For me It’s rice in the morning, rice in between, rice in lunch, rice in the evening. I can’t live without rice this is where I get my energy from, that’s why I can’t live without rice haha!
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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Like Andrew, it’s grapes. Dried fruit, too (probably due to the extra sugar in most). The dried mangoes from CostCo!
Pasta, pasta and more pasta. I love it. Doesn’t matter how it is done. I think all my friends know this by now. If we all go out to lunch or dinner, don’t worry to ask what I am having, you said it pasta.
So I try to be a good girl and don’t cook it at home. Save it for the restaurants. Luckily I don’t eat out often LOL
Carbs alright….Lara Bars (!!!) Was devastated when I heard that the peanut butter version received voluntary recall….
peanut butter or cheese.(peanut butter cups are no longer allowed in the house!)
@BJ – Hi BJ. If you don’t already, try and eat fish most days and heaps of vegies to lower cholesterol. Even if you’re overall cholesterol doesn’t go down all that much, it might raise your HDL enough to not have to take a statin.
If you do end up going on a statin, ask for the most effective one (rosuvastatin) and take it only every 2nd day or just during the week, with the weekend off. This will still lower your cholesterol. Not everyone gets side effects from statins, especially if you take a lower dose of the most effective one, as opposed to a high dose of an older drug.
Good luck!
nuts, especially cashews and pistachios, gourmet youghurt, and chocolate – who can stop at 2 squares!?
nuts, especially cashews and pistachios, corn cakes, gourmet youghurt, and chocolate – who can stop at 2 squares!?
Fresh Bread! especially the grainy kind…..yummmmmmy!
Definitely Spag Bol… Is my favourite meal and can eat it till the cows come home… it tastes too good but thankfully my metabolism churns through it just as fast!
Absolutely agree with the Wheat Thins but I love the multi-grain. Or anything whole-wheatish. Cereal is the other one. I live in China so I can’t get it now, but I can eat so many huge bowls before I even begin to feel full! So Joel, you’re right…carbs!
And in response to Geoge’s comment on alcohol, the Bible speaks of wine coupled with things that bring great pleasure such as dinner with good friends, passionate sex within marriage, dwelling in the presence of God. Things that are described as “good” are often called “better than wine” implying that wine is also good. I agree about drinks such as juice or sodas with all the unnatural sugars but wine in moderation as well as beer in moderation is even beneficial to your health.
Mixed Raw Nuts are so tasty and so easy to eat heaps with super high calorie penalties :(
yoghurt covered raisins!!!!!!!!
I have a tendency to eat really fast when I have my meals which of course will lead to overeating even if the food is healthy. I find it useful to weigh my food before I eat so I can just have the right amount of proteins, fats & carbs. I don’t go for seconds. If I’m still hungry, I’ll go for the veggies & fruits for dessert.
I also eat several times a day. Usually every 31/2 – 4 hours. By doing so, I don’t get too hungry and thus avoid overeating.
I usually have boiled peanuts for my after dinner snacks. Again, I weigh them so that I won’t go beyond my daily allocation of protein. I know its weird, but it works for me. It helps me take control.
natural cereal bars are my weekess, they are packed with nuts and dried fruit healthier alternative to other cereal bars or chocolate. I used to crave dried dates but nocked it on the head when i found out that they were high in sugar and contributed to weight gain. After ditching the junk and only eating anything unhealthy in th morning helped me lose that fat around the mid section. Eating high protein foods liek grilled chicken and egg white helped to burn the cals away and create muscle. EAT CHICKEN MORE OFTEN , see the results wow!
natural ceral bars, filled with nuts and dried fruit yum!! And yoghurt with strawberries
peanut butter and nuts. for nuts, I realized I should make 1 oz portions in bags as opposed to digging into the whole can. what’s a strategy for PB? I love Smart Balance PB!
For me its the reduced fat cheez its
My biggest “trigger food” is definitely peanut butter sandwiches. I always used natural peanut butter, whole wheat bread, and fruit preserves with no high fructose corn syrup, but I’m pretty sure that after 5 or 6 sandwiches it doesn’t matter. I also tend to eat these late at night, after I get home from work.
Am I just lucky, or what! I get turned on by salads, and our way (in india) does not require an oil-based salad dressing. Any need to control this trigger?
I have massive craves for sugar+fat combos. But the only solution I have is to have the B***S to keep starving, it is really the best way.
I think that whether you’re doing the cheat to loose diet or a ketogenic diet, you have to have what it takes to smash a goal. Some people can stand going down to single digit bodyfat, some just don’t have what it takes.
For me it’s POPCORN :O)
And if i have it while watching movie………………….
Grapes is one of mine…tried to replace the usual chips or typical snack foods with seedless grapes and if I don’t carefully measure them out I can easily eat a pound or more while watching TV at night…
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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...