We’ve all been there: cuddled up on the couch, watching our favorite program as a reward for being on track with our diet all day, and then a commercial comes on.
The cheese is gooey, the icing is gleaming, and the steak is searing; this is culinary porn. And whether you get off the sofa right away and make yourself a snack from your plan, or it takes a day or two, the seed has been planted.
What you may not realize is that you are always battling food cues throughout the day. We no longer live in a culture where we eat solely at mealtimes and at the family table. Breakfast in the car, lunch at your desk, snacks at the movies, games, PTA meetings, or book clubs, and supper on the sofa are all possibilities. Almost every circumstance has become a trigger to eat.
That doesn’t even take into account the green mermaid, purple bell, yellow arches, and hundreds of other emblems that adorn our motorways. As a brain and cognitive scientist specializing in the Psychology of Eating, I can tell you that all of the stimuli are subliminally triggering you all of the time.
So, what are our options?
Fortunately, it is perfectly feasible to avoid trigger foods.
1. ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE IN CONTROL
Please forgive the bluntness of the following remark, but it is critical to establish it as truth. Because your brain regulates the action of your voluntary muscles, you have the option of moving your limbs, reaching out to put food into your mouth, and swallowing it. Even if you feel helpless or aren’t conscious of your thoughts, no person, potato chip, or cunning marketing can take control of your limbs and mouth.
Insinuations that we were not in control at the time do not assist you in changing your conduct. You can’t focus on fixing something that you’re still somewhat in denial about. If you’re reading this, we may assume you’re interested in learning how to modify the phenomena of trigger foods contributing to overeating for yourself or someone else. So, pledge with us right now that eating is a decision, and it is a controllable choice.
That doesn’t imply it’s simple! That doesn’t imply we always make decisions based on our beliefs and aspirations — far from it. It simply implies that we assume responsibility for the meals we eat.
2. SET A TIMER
That doesn’t imply it’s simple! That doesn’t imply we always make decisions based on our beliefs and aspirations — far from it. It simply implies that we assume responsibility for the meals we eat.
3. CHUG SOME WATER
Another method is to tell yourself that you can eat after drinking a couple of glasses of cold water. If you still want to eat after you’ve finished those two glasses of water, you may at least slow yourself down by eating in between sips of ice water.
4. EXERCISE
Intense exercise can help you sweat out your emotions, but Why does exercise assist? It is more than just an activity that provides an alternative to stress eating and takes you out of the situation. Exercising also enhances your mood and reduces stress more effectively than eating. Furthermore, exercise might make you feel pleased and confident, making you less inclined to overeat the following time.
5. BREAK THE CYCLE
Many of us have picked up an eating pattern from childhood, and it’s that your hands + a specific food = a bad circumstance. And that’s fine; criticizing yourself isn’t going to help you. Let us concentrate on breaking that pattern. You and your so-called trigger meal may always rejoin later, but for the time being, a little space will cease the recurrent bad experience.
Do you need to get the food out of your residence or kitchen? Do you need to get rid of it, donate it, or simply commit to not seeing each other for a week? Take charge and get it done. Breaking the cycle of hurt and abuse will allow you to rebuild a healthy connection.
6. TRY A LITTLE SPICE
Cinnamon can help you avoid sugar cravings without adding sugar, carbohydrates, or calories to your diet. A hot cup of hot water or decaf tea with a cinnamon stick in it takes some time to enjoy but can fulfill sweet cravings.
7. COMPROMISE
Instead of eating ice cream straight from the carton, pouring yourself a modest bit in a bowl, sitting at the table, and enjoying it can interrupt your semi-automatic stress eating and keep it within reason. Alternatively, if you feel the urge to order via the drive-through, switching to kiddie fries instead of a large order can save hundreds of calories.
8. CREATE SAFE, SUPPORTED SCENARIOS FOR REINTRODUCTION
Consider any unfavorable experiences you’ve had with that particular dish in the past. What was the situation? What were you doing? What were your emotions like? What hour did it happen to be? Were you at home, in your car, at work, or at your parents’ place? All of these elements influence how easy or difficult it is to eat in accordance with our principles. This implies you may create an easier scenario by considering when, where, and with whom you are least likely to overeat a specific item. You don’t want to meet up at any old time or place; you want things to be different this time.
9. GRADUALLY EASE UP ON PARAMETERS AS YOU GAIN CONFIDENCE
It’s not finished until you’ve got a chance to consume the cuisine and stop at a location you feel comfortable about. It will most likely take several repetitions to convince you that this dish is not, in fact, a volition-sapping delicacy.
Continue your journey. Get those good experiences in when you are certain that everything will work out in your favor. And you’ll notice that confidence developing over time. Consider the following progressions:
Having the cuisine with visitors, away from home Having food on your own, away from the house Having dinner with visitors at home (buying just enough for no leftovers) preparing your own food at home (buying just enough for no leftovers) Have your own cuisine at home, even if there are leftovers.
10. NAME YOUR REASON
Completing the statement “I want to eat now because…” might provide useful information. If the phrase does not conclude with “I’m hungry,” odds are eating will not fix the problem. Getting into the habit of asking yourself why you’re eating can help you eat less frequently when you’re not hungry over time.
11. LOG YOUR FOOD
Writing down what you eat might help you become more aware of what that stressful eating episode truly included. When you see the words “six chocolate chip cookies and a pint of ice cream,” you might question if those few mind-numbing seconds of sweet enjoyment were worth the calories. Plus, the next time you’re in the mood for cookies and ice cream, try to restrict yourself to one or two cookies if you know you’ll be tracking them.