Peanut butter!!!! Once I started, I can’t stop digging from the jar!
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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Definitely peanut butter. I’m very careful to buy the organic, peanuts-only variety, but I get a spoon of it as a healthy protein/good fat snack and before you know it…well, you know…!
I don’t know who else mentioned this, but I am trying the mega doses of Niacin…there is something called a Niacin flush and it can be kind of scary the first time you have one, but manageable…and with the suggestions above from Leah and the Niacin, you should be able to stay off the statins.
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…
Peanut butter for me too! Have had to quit buying it… I have consumed a whole jar in 2days tbsp by tbsp thinking “1 tbsp is just 1/2 serving” BUT then I keep going for more, more, more – oh yeah then I crave a glass of cold milk so I have over done it on skim milk, drinking 3-4 8oz glasses after! Then I add up the calories & realize that it was like 1000! Then I try to think well, it was a good amount of protein & I havent had a lot of fat lately so how bad was it!? Deep down I know it was a binge & was way overboard! So to stop that cycle I have quit buying it – but each grocery trip I stop & look at it & have even put it in my cart then removed it — I want it but I dont! I wish at my age I had better self control. I am pretty good about nutrition most days but want to stop this binge eating on what I feel is a “healthy or good” food after being good!
Hello Amy,
Please do not take statins. Here is a website with information that can help you. It is from a doctor that touts alternative remedies instead of conventional medicine. His name is Dr. Mercola.
Check out this web link I copied for you below. I hope it helps you.
http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?k=%20lowering%20cholesterol
Turkey Bacon, Peanut Butter and Dreamfields low glycemic pasta with salsa.
I read all the emails but usually skip the comment section – what a mistake – this is a great place for support. I only know one person who is into eating the way I do. After reading some comments I feel much more normal about not being able to keep certain foods in my house and struggling the way I do with my eating. My trigger foods – anything high carb or too sweet – even if it’s healthy: whole grain pretzels, whole grain pasta, sweetened yogurt, salted nuts, I can’t keep ANY desserts or breads in the house- even if they are made with organic, whole grain ingredients.
It’s not a food, it’s actually a drink or two. I can do well with the food even if it’s right in front of me. Alcohol can sometimes be like eating potato chips, and before you know, one drink turns into two, then three etc. It could be the sugar content within the alcohol itself, I’m not sure. However with a little self control you can keep a tight lid on it and not over do it.
When you’re doin well with your health and staying in some what decent shape, it helps with controlling your eating and drinking habits, as you don’t wanna see all your hard work go down the toilet.
For me it’s Hub’s peanuts! They are the best peanuts I have ever tasted, but they are roasted in oil and salt. I blow up like a ballon after a binge on these. Can’t stop eating them until I am stuffed.
Spaguetti with tomato sauce. I can eat a ton…
You need to watch your liver function on high doses of niacin. Anything over 2 gm/ day can lead to liver damage. @Amy –
If we’re talking about clean foods that “could” trigger a binge for me the answer would be oatmeal & tree nuts (not peanuts or peanut butter). Measuring cup or scales are a must. I could eat bowl after bowl of creamy hot oatmeal with protein powder added. However when I’m doing a plan day, I’m fine with portion control. What does me in are cheat meals/days because pizza, pasta, icecream, cake, cookies etc I could care less about. I’m gluten/wheat sensitive too, so it’s hard to find inspiring gluten free/ wheat free foods to “cheat” with. Ahhhhhh but good quality imported CHOCOLATE (not Hersheys, I mean), now that’s entirely another story.
Joel, I’d love a post about how to eat chocolate for a cheat meal and still see a loss on the scale. I’ll even eat a bowl or two of oatmeal first ;) I’m curious about the effect that the sugar/fat combination provided by chocolate has on leptin.
Pistachios, macadamia nuts, cashews. If I don’t just put a few in my hand and put them away, there could be trouble.
I wish world would be this simple as ‘tell your significant other’… While I can perfectly expect my dh understand my quest for less fat on my waistline I honestly do not want my kids to know anything about that! Kids at a young age take what they hear and run with it and you have no control whatsover later on. These sorts of comments turn way too easy into ‘mommy would not eat the food she cooked for us… why should we eat our veggies then?’ But you wouldn’t know before you have your own.:)
Mine is good Italian bread dipped in olive oil that I have flavored with herbs and then baked to a crunchy goodness that I make to go with soups and pasta. I portion the other two but the bread is a killer!!
For those of you with the “pasta problem” – give Dreamfields pasta a try – it may not make you eat less, but there are way way way fewer “effective carbs” so it will do less damage. I too have a “pasta problem”, and find it way easier to not reach for seconds when I serve the Dreamfields. AND the kids even think it tastes just like regular pasta, so it’s the only kind we have in the house.
(I don’t work for Dreamfields, either)
Definitely butter and peanut butter – together, half/half on a teaspoon and both from the fridge. I’m quite fussy about the butter and peanut butter both being cold (you may laugh now…)
Smoked Almonds.Those get me every time. I have to really watch it or Im like half the people here. The container is half gone before I stop. I get enough fat in other foods with this program so I have pretty well been leaving the nuts alone.
For me, it is bread in any form – including crackers. Worse, although I can eat it plain, I rarely do, and what goes on bread? Some form of fat.
My trigger food is any kind of crunchy cereal (puffed wheat, svelt flakes, fiber one). I can eat an entire box in one day by just going back and grabbing handfuls. I’ve even tried to divide the cereal in to measured ziplock bags to prevent over consumption but I still do anyhow.
Nuts of any kind, peanut butter, pretzels, and dried fruit.
My downfall are nuts of any variety, but especially those that are easily found raw in a shell; like pistachios, walnuts or peanuts. True, you don’t eat as many if you you have to work to get to them, but there’s something about cracking them open (at least for me) that is hard to stop. What would be worse is getting a big bag of them unshelled – then you’re all together doomed!
I find that if I fill a small cereal bowl with empty shells. it comes just about the portion size of a small ziplock snack bag of shelled nuts. Two cereal bowls of shells – no good (especially with a good single malt – a deadly combination)!
Apples. Nice crunchy, juicy apples.
Doing the CYWT HE at the moment, last Low Carb day today. First thing I had on my cheat day … two apples. I actually told my wife that I felt cheated on my cheat day as all I wanted was some apples and a slice of spelt bread.
Results look good so far, but oh the temptation …. ;-)
85% dark chocolate, pasta & peanut butter. And they are all in the house.
Nut butters – one spoonful leads to 3-4. If I put it on a slice of toasted Ezekial with a little low sugar jam, I do better. Medjool dates are another! I love em!
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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...