Don't Be Fooled!

Happy April Fools' Day :-) I posted this blog last year on April 1, but since there are a lot of new people reading my blog, I thought I'd share it again.

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When I was a kid, our family enjoyed playing tricks on each other on April Fools' Day. It was always in good fun and never mean-spirited, but it meant we needed to be on toes if we didn't want to get caught in the prankster's trap.

On this April Fools' Day, we need to be on our toes once again if we want to avoid falling into the food traps out there. Food is out there - everywhere! If we don't know what our personal triggers are and if we aren't prepared and know in advance how we'll deal with those triggers, we're vulnerable.

When I say "triggers," I'm talking about foods, situations or feelings that prompt us to overeat.



Trigger foods: candy, chocolate, salty foods, etc.

Trigger situations: watching TV, going to the movies, reading, being home alone

Trigger feelings: anger, stress, loneliness, boredom, anxiety



** Once you begin eating in response to a trigger, your ability stop is very limited.

Identify the triggers – the foods, situations and feelings.

Decide that you’re going to learn to control them. You can do this!

* Choose only one or two triggers at a time
* Pick the triggers that exert the most control and those that do the most damage (number of calories, frequency)


Stop the trigger – don’t try to bargain with it! True control means that you—not the trigger—decides where, when, and what you will eat.

Ø Don’t go into a trigger zone on an empty stomach!



Practice controlling triggers.

· For situational triggers:

o Write a statement describing the trigger situation; use past tense

o Write a statement in the present tense describing the change

o Write down a list of alternatives

· For food triggers:

o Write down your favorite foods at different stages of your life

o Prepare to change your food preferences

o Eliminate the trigger food completely for at least two months

o Write down your decisions, e.g., “I no longer eat this food” or “I can now eat this because it longer has control over me.” Be honest with yourself :-)

· For feelings triggers:

o Write down several of your trigger feelings and state why you respond to the food in that way

o Describe how you feel after you eat in response to a trigger feeling

o Write down alternatives to eating when you get that feeling

I hope these ideas will help to keep you from being tricked into off-plan eating today. The foods are out there, but the choice is yours, so choose wisely :-)