I can’t agree with you more on the pasta being your trigger food. My mum makes pasta all the time for dinner as it is quick and easy, my dad and I often take it to work for lunch. As the containers we have to put the pasta in range in different sizes I try to stay away from them as much as possible and only resorting to pasta if I completely run out of time. More often than not I will make my salad before I go to bed the night before. Ham, cheese, snow peas, mushrooms, tomato, cucumber and lettuce. And pack it all into one of the smallest containers I can find.
Previously, I made a short and sweet post that was very well received (hundreds of comments and counting) called The Best Diet Tip EVER.
In that tip, we talked about the simplest way to avoid temptation and cravings—don’t have it in the house.
Simply put, if it’s not available, it’s not a temptation.
But today’s tip digs a little deeper.
Did you know that even “healthy” foods can be a problem for some people? There are certain foods—and it’s an individual thing—that once you start eating them, it’s very hard to stop.
For me, it’s pasta. Sure, I’ll cook the whole wheat variety and sit down to a “healthy” meal, but unless I specifically portion out the amount I’m going to eat, I can easily end up downing half the box or more.
You see, if I’m not careful, “healthy” can easily turn into a massive calorie overload sent straight to my waistline.
These foods—those “Pringles” once-you-pop-you-can’t-stop foods—are what I refer to as “trigger foods” and if you’re going to consume them, you need to do so with a little bit of caution.
Here are just a couple trigger food tips:
1. Only consume trigger foods as an “individual” meal, not with the family. This allows you to cook (or reheat) an individual portion, and not be tempted by a huge serving bowl in front of you.
2. If you are cooking one of your trigger foods as a family meal, measure out a single portion and remove the serving bowl from the table. Tell your significant other “I’m not having seconds; hold me to it.” A little accountability goes a long way.
3. Never eat trigger foods directly from the box/bag/container. Always measure out a specific portion and then store the rest.
Do you have a “healthy” trigger food? Let me know by commenting below!
I’ll bet you anything it’s a carbohydrate of some sort ;)
Talk to you in the comments section!
Joel
P.S. Want to learn some VERY smart food choices for weight loss (and even some “healthy” foods that you should NEVER eat)? My good friend Isabel gives you the details in her video here:
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I have two that are healthy, but only as a supplement ot other protein or added to salads, etc. Dry Roasted Soy nuts adn Wasabi peas.
The problem is ONE serving. Only about a hundred calories, so by themselves not bad. However, eating them out of the container (see #3 above) is a killer. Before I know it half or all the container is gone … YIKES!
I do mybest to portion control them out of the box and then put the extra portions out of site so getting them to eat has to be intentional. This gives my brain enough time to porcess the choice before cluelessly eatign the whole thing.
In Australia we have this cereal called Weet-bix (whole grain, no added sugar, no oils, no additives)… I could eat the whole damn box!
Originally Posted By Juliofor me it’s always been wheat thins the original flavored ones
Dude I have eaten a whole box many a times.. I know EXACTLY how you feel
Ice cream ice cream ice cream.
Hmm, “healthy” trigger foods? Pop corn *can* be healthy, but I seriously can’t make myself stop eating it until it’s all gone… so I avoid microwave popcorn, and pop it myself. Make less = eat less.
I’m also a Triscuit binger … Triscuits and any soft cheese on top, or even just some greek olive oil drizzled on them. I just can’t buy Triscuits. Very sad.
Cut veggies with dip also. I’m going to try making a homemade buttermilk-herb dip that will at least be lower cal than the ranch I like to use.
The comment about dips and dressings being a problem was waaaay back up there, but I might as well still share a dip I “discovered” recently. I’m a vegetarian, so I’m always looking for new ways to get protein. I started thinking, wouldn’t it be awesome if I could make a dip that was mostly protein, so I could just slather tons of it on veggies and get my protein for a meal. This is what I ended up with: take some nonfat greek yogurt (the real stuff, which unlike all other yogurt in the store, has substantially more protein than carbs). Mix in skim milk until it’s the consistency that you want. Then add powdered ranch mix to taste. There you have it: fat free, high protein ranch dip, it just tastes a bit more sour than normal ranch. As for my trigger, I’ll supply another vote for wheat thins. @Rae –
Nuts, because their good for you so you have them as snack but if you dont take a portion out…..
Cereal, hands down.
I sit down with the intention of eating just ONE bowl, which quite often turns into 2 bowls, then 3, then 4….
and i don’t stop until either
1) my stomach is about to burst, or
2) i’ve run out of milk/finished the box.
it’s TERRIBLE!
My trigger is fruit, especially apples. I could eat a bag of them a day. Also cheese and cereal. I love snacking on cereal, although I don’t keep it in the house anymore!
Well, when I eat peanuts, I can’t really stop :)
Originally Posted By BJNormally a low carber, I’ve been trying to incorporate oatmeal into my diet to help lower my cholesterol. I make my oatmeal with a couple tablespoons of ground flax, a bunch of cinnamon, and no sugar, yet still it sets off those killer cravings.
I have til the end of June to lower my cholesterol naturally, and if it doesn’t happen then statins are in my future.
I’m not sure how best to handle this…
My doctor “prescribed” Niacin 1200 mg/day, Omega-3 2g/day (aka EPA/DHA), Vitamin D 2000 IU/day, Green Tea, Chromium, 30 minutes exercise/day. My cholesterol dropped like a rock. My triglycerides also improved significantly. Statins are dangerous.
My doctor “prescribed” Niacin (1200 mg/day), Omega-3 (2 gm/day), Vitamin D (2000 IU/day), Chromium, Green tea, exercise (30 minutes/day). My cholesterol dropped like a rock.
Healthy foods I have trouble “portioning” include mixed nuts, cheese, pickles and the aformentioned Christie’s wheat thins.
Trigger food for me is dark chocolate!
Avocado!
I all ready said avocado, but whit rice is probably bigger for me. That is what I get for being half Filipino.
Raw nuts (any kind), It’s hard to stop at a handful. I also love oatmeal but I like to have brown sugar on it!
The empty carbs get me every time – cookies and candy, especially chocolate, are the worst.
Definitly Beer
@Aussie Linda –
Hi Linda
I’m in Australia too… the lemon and salt helps to stop bad bacteria, but that was why i suggested a time range. In the humid tropics fermentation would be well under way within six hours, experiment. What you’re after is just the slightest beery/winey smell. Aids digestion and lowers cholesterol.
Chistine *->
Oh my goodness…! Reading all these comments is making me crave for them… Especially the waffle with peanut butter.
By the way, my healthy trigger food? Will be fruits. Once I eat them, I’ll always need and want second helpings. It’s so hard to stop. Especially when I’m hungry.
banana-oat cookies wth peanut butter
Raw unsalted pumpkin seeds…….. can’t get enough!
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...