I honestly do NOT understand...

nyboer · July 2013

...how someone (not me) is able to STOP eating chips or bugles or cookies (insert trigger food here.) My trigger food: potato chips - or anything salty really. If there is a bag or box of something salty in the house I cannot NOT finish the entire bag or box. I am baffled by people that can eat just a few. My husband, for example, will eat just 4 or 5 chips and that's enough for him - I sit and look at him with awe. I generally don't have my "trigger" foods in the house but last week was a bad week and I went on an emotional eating roller coaster of a ride which culimanated in my finishing ALL chips in the house last night (not logged - too ashamed) and polishing off a bottle of wine (logged.) So, how do YOU manage to not totally inhale your trigger foods? I would LOVE suggestions/ideas/advice! My waist begs you!

cartoontree · July 2013

I can't stop eating chocolate! Major help needed - Think my will power is the worst!

TribeHokie · July 2013

It isn't easy. My triggers used to be pizza and chocolate. Now that alcohol is in my life it has become my trigger and I don't have a problem turning down the pizza and chocolate. Not saying that you can necessarily switch your danger food, more thinking that I don't believe there is anyone who has ZERO triggers. It is more a matter of building up the willpower to resist. Right now I am learning how to have a single glass of wine in the evening. I don't always succeed, but the days that I do are slowly getting to be greater in number than the days that I don't. For me, I have to learn how to live with a vice because I know I can't avoid it forever, and I accept that this will involve some trial and error.

megalin9 · July 2013

I have lots of trigger foods, but ice cream is probably my biggest. I have been at this for almost 2 years now, and one of the biggest self-discoveries I've made is that meal timing and diet adherence are HUGE for me.

I was always hungry in the evenings, no matter how much I had during the day, and I ALWAYS wanted dessert. It didn't matter if I didn't have room in my calories for more food and dessert, I ate them anyway, which resulted in no weight loss for weeks/months. So I am now doing a modified version of Intermittent Fasting (modified only because I break my fast with a 90-calorie coffee in the mornings) where I don't eat breakfast and have lots of calories left over in the evenings for the huge dinner and dessert I crave. It's easier for me to go without breakfast than it is to stop munching and say No to dessert in the evenings.

I am MUCH happier now, and the scale is moving again.

My advice would be to make some modifications to your diet so that you can fit in the things that you love, since that is more likely to make you adhere to your plan than completely restricting them will. And if you are able to make room for them, don't eat the whole bag.

dlionsmane · July 2013

The way I did it.. I don't know how it would work for others... I measured out a serving - per the package instructions - and then ate just the actual serving size and LOGGED it.... then you see it in the numbers you go... "Whoa! ok.. enough of that!"
IDK - it works for me most of the time..
I need chocolate.. I mean NEED so, I made sure I am allowed to have it every day. I would not make it through this if I couldn't, so again I measure (2 tbsp of mini chocolate chips) into a plastic snack cup and take that to work with me everyday. Some days I have more when I get home, but not always. Most of the time that is enough.

Try different things, replace the chips with popcorn maybe? You look amazing and are doing great so maybe it's not that bad anyway if you are not doing it everyday?

TangledUp_InBlue · July 2013

Mmmmm….Bugles.

happyheathen927 · July 2013

I have a potato chip problem myself. :embarassed: I rarely, rarely bring them into the house now. It's just easier. The only way I can stop myself from not eating the whole bag when we DO have them is to measure out a serving and then put the rest of the bag away, in a cabinet I don't normally go into.

It works most of the time, but it was a long hard battle to get there and for years (yup, I said YEARS) we just didn't have them in the house.

doubleduofa · July 2013

I don't understand it either. I don't believe in "everything in moderation" from the get go. It's taken years, a lot of journaling, and a lot of reading for me to have a semi-normal relationship with "binge" foods. I'm an emotional eater, so I worked on it. I worked hard to identify emotions and find other outlets for them. Generally cleaning up my diet - eating more fruits, veggies, organic meats, and healthy fats really helped curb cravings. It's a sllllooooooooooooww process though. You must be patient. Resetting your brain chemistry is not a easy task.

