Last night’s workout was a struggle every step of the way. I got on the treadmill, ready to pump out 3 miles and felt like I was running up the side of a mountain. I honestly kept looking down at the treadmill to see if the Incline was set to something other than “zero”. It wasn’t. What the heck was up with that?
My heart rate was high the entire time I ran (also strange considering that it’s usually pretty low while I warm up the first mile). I burned a high number of calories during my run too. Also higher than normal (457 calories in 44 minutes). Good music helped motivate me.
Weight lifting was a struggle as well but I powered through it and tried to increase the weight amount on several machines.
Gym Stats:
Time: 1:23
Calories Burned: 732
I was famished. And looking forward to dinner. Wednesday night’s meal plan: Jenna’s Ten Minute Shrimp and Goat Cheese Quesadillas.
Michael changed the recipe a little. Instead of frozen pepper and onion mix he used fresh and cooked it in the skillet like he normally does for our fajitas.
Instead of sliced avocado he made his amazing (and spicy) guacamole (my kryptonite).
Dinner wasn’t quite ready when I got home from the gym so the moment I saw the chips and guacamole I devoured a bunch of it while I waited. He also made them more into burritos instead of quesadillas.
It was good. If we make it next time I’d do the classic quesadilla format and I’d cut the shrimp in smaller pieces to be easier to eat. I loved the goat cheese in it though. What a nice addition!
Was this the best meal to eat the night before my weigh-in? Probably not. Check in this afternoon for that post!
After dinner–Top Chef! It was a great episode. I like that everyone kicked ass at their elimination meal and I’m so excited about next week’s episode! I bemoaned the fact that our house has no chocolate in it. That might be a good thing right now though.
Let’s talk Trigger Foods. I am super strict about not having my trigger foods in the house. If they are in the house I would become obsessed with them and eat them until they were gone. Just a few of my triggers:
5th Avenue Bars and Butterfingers. MMmmmmm….Plus cheesecake. I used to buy the individual cheesecake slices from Fred Meyer almost every day. I essentially ate a whole cheesecake each week.
Of course trigger foods are also homemade cookies, ice cream and brownies. Not all of my trigger foods are sweets. Pizza is a big one. So is anything “dip” related: spinach dip, artichoke dip, guacamole, cheese dip…If I can dip crackers, chips or veggies into it, I won’t be able to stop eating it.
What’s my secret for not gaining back 100 pounds? Not having my trigger foods in the house. I found that if they were OUT OF SIGHT I didn’t think about them. I could move on, not crave the trigger foods and eat healthy. But if there’s a tub of ice cream in the house? I’d eat some every night until it was gone. It would be on my mind until I ate it all. Luckily I practice portion control so it’s not like the old days when I’d eat a gallon of ice cream in one sitting.
QUESTION: How do you deal with trigger foods? What are your trigger foods?
Lori
Did you lift weights yesterday before a run? If you are increasing your weights, you might want to give yourself an extra rest day a week. It’s tough on the muscles.
I have trigger foods, but they change sometimes. Cereal is a big trigger food for me, although sometimes I am totally fine having it in the house. If I start to have trouble with it, we put it up high on top of the cupboards so I actually have to drag a chair over to reach it.
Mini reeses cups are my nemesis. Those don’t come into the house.
Lisa Eirene
My tendency is to run on the treadmill first if they are available, then do weights. That’s what I did last night. I thought maybe the pre-workout food (greek yogurt) was partly to blame. Not sure!
I love the idea of putting it somewhere hard to reach! Great trick!
Beth @ Beth's Journey
I think it’s pretty normal for some runs to be harder than others. There are some days where 3 miles feels like 10! Good for you for powering through.
I don’t keep trigger foods in my house – dark chocolate peanut butter, for example – or else I eat them all. I posted something ab out this recently, how I get obsessed until they are gone. Sounds like we are quite similar in that regard!
Lisa Eirene
Yep! I think we’re on the same page for a lot of things. I don’t know if it’s my OCD tendencies but I get seriously obsessed with the foods if they are around me. It’s all I think about and until I eat them I can’t think of anything else!
Carbzilla
Hey, at least you’re at the gym!
I’m really proud to say that doing WW this time around has really helped me tame my trigger foods. Since nothing is forbidden, I portion it out and enjoy it. For the most part though, I don’t keep super dangerous foods in the house, and if I want a sweet I have to make it from scratch (except Biscoff cookies that I tried this week. They are still come in the pantry, and I only had a couple every few days).
Oh, dips! Is it just because they’re a party food? Is it because they only arrive on special occasions? I don’t know why they’re so tempting! Fortunately I can tell myself that they are probably made with soup mix that has MSG and would give me a killer headache. (I did find organic spinach dip mix but haven’t tried it yet) Back in the day, I remember a fine evening with Cheddar Lays and French Onion dip. That combination would probably kill me now!
A lot of folks seem to be struggling right now, but we just have to face it and then move on. Whatever the scale says, it’s just a number. Set a fun new goal and let’s look forward to Spring! It is just around the corner!
Lisa Eirene
Nice analysis about the dip. Perhaps it IS because it’s “fun” party food. Or because I can shovel it into my mouth at lightening speed and it just tastes SO good. 🙂
I’m glad that WW is working for you so well this time. I’ve heard that from several people doing the new program. Sounds like WW is doing something right with the Points Plus program.
I’m so looking forward to spring. I’m itching to go hiking and not be soaked in rain!
Jennifer
I have to keep trigger foods out of my house too. I am especially fond of cheese. Really good cheddar, and really good mozzarella. They’re my weakness! I also love pizza. If I order in, I can’t just have 2 slices and a salad. I have to have 4. Or 5. So it’s a big treat when I do order it…which is very, very rare lately.
