TRIGGERS THAT LEAD TO WEIGHT GAIN

There are three triggers that lead us to overeating and the key to avoiding this is to identify what the trigger is and what the foods may be. 

Trigger Foods 

Trigger foods are those foods which cause you to overeat or binge on, for example, if you open

Learn to identify your trigger foods, emotions or environments

a packet of biscuits, you have to eat them all; if you unwrap a bar of chocolate, you’ll eat the lot; if you open a bag of crisps, you’ll finish it, regardless of whether you are hungry or not.  They will almost always contain refined sugar, fat, caffeine or salt, so of little or not nutritional value whatsoever!  You will binge on trigger foods no matter what the emotional or environmental situation. 

Trigger Emotions 

Certain emotions will set off a period of overeating, but unlike trigger foods, it could be anything.  What we often refer to as comfort eating: if you are feeling low, you may tuck into the cakes, potatoes and alcohol: doesn’t much matter what.  In the winter when we are feeling cold and a bit low due to a lack of daylight and sunshine, we tuck into our roast dinners and stodgy desserts. 

Trigger Environments 

A particular place or situation can cause you to overeat, for example, family gatherings are a classic example.  For many, the monotony of driving long distances is made less boring if they have a packet of sweets in the car and this becomes a habit: every time they go on a journey, they associate that with the bag of sweets.

Solution

So keep a diary recording the place, the emotion and the foods you eat so that you can build a picture and then work out a strategy.  The most obvious advice is to keep all trigger foods out of the house.  I cannot have chocolate in the house: I would eat it all in one sitting!  Try to identify what your emotional triggers are and deal with those feelings.  Work out a positive strategy: if going back to work on a Monday fills you with dread and causes you to drink one too many the night before, think about a change of direction in your career.  Meet your family in a restaurant if you feel under pressure to eat too much when visiting.  Learn to identify the triggers and the solutions will become obvious.

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