Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Trigger Foods

The further I get into my weight loss, the more self-control I'm developing, but there are still some foods that I have to avoid overdoing. I like to call them trigger foods. The foods that I still have a lot of difficulty with. When I'm presented with the opportunity to eat these foods, I have a very hard time saying no, and when I do eat them, I have an even harder time stopping once I'm good and full. I've also found that the more I have them, the more I crave them, and it becomes harder to listen to the rational part of my brain that tells me I don't need it.

When I've been successful with staying away from my trigger foods, keeping to my meal plans and daily kilojoule intake is significantly easier. But, if they're around, it's almost like I revert straight back to the eating habits I had 5 months ago. Over the past couple of weeks while I wasn't really watching my eating as much, I indulged in some of these trigger foods, and I found it really hard to give them up again. It reinforced to me that this is a long and slow process, and that weight loss isn't the only measure of how far I've come. If I want to reach a place where I'm truly healthy and happy, I need to focus on changing my mind, as well as my shape. I may always have compulsive feelings towards food, but I want to work towards breaking that down as much as I can, while building on my ability to counteract it.

Here are some of my biggest triggers:

Dinner with Lourdie Szechuan Garden February 16, 2012 5

Chinese food. I love chinese food. Specifically Chow Mein and fried Dim Sims, but almost any will do.

Mmmmm Chocolate [274/366]

Chocolate. The darker the better. A little chocolate is ok, but I just cannot have any in the house. It never lasts more than a day or two between the fiance and I.

Pizza

Pizza. It's just too easy to eat WAY too many slices of pizza. Doesn't help that it's usually covered in delicious cheese.

Right now my plan of attack is to abstain from my trigger foods for a while. Let myself dry out a little. I have no doubt that I will eat them again, and I really do believe that it's fine to have them in moderation. I'm not at the point where moderation with these foods is easy, but I'm working on it.

Do you have any trigger foods? If so, what are they and how do you stop them from becoming a problem?

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6 comments:

  1. J.D. Pounds22 May 2013 at 01:09

    I have a bunch of trigger foods, all the foods that trigger the addict in you do the same to me, plus about a thousand more. I am still pretty much powerless against Fried Chicken and Cheesecake.

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  2. Rylie Ellen22 May 2013 at 01:19

    It's bad isn't it! Don't worry, I have plenty more than just these too. I think I'm lucky that I pretty much can't get good fried chicken where I am in Australia. I'm with you on cheesecake though :)

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  3. Marta Murray22 May 2013 at 03:11

    You know, when you really relly crave the trigger foods I usually make my own substitue. Pita pizza is wonderfull not only you a) know how much stuff you are putting - hello the kilojoule knowledge, b) portion control - ater all a little pitta bread with a little souce, cheese and few vegies (to make it green) toasted in an oven is not really such a bad snack/lunch/dinner at all, c) you get to eat what you love with the sense that it is actually within the margines of the amount of kilojules you have assigned for the meal. Chockolate can be nicely substituted with a little cocoa powder and as of chinese - WOK and LOTS of veggies will be your ultimate friens. After all veggies is a definite yes, a cup of rice is in the diet plan......rather than adding some extra kalorie filled souce substitues http://its-just-a-little-blog.blogspot.de/2012/08/skinny-lo-mein.html Internet is full with skinny equivalent of all the chinese. Plus you get to cook something awesome for the fiancé and have a date night in. It doesn't get better than that :D Good luck and you are my inspiration :D

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  4. Kari S25 May 2013 at 05:39

    I know I still have a problem giving up the foods I tend to crave too often. They are mainly Chinese food, cheeseburgers and fries as well as desserts. I too believe that in moderation, these foods are not bad but the problem comes when I am consuming them way to much than to be considered moderation. At this point, I just eat those foods so I can take care of the cravings and don't worry about it until they (if they do) start up again. It does take self control to get things down to the level of moderation but it seems that you are taking a good approach when it comes to working on eating those foods in moderation.

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  5. Rylie Ellen27 May 2013 at 00:34

    That's actually a really good idea, thanks! I haven't made my own pizzas in years, it could be fun :)

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  6. Rylie Ellen27 May 2013 at 00:36

    It's hard isn't it. I didn't realise how strong certain foods had a hold on me until I tried to cut down on them.

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