I’d love to incorporate more nuts into my diet, but instead of eating just a couple of almonds, I’ll eat the whole bag!
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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Peanut paste…
Bread. Any type. With anything on it – even the really healthy stuff. I’m trying to cut it out of my diet completely and am down to two slices a day.
I’ve banned pasta from our house for the same reason. We might have it once every two months or I buy readymade for the kids If they really want some and I have something else.
for me its Deserts…………bsz seems so beautifull and especially when we finished dinner…….one must have to think abt some sweet…..so for me its deserts…..
Cashew nuts are my downfall. Can’t stop at 10.
Hi all,
I don’t think my problem is unique. I can live on cut up veggies, any kind…but I MUST have a dressing or dip to go with the snack.. A good one that won’t be too fattening.. My daughter insists that ‘any’ kind of dressing//dip is a killer for a diet. but I could never see it–If you just use a small amount. Is that true? Does anyone have a great dip recipe to use with cut up veggies? Like I said said..I could really live on veggies, but am I ruining everything with the dressing//dip I use?? Ditto question with other foods that you need something to go along with. Like sauces and things. Can anyone give me some ideas on what would be the BEST way to eat RAW veggies…Thanx
For me it’s olives or artichokes (fresh, cooked and with a bit of butter).
Sauerkraut.
Prawns in garlic tomato sauce….
Dry roasted almonds do it for me, I love the crunch!
@BJ –
By the way BJ, good way to lower cholesterol is by eating coleslaw with a slightly fermented dressing.
Shredded cabbage (red &/or green, savoy is nice too), grated carrot, grated apple (proportion 8:4:0.5) , olive oil, lemon and a smidgeon of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste, then leave it out of the fridge to sit for 6-12 or even 24 hours. The fermentation process helps break down the cabbage and eating lots of this dropped my cholesterol by half over a 10 week period. You have to judge what level of fermentation suits you…
@BJ –
Because cholesterol comes from animal sources maybe you could try cutting back on your consumption of meat & eggs. I started eating less animal foods 6 months ago and my cholesterol dropped 70 points. I just had my labs done 4 days ago and was happy with the results. I hope this helps you. By the way, no fast foods, such as those sandwich meals at McDonalds.
Mine is not a food but a drink…Beer. Once i drink that first one, it turns into many more. That’s why I try not to drink at all.
My worst health food would be hummus, and peanut butter. If we are talking about anything in general it would be anything spicy, salty meats such as salami and pepperoni, and cheese.
Most nonprocessed foods have lower glycemic loads and that seems to keep me from overeating them. I just need to stay motivated and keep my goal in mind.
CHOCOLATE. The gods’ food. It ‘a drug!
I’m not addicted to carbs – my problem is red meat!
Well funny this post comes up now… I started last night with a bag of vanilla flavoured seeds (trigger) then had a whole plate full of whole weat rusks and topped it off with an entire slab of dark chocolate! After being triggered I basically turned every “healthy treat” in my house into a calorie binge… Now I’m bloated because I’m retaining water and feel 10 times bigger then I did yesterday!
As a Scotsman what would you expect? Porridge oats for breakfast is my problem. First I don’t weigh the amount of oats I put in the pot. When it is ready I add various berries and half a banana. Then just to finish off some honey. I fool myself into beleiving I am doing the right thing but when I actually calculate the calories WOW. Measured portions in the only answer.
For me, trigger foods are the hand-to-mouth (or bite sized) sort… one piece goes in then followed by another and yet another…
Portioning such foods is an amazing lateral idea.
Simple and obvious only in hindsight.
I’m going to implement it hereon..
Thanks so much!
Potatoes in any shape – especially with lots of butter and pepper!
Chocolate, anything chocolately, even the ultra dark 85%+ cocoa solids stuff.
Marzipan is moreish too! Yummy!
At least I now have cheat days!
Woo hooo!
I hate to be difficult (not a carbohydrate), but…grilled meat. Any meat. Got the grill fired up? Brenda will be there flat making a pig of herself–lol! However, I WILL admit that the higher the fat content of the meat, the higher the pigging quotient (especially the crusty heels of roasts). On a side note, Joel, I DO love your dietary program (can’t call it a diet, not with those Cheat Days!), and am enjoying combining it with my workout routine. Thanks for your prep work!
I have a lot of those trigger foods.. Seriously, when it comes to pasta, all natural peanut butter (in my defense only know this because of 1 jar i bought some time ago – haven’t been eating chips, candy, ice cream, popcorn, drinking soda etc. for more than a year).. But what happened was , I found something “healthy” that reminded me of the taste of salted peanuts just better (another thing I haven’t been eating for a looong time), so when I tasted it – I just went berserk ;b Therefore I haven’t had it in the house since.. Also raisin, almonds and dried figs are huge craving appetizers for me..
I found that the best way to avoid bulging down these foods are to do as you say Joel, “cook” or grab a smaller portion of it, and put the rest away in a very deep drawer – or mix it up with an iron will ! :D Loves the fact that I’ve got one of those ….. – 99% of the time ;b
@Susan – thanks for the info about apples! I have never particularly liked them, but have just found a really good variety called Honey Gold, and have actually enjoyed eating them for once! I can probably handle 2 of those per day.
Is roast pork and barbecued pork one of them? I can binge on those all day man. Taste really good.
Cashews, pistachios, peanuts/PB !!
I just can’t make them taste bad no matter what – meaning I can’t stop once I start eating ’em!
So I’m not alone with the peanut butter trigger! I love the stuff…but the good kind, you know, natural chunky kind with its own oil, no salt. I can eat it on anything, carrots, apples, grapes, bananas or even a spoon!! Thanks for the hint to NOT eat it out of a jar, to measure it out and put the jar away. This is the main food that I really watch as it doesn’t take long for me to over indulge!
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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...