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We all have really bad days every now and then, sometimes we have a bunch of them in a row! If we are in the habit of turning to food for comfort, it can be very difficult to avoid the trigger foods at these times. And once we start, watch out! I have been known to dust off an entire pack of Oreos, or other cookies in one sitting. Paid dearly for it later, but at the time, I was just out of control. We have to prepare ourselves for these situations and have instant tools to ward off those triggers and avoid binging behaviors. Linda suggests brushing your teeth. I have tried that before, and it worked pretty well. Carrying around sugar free gum or Listermint strips is helpful too. Don't want to mess up that nice, fresh breath, do you? If you are craving a particular taste, Linda suggests putting something opposite in your mouth, like sucking on a lemon wedge or dill pickle when you are craving sweets, or eliminating the craving for garlicky food by chewing on minty gum. I have not tried that yet, but it sounds logical. We may even have to avoid the food and the situation altogether. We need a "fire escape plan". We can try the "not just yet" approach when offered triggers by friends, but if all else fails, we may simply have to take a walk and physically get away from the temptation. I have actually done that at a party before, and it worked well.The veggie type snacks were on one table and desserts were on another, so I migrated to the healthier area. I was able to slowly eat some carrot and celery sticks and not go nuts over the cheesecake bites.
Our assignment for today is to write a list of situations, foods, and other situations that trigger us to eat. From the list we should identify those that are hardest for us to resist. For me it is homemade desserts. Someone took time and trouble and I feel bad declining the offer. We are to develop a "fire escape" plan for those triggers. I can thank the person for going to the trouble of making that dessert and let them know I think it looks wonderful and probably tastes wonderful too, but I am not ready to have any "just yet, maybe later". If they are like my MIL and liable to insist, that would be a good time to excuse myself to the restroom.
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