Monday, April 23, 2012

Stop Shooting Yourself in the Foot

I'm referring to triggers. The emotional kind. The ones that make it difficult to stay on the healthy path and to lose weight.

I had TONS of emotional and physical triggers during my first attempt at weight loss and during the first part of this last attempt.

Triggers kept me from traveling the healthy, fit path. Or, rather, I allowed them to control me.

If I ate sugar, that triggered me to eat more sugar. TONS of it. I could eat, in one day, the amount of sugar most people eat in a week. Or so I'm assuming. And the other carbs- pasta, bread, potatoes--all YUMMY and all TRIGGERS to eat moremoremore! There were the times that frustration, anger, boredom, irritation, being sleepy, etc. would trigger an eatanythingyoucangetyourhandson fest.

Seriously, you just don't get this much overweight without being ruled by triggers. 

For nearly one year now, the triggers have been virtually nonexistent. I attribute this to the change in my mindset from merely being about losing weight to taking the steps to living a healthier lifestyle, the steps towards getting fit- the exercising, the food choices, the food prep, the oil pulling, the dry skin brushing, the smoothies- everything altogether, has made all the difference. Oh, those nasty little triggers still show up and give it the old college try. But it doesn't work anymore.

I'm glad their control over me is pretty much all gone. I like being in control.

How do you shoot yourself in the foot? 

This is the twentieth day of the A-Z April Challenge. I thought I might try a theme this year and focus on my personal journey to health and fitness, including weight loss.


Today's letter is T and my word for the day is TRIGGERS.






21 comments:

  1. Hi Pam. I'm loving your A - Z challenge posts about your new fitness and healthy eating regime. I wish I could be as strong as you, but I'm afraid I still like to eat the odd fresh cream apple turnover ! My willpower isn't very good! Obviously, the thing to do is not to have these things in the house, and that is what I try to do. I really do try very hard to eat all the right things. You're so right of course, that, once you start again, you're in a vicious circle. You're doing so well with all this my friend.

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  2. Diane- Thank you! I try to keep things out of the house too. And it's much easier than it used to be. I used to give in at the grocery store in the bakery section but then I developed some resolve. Later, it started smelling bad to me. But I imagine if I ever had the opportunity to travel in your area of the world, I would put all things on hold and eat my way through! LOL

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  3. so true--mine are stress--especially little sleep

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  4. LP- Stress used to be a big one for me too. I still struggle with the sleep one- mine is that I tend to eat to stay awake. Haven't quite mastered this one.

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  5. A smile of recognition for the sugar gluttony. I could eat sugar all day, too. My favorite season was always Easter because those delicious candy eggs full of sugary fondant were my delight. I would sit and eat a whole bag - by myself. No sharing. It's a wonder my pancreas didn't stand up and scream long before my brain did.

    Sugar is the most addictive food.

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  6. Stephanie- It really is the most addictive. I totally agree. I'm so glad I FINALLY got over it. It wasn't easy though. I used to love the Cadbury eggs at Easter. I took a bite of one this year and nearly threw up! My relationship with sugar is OVER!

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  7. So true!! Sugar is evil. It makes me want more and makes me cranky, irritable, and tired. What really makes me sad is seeing little kids with a huge slurpy. Sugar is definitely a trigger to avoid.

    P.S. I'm having a 20% off all my handcrafted soaps this week and next only - for Mother's Day.

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  8. Carbs are just stealthy sugars right? That's my trigger, the more bread and pasta I eat the more I want. And of course I love to bake right!! Which makes it worse.

    I really don't want pie or sweet drinks but give me Italian bread or any kind of pasta, pizza and I can't push away from the table. It's terrible.

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  9. Judy- I saw your sale! I plan to order this weekend! I'm thinking about a giveaway and including your soap. Is that ok?

    jen- Right. I used to be like that too with the same foods AND sugar. It sucked. But it was so good. Double edged sword?

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  10. I love your A-Z healthy challenge. Triggers, hummm...pretty sure I have a few dozen of these to deal with but now with less temptation just maybe it'll help.
    Keep the lessons coming. Take care Pam and have a blessed afternoon!!

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  11. I would love to be able to say, "My relationship with sugar is over!" Sugar is a huge trigger for me also. I really admire your willpower and wish you continued success! Julie

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  12. I love these posts! Salty snacks don't do anything for me but chocolate, pasta, and cheese are my downfalls. I take it one day at a time, make small steps forward, and try not to beat myself up too much when I slip. :)

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  13. MMS- You're doing it just right! Small changes so you don't get overwhelmed, not beating yourself up for a slip and one day at a time! PERFECT!

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  14. I'm not so bad with sugar...I tend to crave salty, crunchy things, especially at night!! I try to curb that with a handful of nuts. I'm not sure if that's much better but at least I can convince myself it is semi-healthy!

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  15. This is the first time I have come across your blog. I completely agree with the triggers. You should check out my blog this Wednesday. Every Wednesday I have a health tip. Loved this post.

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  16. EXCELLENT "T" word and so TRUE!...:)JP

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  17. Great post!
    It's only recently that I recognised triggers in my eating habits, and my biggie was late-night stuff. A bout of gastric acid woke me up to the fact that I dont need to eat at 12.30 at night, so now I have a rule that I don't eat after 7.00pm. I do break it sometimes, like if I can't get dinner before then due to work etc, but I really try to stick to it as much as I can. And guess what else I discovered? Night time was when I'd eat loads of chocolate too! So I've also cut that out!

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  18. Lisa- I think nuts are a good choice! At least, I'm telling myself that too. LOL

    Shirley- Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! I'll head to your blog in a sec!

    JP- Thanks!

    Mimi- I used to do that too! AND, I would eat if I woke up in the middle of the night. It was bad. Glad it's over, that's for sure! You've made a good choice!

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  19. When I started paying attention to my triggers, I noticed my are emotional. When something out of my control happens, I head for the kitchen. When I caught myself standing in the kitchen in front of the fridge, It was like I woke up out of a sound sleep.
    They happen sometimes but now I just go outside and look at my chickens.

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  20. I really need to get back into eating healthily - it is just way too much of a slippery slope to have things like biscuits in the cupboard!

    For a while, back there, I just forced myself not to even venture into 'those' aisles in the supermarket - if I didn't buy junk it wouldn't go home home with me and leer at me from the cupboard, goading me into '....just one little bite...'!

    But the cold weather and emotional upheaval have had me running for comfort food - sadly the calorie-laden variety!

    But, today the sun is shining, the weather is warmer and some of the hardships of the winter months are easing - so, perhaps more fruit and veg instead of pasta and cake...!

    Thanks for an inspiring post, and happy A-Z'ing! ;-)


    SueH I refuse to go quietly!
    Twitter - @Librarymaid

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  21. I am working on stopping the foot shooting....I have some kinds issue I swear....

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