. One problem I know I have is having trigger foods in the house. I justify them being there by saying that my family deserves to have treats in the house even if I can't have them! But then I do end up eating them - who am I fooling? So I am looking for suggestions on how others handle this. And what do you keep in the house for your family? My kids complain when there is "nothing" for them to eat (ie. cookies, etc.) . Thanks for your help!
Therese

vatblack

This is a tricky situation for all the parents I have spoken to in OA. Many of us feel that our spouses and children won't have to do without it. What my husband does is hide the food when I ask him too. There are times when I simply ask him not to have anything in the house... that he and the children can go out to have a treat and come back afterwards. When I'm strong, they can be in the house... when I start feeling vulnerable, I ask him to get rid of it.

theresejoyce

That is a good idea! I have thought of asking him to hide it. I also like the idea of him and the kids going out for a treat. I mean it's not like they need to eat sweets anyway but it is something they have gotten used to. Thanks for the feedback!

vatblack

I have also joked with them and said they have to work off the treat and therefore they have to go after it. They understand my predicament, the kids are old enough and the youngest one doesn't care.

However, I have to say that there are some treats that I allow myself. They are things I have proven to myself that I do not overeat on and can go without if need be. I am not completely in agreement with OA that there are specific trigger food. I can overeat on tomatoes if I am in a hate-eating phase. However, there are definitely trigger situations and set-ups. I am more aware of those than the actual foods. There is, FOR ME, truly not one food that trips me up.

And, having said that, I also know that when I am vulnerable there are certain things I'd reach for first. The don't trigger me, but they are used as medicine/tools of punishment, so I try to keep those out of the house.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs here. The bottom line is: some foods I can have in the house and some I can't.

casi_ann

This is a good question. So far, I haven't even figured out what my trigger foods are or even if I have a trigger food. It isn't really trigger foods that hurt my abstinence it is more trigger behaviors that cause me to compulsively eat. If I have a food plan and even go off of it slightly I tend to not stop. Something in my head clicks and says, well you broke program, you ruined the day, I'll just start again tomorrow. The biggest problem with this is when tomorrow comes, I almost never go back on program and continue to eat until i gain back all my weight i lost and than some. I know it is crazy to think i ruined the day because I ate one thing off program, but this is my crazy thinking and it happens again and again. So, instead of not bringing certain foods in my home, I write down what I'm going to eat that day for each meal and one snack before I sit down and eat, make sure i have the calories and enjoy it. I also have to make sure i have enough fiber, vegetables, fruits, protein, dairy etc… This prevents me from eating foods that are not healthy. If I have the calories I'll allow myself to eat what I want, but I tend to eat the low fat, low calorie, high fiber and more nutritious versions of these foods to get in what I need for the day. So far this seems to be working for me. I believe that my hp is leading me to follow this way of doing things and I know that this is how i need to do it the rest of my life.

gillleeman

Yes a very good question. I can't remember asking for them to be hidden from me, and at times did binge on them myself. But I do remember buying myself some 'treat' food of my own and asking them to not eat it because its mine. I do remember asking them not to eat the trigger foods in front of me sometimes, when I was feeling particularly low and unsafe.

I did go for a long period of totally abstaining from sugar, but now gradually have added it back into my eating plan. I also have trigger behaviours and can easily binge on most foods like other posts have said.

Don't feel I've helped much, but there is one person who can and thats your HP :happy: ask him what you should do. :happy: