Peanut butter!!!! My weakness….
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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306 comments - add yours
My big trigger right now is nuts. Cashews, almonds. Once I have a few, I eat a whole bag!!!
When I dropped out the sweets, I replaced them with nuts and some dried fruits alongside, and now I’m struggling to reduce the amount of replacements ;-)
I love pop corn. It’s very hard for me to eat 1 cup of it. If i eat the whole bag without salt and butter, is it ok?
I can eat lots of dried fruits and nuts, can be sitting and watching tv and before I know it, half the bag has gone. Can’t eat anything with dairy so I feel lost sometimes at what to eat, then it gets easy to have the grab it and eat it food which is really naughty, any tips?
When I have a craving, I eat almonds. I carry a bag of almonds with me almost always. I still crave sweets a lot and give in, I think too much. Mostly because its around too much. Thats a good tip, to only have the healthy foods around.
cereal and rice cakes. i tell myself that because they’re healthy, that it’s ok to snack on them, but i end up eating a couple of bowls of cereal or several rice cakes just as a snack…cause i can’t stop! it is definitely a carbo-loading craving/binging thing!
My triggers tend to go the route of veggies – so I am not certain if they qualify as trigger foods, except for the fact that once I have a craving for one or two, I tend to want the same thing for days, and weeks at a time – occasionally the craving lasts for a month or more.
Hearts of palm, kale, green beans, raw cauliflower, raw cabbage, romaine and celery are the ones that tend to be my triggers. Last month it was organic kale with onions and garlic, lightly spritzed with EVOO (just enough to keep the onions and garlic from sticking to the pan) -cooked just until it wilted. I ate it daily for two weeks – just couldn’t get enough of it.
Currently it is raw cabbage.
It’s been this way for me for years. It makes me wonder if I have not had the right vitamins/minerals when these cravings hit.
Good thing my Prograde order just arrived yesterday !
I do try and vary the veggies, but I still end up eating the same ones for days on end. I don’t use any sauces, dressings, etc. on the veggies, just eat them plain.
A year and a half ago it was natural peanut butter with apples and I had NO control with it. I love to add peanut butter to my smoothies, but I’ve had to stop that too, I just get carried away with it.
The only other trigger food that comes to mind are the fried onion rings from Blakes Lot-a-Burger – but since I am not in NM right now, it’s not a problem – just a very, very fond memory of them.
Curious to know if anyone else has prolonged veggie cravings ….
I really love avocados…sliced up with salt and pepper or mashed into guacamole with some baked lays! Yum Yum!
The big one for me is pistachios. Those dang these are just plain addicting.
not healthy – but Pizza – 15″ pepperoni…cant jsut be a few slices, has to be the whole thing….i cant help it
My trigger food is meat for sure.
Paul
@BJ – I used to suffer from asthma until I started drinking at least 2 cups of green tea per day!! you will get used to the taste-add some honey to it-also have a load of other advances-too much to mention all
Good luck!!!
@BJ – You should google ‘cholesterol scam’ and do some research about that medical hoax. Statins will only kill you off earlier and do other damages to your body. Cholesterol means your body is properly working to deal with inflammation and studies show that people with high cholesterol live longer naturally. High cholesterol does NOT mean heart problems are in your future….
My craving is dairy… I LOVE the organic, raw milk, esp when my tummy is having issues. It is very soothing for all my pains!
@BJ Look for a book called something like: The 6 week cholesterol cure (could be 8 week). They talk about time-released niacin…. It worked for me, that and low-carb diet. My total went from 279 (borderline dead) to 141 in 6 months!! And my “good” cholesterol went from 12 to 36, so it worked for me. I, too, didn’t want to get dependent on drugs…
My healthy food triggers? Well, I love craisins. I have to make sure to measure out 1/3 c and seal the bag. I also love Brookside’s dark chocolate pomegranates. They are sinful – but you are only allowed 20 of those delicious morsels!
My trigger food? Coffe grain in dark 90% cacao chocolat… There is only one place where I find them but they worth the detour. I just can’t stop myself!
have a great day
Hmmm …..it’s a toss up. Here goes: love in the am a small amount 1/4C oatmeal mixed w/ vanilla unsweet almond milk, top that with some mixed berries, maybe a small amount of banana, top that with some plain greek yogurt, cinnamon, flax and then a tablespoon of Good Run granola …yummmm
Then there is my homemade protein muffins in a variety of flavors and protein waffles with almond butter and banana…….
I really don’t eat too much in the carb dept with the exception of veggies and fruit in the am and at lunch. But do love a crunch apple!!
mine is definitely nuts – roasted any kind, I tend to nibble these with a glass of wine! sometimes that is my dinner
Energy bars! I’m addicted to them. I stopped eating any with HFCS and that helped. But even the ones made with the best ingredients, even if they taste like cardboard, I still want ’em!
My trigger food became the splenda and cocoa powder that added to my yogurt as a dessert!!! when I was in a special diet. It also became my confort food. So I decided to make it healthier and make a mousse out of yogurt, agave honey (of coarse a dab), and cocoa powder. It was actually the splenda making me addicted to the “dessert”.
Gotta count out the nuts before eating…salted pistachios in the shell, smokehouse almonds, raw almonds, walnuts. Not seeing how some of the above triggers are health foods :0P .
Joel, CYWT has me down almost 5 lbs since Thanksgiving, 1/2 inch off my waist and hips…this is a MIRACLE! My friend said something to me the other day about writing a book about all the things that don’t work for getting in shape based on my past attempts. Ouch. Anyway, can’t wait to start training with you next week!
Peanut butter… On crackers, bread or straight out of the jar…
Pasta or rice casserole dish does it for me. Just to good for only a single serving.
Originally Posted By Joel MarionSeems like Peanut Butter and nuts are really a popular choice, which can be pretty significant because they’re so jam packed with calories!
Natural Peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) is way better for you than the synthetic mess that is sugar added PB or worse the reduced fat version.
Two tips I have learnt the hard way :
1. Don’t buy low fat versions – they usually have all sorts of weird substitutes and always have additional carbs which will make you just binge more. The fat actually satiates your hunger better than pure carbs. Of course, mixing the two is lethal
2. Always have a neatly printed out list of “options” on your refrigerator for snacks. Sometimes when you are super hungry, you open the refrigerator and selectively miss the carrots or the Greek yogurt because I really do believe you cannot “see” them in their final edible form. I like to fry an egg (yes I lower carb!)
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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...