I can still easily eat 2 cups of ice cream, but at least I don't eat the whole half gallon anymore, and I only eat it once every few weeks. Somethings, I just gave up. Gluten seems to be a big trigger food for me, so I gave it up - and along with it, a whole host of trigger foods that are made with it. I like dark chocolate, it satisfies my sweet tooth, but I don't binge on it really. I might have the whole bar instead of the 4 pieces I originally took, but I don't eat like 5 of them. I don't keep binge foods in the house. I don't even let myself buy them at the grocery store...if there is a question about it, I don't buy it.

acollis1 · July 2013

How about small individual serving bags? That way you get to eat the whole bag, but still be good! Dessert is my problem, I have solved this by making a protein shake in the evenings when I get the urge to raid my pantry! Also don't make certain foods "off limits" for me that makes me want them more! Everything in moderation

PippiNe · July 2013

Peanut butter is my trigger. Love it in candy, peanut butter & chocolate chips, on bread, with fruit etc. It is always in our house because who can have 5 kids and not have an occasional peanut butter sandwich meal?? I try to limit eating it to early in my day (like 1 slice of pb toast for breakfast). My willpower is greater in the morning. If I do happen to go overboard, I have the rest of the day to compensate with healthier, low calorie choices. Maybe allowing yourself to have your chips with a small sandwich at lunchtime would prevent overindulging and reduce your nighttime craving for them? Works for me, hope this helps you

)

Melissa22G · July 2013

After reading this....

At first I was like huh?

And then I was like- they still make Bugles?

And I was like, girl, why you gotta punish yo man cos you can't control yo self? And that was with a few finger snaps.

Have a great day.

:flowerforyou:

saxmaniac · July 2013

One poster said he conquered this by telling himself "I'll have another... in 1/2 hour" and then after 1/2 hour passed, most of the time he would forget. It's a powerful technique that works.

So, put it down, walk away, and say "I'll have more later".

I think any food like chips, pretzels, or anything you eat a tiny bit at a time are quite difficult to stop eating. You know those "fun size" chocolate bars? Oh, they're not that many calories, and so you eat 1, then 2, then 19.

jackpotclown · July 2013

so.....once you pop.....you can't stop??? \m/

getting_fit86 · July 2013

Oh I am the same. If there are chips I feel like I just need to snarf down the whole bag. My boyfriend will eat 4-5 and go "i'm not hungry anymore". its like WHAT?????????

skullshank · July 2013

i love putting bugles on my fingers and running around like a gremlin as i eat them off, one by one.
theyre SO good!

oh sorry.....advice.....hmmmm

you dont have to stop altogether...just fit them into your daily allowance of calories/macros.
you just have to want it bad enough.

chrisloveslife · July 2013

The white cheddar smart pop popcorn is definitley my trigger food. I could probably eat an entire 6 serving bag in one sitting.

jlapey · July 2013

I just don't keep them in the house. If I want them bad enough, I have to go out of my way to get them.

bethcw1 · July 2013

UGH - I can relate. I bought a bag of snack size York Peppermint Patties so I could enjoy one 50 cal. sweet craving at the 3:00 slump. Well, it is now 3:43, and I have just polished off 7 of them for a whooping 350 cal. Worse than the calories is the fact that there is no way I will be able to correct my macros for the day. UGH. I cannot eat "Just one" and totally envy those who can!!!

jackiejones205 · July 2013

I'm glad I'm not alone. Sometimes, I think I actually have an eating addiction. It's like I can't say no. So recently my husband and I have agreed that no junk food is allowed in the house. Not even for the kids. It's been almost a week so it's still new. But when I went to two parties this weekend I had to make sure I kept my bottle of water in my hand as my reminder and I only ate the meats. But it was very difficult. The thing that keeps me going is seeing it pay off, even if it's half a pound.