Trigger foods and substitutions
 

Hi everyone!

I have been curious for a little while now about this topic, so I figured I'd make a thread! I'm really interested in so-called "trigger foods" -- the differences between people, and what sorts of foods tend to be triggers. Do we have sweet tooths, or are we carb-cravers? Does it vary? Further, I'm *very* interested in how everyone has overcome/substituted successfully for triggers (if possible!)

For instance, for me I know what my triggers are -- starchy carbs and salty foods. In particular, rice. Oh my goodness, rice. In my heyday of not caring about my body, I would make two boxes of Rice-A-Roni (chicken flavor) and just eat the rice straight-up for dinner, with nothing else added. ALL of it. :eek: The thought of the sodium now makes me wonder how my heart handled it! There's something about the mushy-yet-not texture of rice in my mouth that triggers me to just go on a carb-load spree. I'd eat rice, and then dig into some potato, and then salty chips like Tostitos, etc. It was not pretty. (Of course, I would do this when home alone. I knew it was wrong/odd/weird/bad for me. I knew other people would make googly eyes at my eating habits.)

Even now, rice is my biggest temptation. I try to avoid it entirely, even better-for-you options like steamed brown rice. It just makes me want to vacuum! I've tried to substitute healthier carbs when I'm having a rice craving. A lot of it is texture and less-so taste. I've found a nice yogurt helps, oddly enough. Or cottage cheese? Sometimes even tapioca pudding. I'm not sure if I'll ever get over my rice-lust, but I have found that I've been able to slay the beast a little bit. If I find rice on my plate at a restaurant, I force myself to only eat half, and I've been mostly successful. I'm hoping that I'll get down to 1/4 eventually, or just not want the rice at all some day.

Anyone else? What "does it" for you? :D And how did you overcome?

i'm like you my main trigger is high carb & salty foods. the way i get over it is to use VINEGAR. omg i LOVE VINEGAR. vinegar over raw veggies YUM. vinegar over fish. vinegar as a salad dressing. my favorite night snack is cauliflower soaked in vinegar. i think it's the strong taste of the vinegar that satisfies that salty taste craving.

I am a sweet tooth person plus looooove carbs.

One of my favorite things to eat is peanut butter- i would go through an entire jar within a week..I stopped buying the PB because it was to much of a tease. I will eventually allow PB back into my cupboards but not for awhile...

I try and feed my sweet tooth with a skinny cow ice cream or an apple with ff caramel...or some kettle.. or any of those 100 calories packs..that will do it as well.

I'm able to moderate most things in my diet with the exception of baked goods. Brownies, cookies, cobblers, pumpkin roll . . . all of them trigger over eating for me. I've tried substitutes, but it's like scratching an itch. I find it best to stay completely away from my triggers.

For me it is like walking a fine line. I'm not one of those people who can entirely give up things, because then I will "chain snack" on everything else trying to substitute. I'm better off having the real thing occasionally, whatever it may be, and planning it into my log and balancing my pie chart. If I can do that, it's great.

However, if I give in to a certain food impulsively, or if I'm doing it because of stress, all bets are off. No portion control, and it usually leads to eating other things I shouldn't. The best way for me to deal with my naughty foods is to plan for them, compensate for them, and make sure I'm not eating them emotionally.

Like Kay_in_PA, I have to avoid altogether those foods which I know I cannot just eat "one". Years of on/off Atkins dieting would have me so deprived of simple carbs and crunchy foods that when I would break down and buy a bag of Doritos, there was NO chance that I was not going to devour the entire bag in one night. Inhaled them... and then felt instant depression. I just cannot keep those foods around.

I find that fake sugar foods, like Atkins snackbars, make difficult for me to stay on track, too. They end up sabotaging the whole effort. Thank goodness Stevia allows for my favorite sweet treat... a morning latte.... mmmmm....it's Heaven.

I have quite a few trigger foods, but the worst ones are crunchy peanut butter, chocolate, ice cream, caramel covered popcorn and cheese. I too walk a fine line with allowing myself the occasional controlled bite, but it doesn't always work. For the most part I have to stay away from my triggers, because a little almost always leads to more. I can't say that I've ever eaten 2 boxes of Rice-A-Roni, but I have eaten the entire 5 quart tub of ice cream over the course of a day or two many many times.

+1 carbs and sweets. Breads, butter, potatoes, chocolate......

Substitutions~

Cheddar chesse or Sour cream/onion rice cakes (Stater Bros) yum

Green apple with cinnamon!!! Try it! Cinnamon is a fat blocker too.

Fat free jello pudding with fat free cool whip. :D

Green apple with cinnamon sounds nummy..thanks!!

I normally manage indulging a little bit once or twice a week and logging it without too much damage otherwise I will go to our year round ice cream parlor for a double scoop mint chocolate chip waffle cone... And I am lactose intolerant And gluten sensitive so I end up in a real mess. I make sure my sugar levels stay level or I go bonkers and I do that by eating canned fish, mostly sardines and relish, before I fall off any wagons. And someone mentioned vinegar that really helps me too so a great snack for me is a portabello mushroom, cooked on George Forman grill then a pickled red pepper laid over top with feta cheese and heated thru in the microwave.

I find my worst times are when I don't eat something every 2.5 - 3 hrs and/or I am overtired. Oh yes and no peanut butter in the house or marmalade or I eat all my husband's gluten filled bread as toast in about an hour!! Lol

Cheers,

Nancy

Umm...food in general. I just love to eat. But I've found that chocolate is a HUGE trigger food for me. I can NOT eat just one piece. And then I usually end up moving on to salty stuff...whatever I can find.

I've found that I just need to stay away from the stuff. I DO allow myself some ice cream with chocolate in it if I work out at night. Other than that...I can't do it. Today for instance...the weather took a turn for the cold again and I just can't stop snacking. We have chocolate EVERYWHERE around here. I had 1 piece and now I'm toast. I've eaten about 5 (or more) various types today. Very disappointed, yes, but I also realize that this happens, so I'm trying to get over it. Tomorrow is my weigh in though, so hopefully I didn't do myself in TOO badly!!