Every day we are overwhelmed with cues and triggers that influence the way we eat and how much we eat. There can be so many reasons for this that have nothing to do with satisfying our physiological needs. Once we become aware and figure out what our personal triggers are, you can begin to manage these cues and triggers and eventually with practice and patience, overcome them.
SOCIAL CUES: When your social environment triggers you to behave a certain way.
EXTERNAL CUES: External environmental stimulants which encourage you to eat.
INTERNAL CUES: Patterns of thought, emotions or some underlying psychological issue that motivates you to eat on an impulse.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES: ARE YOU TRIGGERED TO EAT …
SOCIAL CUES:
•When you are around certain friends or family
•At social events or parties
•Conducting business over a meal
•When a person is urging you to eat a certain food
EXTERNAL CUES:
•The sight or smell of food
•By specifics foods
•At particular places
•Engaged in certain activities
•At a certain time or times of day
INTERNAL CUES:
•When you are feeling sad, angry or upset
•When you are tired
•When you are feeling ill or physical discomfort
•After an argument
WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR EATING TRIGGERS …
SOCIAL CUES: Have a plan! If you can’t avoid a social event, you need to have a plan so you can stay on track.
EX…
•Eat before you go
•Take food with you
•Look at the menu ahead of time
PRACTICE RESPONDING TO UNHEALTHY FOOD OFFERS:
•Just say “No thank you”
•You may have to say it more than once
•Or say, “I’m taking more control over what I eat.”
EXTERNAL CUES:
Break the pattern of distracted eating! If you tend to eat while watching tv or scrolling on your phone, you are not really paying attention to what you are putting in your mouth.
Mindless eating leads to overeating and makes your food less satisfying.
Use the “Out of Sight Out of Mind” Strategy! This can be extremely helpful. Changing your environment to support your new habits can keep you on the right path.
Be Aware! Keep a journal of your emotion to become more self-aware. When you think you are hungry ask yourself “Am I? Or did I have a hard day, am I angry, or did I just have an argument.”
INTERNAL CUES:
Develop Positive Self Talk! What you think directly affects our behaviors. You need to think positively about your weight loss/healing journey. Write down your goals, your reasons why and your successes along the way, refer to them often to stay focused on what you want
When a self-defeating thought creeps into your mind, refer to your why, your goals, and your successes to remind yourself you are capable of success.
TRY FOLLOWING THE 5 D’S TO HELP YOU AVOID EMOTIONAL EATING
1. DELAY: When you have the urge to indulge, tell yourself you can have it tomorrow. You may have to do this more than one day, but eventually the urge will go away. This will help provide you time to no longer be inclined to emotionally eat.
2. DISTRACT: Find something else to do. A hobby or something else that pleases you that does not include food.
3. DISTANCE: Put some distance between you and the food you are craving. Take a walk, go in the other room, go for a drive. Just get yourself away from the food you are craving. You can also keep distance from the foods you crave by not having them in the house. Keep them in the store where they belong.
4. DETERMINE: Determine how giving into this craving and eating this food will make you feel. Will you be sick, will you have to take up residence for a while in the bathroom, will it zap your energy for the next day.
5. DECIDE: If you decide to indulge and give into your craving, do it mindfully. Decide how much, where and how fast you will eat it. Then eat it and move on. You don’t need to beat yourself up about eating it. That is just going to cause a stress response which will most likely cause you to continue to crave it and over eat. Just make the decision and be done with it.
Carnivore Quest 