Lisa Eirene
I’m the same way with pizza, Jennifer. The Papa Murphy’s deLite pizzas are low in calories so I don’t feel guilty if I eat 4 pieces….
Natalie @ Healthalie
You are so right! It’s smart not to keep trigger foods around. I try so hard, but my live-in boyfriend always loves his snacks… how do you deal?
Lisa Eirene
Luckily Michael’s trigger foods are WAY different than mine and I can totally resist the things that he can’t and vis-versa.
One tip would be to ask your boyfriend to keep the treats somewhere you won’t see them/can’t reach them. Or ask him to keep them somewhere else (like his car?)?
Natalie @ Healthalie
That’s a good idea! I should stick them high up or in cupboards so I wont notice them 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
DefineDiana
trigger foods…nope can’t be in the house for me either.
I swear I have been thinking about potato chips for 2 weeks now (not all the time, but they have been my main craving the last two weeks). I will get some, eventually and I can totally pass them up in the grocery store, even if I am thinking about them while I there.
Bring them into the house, however and they would be gone in two seconds. If there was actually an unopened bag in my cupbord I would be having dreams (or maybe nightmares?) about them until I could finish them off.
Lisa Eirene
I’ve been known to have dreams about the trigger foods too! They just need to stay out of the house!
Jessica S
I actually had this happen to me last Friday. I helped a coworker out and gave her moving boxes that I didn’t need anymore. In gratitude she brought me 2.5 dozen homemade choc chip cookies. I know it may seem rude but I knew they were a trigger food for me so I managed to farm 12 of them out to my other coworkers and then 3 to my boyfriend and ATE THE REST. 0_o
I felt soo guilty AND I didn’t tell a soul about it because I was ashamed. normally I will bake say choc chip cookies at home and eat maybe 6 in the whole bunch over 3 days but I have NO idea what got into me to where I ate ALL of those in a span of 6 hours.
Lisa Eirene
Hey Jess it’s good to hear from you. It feels like ages since we caught up.
I’m sorry you felt ashamed and guilty. That’s not a good feeling to have and I’ve been there sooo many times.
I’ll admit that I’m a Food Liar. There was been times when I snuck treats and tried to eat them before Michael caught me snacking. I didn’t even enjoy eating the food. Didn’t savor it. Then I felt so guilty and ashamed of myself. It’s a hard cycle to break but seriously — avoiding all trigger foods does work!
Jessica
Thank you for sharing with us that you are a food liar too. It makes you human. A lot of people who have lost weight always act like they are reformed and they don’t have those problems anymore so it makes those of us who are weaker willpower feel that much more inadequate. =)
Lisa Eirene
Hey Jess! I hope that I never come across as being the “high and mighty I cured ALL my food issues” type of person. I definitely have my struggles. I have weak “willpower” often.
dietmaven
Hi! I just started reading your blog. I have never really had a problem with trigger foods. I can easily have it around and then not eat it. Even when I wasn’t in healthy eating, weight-loss mode, I could have a tub of ice cream in the freezer and then not eat it for like… ever! I think if that had been an issue, I’d be a lot heavier than my 225 starting weight! I have dark chocolate bars in the house for when I want to have a square after dinner every so often. I think the strategy of not having it around for when a craving hits and you just can’t help, however, is very wise! No crime of opportunity and all that.
As for trigger foods, mine ar definitely butter, cream, oil, and salt based. Cheesecake, pop chips/natural cheetos, etc, any yummy already cooked (by me) dinners that are leftover and don’t take any effort to cook from scratch – just reheat and enjoy!, and of course, my favorite, angel hair pasta with butter, salt, and nutritional yeast. Substitute the pasta for popcorn at any point, they are equally good. Mmmmm. Movie popcorn too, can’t resist, ever…
Glad your strategy works for you! What’s a good one for not becoming hungry? That’s what I struggle with (and that was a rhetorical question, by the way).
Lisa Eirene
Sounds like the bf! His trigger foods are popcorn and butter, chips, salty foods….
Susan
Totally agree! I absolutely cannot have some trigger foods in the house. Cereal is my biggest one. I could eat it by the handful in three days – calories on top of my usual daily calories. I’m bad with sweets too. The worst is actually cakes or squares. Things I can slice a sliver off of over an over until it’s gone.
That’s why I was at my skinniest when I lived alone – I had complete control over what made it into my kitchen!
Lisa Eirene
Have you tried the Special K chocolate cereeal? I ate that whole box in one weekend! So good!!!
And you are spot on–I never struggled with trigger foods and staying on track when I lived alone. I was in complete control of what food was in my house so I just didn’t have the trigger foods there.
Emily
I just saw this post after I posted about a current trigger food of mine: Girl Scout Cookies. They are currently in the house taunting me. Tomorrow, they will be gone by means of anything but me consuming them.
Lisa Eirene
OH! Girl Scout cookies FOR SURE. Thin Mints and Samoas? I cannot resist them and I can’t eat just one….
Karen@WaistingTime
Unfortunately I have written about trigger foods a lot because I HAVE a lot! Seems my list grows and grows. I do best when I get them out of my house and don’t eat any. The longer I go without, the less I crave them. Now if only I could get my husband’s food out of the house!
Lisa Eirene
I’m lucky because the bf’s trigger foods are not my trigger foods. So as long as I’m in control of NOT bringing sweets into the house I can resist them…
And you are right–the list grows. I think I need to add a few things to it. LOL
Jennie @ Designed to be Fit
Chocolate and cookies. I can never just have one handful of M&M’s, I have to have several!
Lisa Eirene
Especially homemade cookies!