What Are Your Trigger Foods?

[Jonathan Blue 311]

I can taste it now! It's chewy with a slightly crisp outside. The sweetness dances across my tongue as I let it linger there for just a moment or two. I savor each and every bite. The feel of the thick sugar crystals in my mouth. The glass of cool milk flowing over my tongue, wiping my pallet clean to be able to savor round two completely from scratch. For me it is pure ecstasy.

Did I make you hungry? Do you know what food I am talking about?

I am talking about my number one trigger food of all time: Sugar Cookies. I could eat them on a train, I could eat them in the rain. I could eat them here or there...I think you get my point. I love them to death. Actually, they almost did kill me because I got fat eating them. Trigger foods are the foods that will ruin your diet because, as soon as they touch your tongue, you are transported back to a time that they made you feel comfortable and you begin to eat your way through that feeling. By doing this you will ruin all the hard work you have put in so far. Hence the name, they trigger you into a relapse on good habits.

We all have trigger foods. They are the foods that when we have a bad day , are feeling a little lonely, or maybe just cause, that we go to for comfort. It gets to the point with these foods that we dream about them. We fantasize about them. We even talk about them the way we would a lover. If you always find yourself sneaking food or even lying about how much you have eating, that is a definite sign you have found a trigger food for you. It seems a little weird when you think about it, but these trigger foods are taking away your hard earned weight loss results and depriving you of the amazing body you deserve.

Why do we crave these foods?

Some would argue that it is chemical. That the serotonin spike in our brains cause by certain foods that are different for everyone cause us to fall hopelessly addicted to the. It is the need to get that fix again just like a junkie trying to shoot up. When you are feeling lonely, or depressed, unloved, and miserable the chemical boost to your system alleviates the emotional pain you feel inside. It's like a pacifier for adults. Have you ever caught yourself tired, crying, or stressed and you reach for the Cookies, ice cream, chips, or even beer? The famous ad campaign for Lay's potato chips goes, "Bet you can't eat just one." I can't think of a better way to describe it.

Some people would also say environment has an effect on your need to overeat. I agree that the way you learned to deal with stress and loss in your family may well have shaped how you use food, but I also argue that it had more of an effect on what trigger foods you have. I bet if you thought about what are your go to foods, they were ones you had on a regular basis when you were younger or for specific events and holidays. In my house growing up, every Friday night was pizza night and every Sunday night was snack night. Still to this day, at both of those times I have a much stronger desire to eat these foods compared to any other day of the week.

However these foods became your triggers, the big thing to keep in mind is that you need to avoid them or learn to be triggered by healthier versions of these foods. The easiest way to start off is to cut yourself off entirely. You need to allow yourself to go through withdrawal. It is definitely not easy, but it will be one of the best things for you. Take the time to go cold turkey and every time you feel like giving in, do something physically active. Go for a run. Walk around the block. Punch a donkey in the spleen. Just get your mind off of it. Over time you will find you don't think about it as much.

When I finally decided to have weight loss surgery, I cut myself off from sugar cookies completely during that time. The only exception was when I ate them as a part of my bucket list. I did purposely save them for last so I wouldn't have as much of a choice in giving in to temptation if I was just days away from surgery. If you are not trying to prepare for a surgery and are just trying to eat healthier or lose weight, then once you have gotten past where the cravings are so intense, you can begin experimenting with finding a healthier alternative. For example, I have found that I enjoy creating a sugar free sugar cookie using a sugar free cake mix and I eat one or two cookies instead of twelve.

The biggest thing I can tell you is that discovering these foods that are your go to foods, the ones you overeat to the point of almost being sick every time. These are the foods that will ruin your diet and take away from all the hard work you have put in. I can promise you, if you figure out what these foods are for you and you enact a plan to handle the cravings, then you will be successful.

My challenge for you today is to come clean about what your trigger foods are and then to suggest a plan on how you intend to handle them. Putting it out there for everyone is just another way of admitting you have a problem and as most 12 step programs will tell you, it is the begging of healing.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Jonathan Blue

[gahannagal 31]

I will admit I thought I would have trouble with Butter, bread and sugars. I am extremely lucky and am not having any cravings. I have though had a little taste of some of these things. I have taken little tiny bites and its good enough. Mentally right now I am doing everything I can to just say no so I don't start wanting to eat them again. I am trying to substitute new items that I can eat instead. So I found dark chocolate dusted almonds. We can have about 12 to stay in my 6 grams fat and 6 sugars. They have blueberry dusted too! I bought spray butter to use on my veggies so i get some taste. I found a recipe for Almond flour sour cream and chive crackers. These crackers are very filling. They take the desire for chips away. This web page has lots of other good choices. You just have to watch the recipe. I think I am trying the lemon thingies next: http://www.lowcarbsosimple.com/fluffy-little-lemon-thingies. I hope this helps someone else through this journey!

[Mommabird 367]

I am still pre-op, but my trigger foods are starchy carbs. Crackers, chips, breads of any kind, potatoes, Cookies, cake, you get the idea. I was given a copy of my post - op diet and am glad to see that I won't have to deal with any starchy carbs for at least six months after I have my RNY. I'm still in my mandated weight loss program and have one more weigh-in to go. I have to tell you, I could practically taste those sugar cookies!

[finallyaloser 48]

Have to admit, hardest thing I've had to do is sit in the car with my husband and kids as they eat Rally's and I just drink Water. I would almost kill for a burger!

[gsilisa 2]

Hi,

I also must admit that Cookies are my biggest downfall. After I had my surgery, I still had a craving for them. I had a fantasy of just chewing one up and spitting it out so I could get the flavor and sensation. I didn't do it - Thank Goodness! It was just better to go cold turkey. It has been more than seven months after my conversion from lap band to gastric bypass and I am doing well. I stay away from Cookies and I am very aware of when I start to substitute crackers for cookies and I stop myself with a glance of a picture of what I used to look like or by remembering how sick I was. My advice is to be truthful to yourself. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can just have one. We all know that we can't have just one or we wouldn't be here.

[mrsaizsha_101 23]

I looooooove buffalo wings, extra crispy with lots of blue cheese dressing!!! Or maybe a strawberry milk shake! Im 2wks post op and I even though I think about those foods I would love to just have a salad but im still on Soups, ugh.

[gahannagal 31]

Hi I went to the health food store here in town tonight. We have purchased Benitos before they are pinto/white/black bean chips. You only need a couple and you get the crunch and taste of chips. They are loaded with Protein. Do watch your nutrition label to be sure it is in your program. I bought some Lentil chips to try. Again you really have to control what you eat. I suggest you put a serving in a zip bag. They fill you so fast. Be careful and not eat to many or you will make yourself sick. I know benitos are at Kroger now too!

[Marathongirl 106]

pretzels. I could eat them at every meal! I am letting myself have them at least once a week. I just go out and buy a snack size bag, and I'm good. I thought I would miss my coke zero more, but what I really miss are my pretzels

[epiphani 28]

My trigger foods are bread and starchy foods. And when I eat them... I want more. Fortunately, my difficulty transitioning to solid foods has ensured that these are not even a consideration at this point. It's not even a concern about losing weight.... I just can hardly tolerate any solids... so I am sure not going to mess with anything that is not going to be healthy and more likely to clog things up!

[ladypoohbear 123]

chocolate and brussel sprouts. Together they are pretty good.