Triggers. We all have them. Alcoholics have triggers that start them drinking; drug addicts have triggers that make them take drugs; any addict knows all about triggers. That's what food is for me--an addiction. The only thing different about food addiction is that you need to keep eating to live. So managing to control a food addition; that's the trick. It all starts with triggers.
Think about the things in your life that trigger you. A smoker, for instance, might need a cigarette with that morning cup of coffee. So postponing that first cup might kill that trigger. A drug addict may need to find new friends because those people are her triggers. Sitting down for a scary movie requires that you pop a big bowl of popcorn. Some triggers are harmless, some deadly, some in-between.
The first thing is to IDENTIFY those triggers. If you are a binger, what starts that binge? Do you sometimes eat when you are sad? Unhappy? Angry? As a reward? Those are important things to find out. Knowing is the first step to controlling. So how do you do that? How do you find out what triggers you and take the first step toward controlling it?
Keeping a food diary is a very important tool for identifying triggers. Not only is it important to keep track of what you eat, but also when and, very importantly, how you feel when you are eating. It might sound a bit silly but, trust me, it works.
I'm a mood eater. An emotional eater, if you will. If I'm angry, I'll eat something I love to feel better. If I'm unhappy or depressed I'll eat something I love to feel better. If I'm lonely, well you get the idea. So, first off I know the big triggers. These days if I'm unhappy, lonely, depressed or whatever, I reach out to a friend and vent. Everyone has that friend you can turn to. You just need to reach out. I also retrained myself to do other things like pick up a favorite book, listen to music, watch a movie. Find a way to stop the big triggers by sidetracking them in a healthier way. It can be done.
So, everything is great now, right? Not hardly. Notice I said big triggers. What about those little triggers? Those are harder to identify. They disguise themselves as habits, they hide in your brain so you don't know you are falling prey to them. They are insidious and the most dangerous. That bowl of popcorn with your movie. Did you load it with salt and butter? That movie was your trigger for that unhealthy snack you just ate. Do you stop at Starbucks for a morning latte but you have to have that banana bread that goes with it? That coffee is your trigger for that banana bread you don't need. Eat a healthy breakfast before you leave house.
Those are just a few examples. Think about your own for a moment. Now think about how to break those triggers. For me, I could not eat at fast food places unless I got a full meal even though I really didn't want it. That is because it is ingrained in my head by my parents to not waste money and those meals are a great deal, right? Not at all. So, I started with a small change by just getting the burger that I wanted. Nothing else. OMG, was it hard! My frugality triggered me all the time to eat the wrong way. It was an epiphany when I finally realized that. Eventually, I stopped eating fast food altogether except for very rare occasions and I eat as healthy as I can there. I still have issues with this, but now that I've identified them, it's easier to take control.
You don't have to get rid of all your triggers if you know how use them. One of my main triggers is soda, Diet Dr. Pepper, to be exact. Anytime I drink a soda, I need to eat. Plain and simple. I cannot simply sit and enjoy a soda, I have to have food. So that means I drink my sodas, when I allow myself to have one, with a meal. I'm controlling that trigger by keeping within its limits. Other times I'll drink water or iced tea. Soda is the one addiction I'm having the hardest time breaking. I'll admit it, I don't want to give it up. So I find a way to still have it while not letting it take me somewhere I don't want to go.
So, right now, start your food journal if you don't already have one. Once you start identifying your triggers you can start working out how to stop them from hurting you.
Food journals are very important and I'm going to talk more about them again.
See you next time!
Diva
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