JULY 20, 2009 - TRIGGER FOODS

CERTAIN FOODS MAY CAUSE YOU TO OVEREAT

I recently discovered that there is a food that is causing me to want to overeat, and I find myself thinking about this food many times during the day and I am unable to resist it if I see it. And once I see it, I can't stop eating it! I found this passage particularly helpful:

Excerpt from "The All-New Atkins Advantage" by Stuart L. Trager, M.D. with Colette Heimowitz, M.Sc.

WATCH FOR TRIGGER FOODS

As you add new carbohydrate foods to your meals and snacks, pay attention to how they make you feel. The reasons for a return to overeating or eating the wrong foods may vary from the physiological (the impact they have on your blood sugar) to the psychological (how certain foods make you feel and the associations they create in your mind).

For some people, cheese is a trigger food - meaning they cannot stop with a small portion; for others it is wine and alcohol. For still others it's nuts or berries. Your trigger food may be something else entirely. Here's how to tell if you've added back a trigger food:

1) It's hard to control your portions of the food.

2) You have become preoccupied with the food.

3) You find that eating it makes you crave other higher-carbohydrate foods.

4) Eating it stimulates your appetite.

If a particular food is the culprit, get it out of the house and replace it with something else. Likewise, if you're bingeing for more than a day or two or can't seem to get back in control, go back to Induction to restart fat burning and restabilize your blood sugar as quickly as you can. If you are in control, simply go back to the the way you were eating before the binge. Be sure to have the correct foods readily available in case you are tempted again. If you've gained weight, once you are back in control, move through the levels of carb intake until you reach your CCLL (Carbohydrate Level for Losing).

Keeping a food journal can help you isolate the foods that are causing a problem. When you've identified the culprits, you have a few options:

1) Eat these carb foods in combination with fat and/or protein, as you should be doing anyway. Have your berries with a dollop of whipped cream or a handful of almonds on the side.

2) If that doesn't work, stay away from the food for a few weeks, then reintroduce it slowly by limiting the number of times you eat it to once or twice a week.

3) If you find that a food is still causing problems, you may have to stop eating it for a longer period of time. When you try to reintroduce the food, if symptoms recur, you may have to avoid it indefinitely.

4) If you discover that you're really sensitive to a food, don't "cheat" with it. Find something else to say yes to.