Substance Triggers

Have you ever eaten something that caused you to crave more of the same at a later time? Do you have a certain food item (some people call it their "poison") that you go to when you choose to indulge? Is there a specific food item in your life that you have a love-hate relationship with, meaning that you love to eat it, but you always feel badly after having eaten it? These could be your substance triggers.

And the most important questions are, if you know what your substance triggers are, do you want to rid yourself of them and no longer be a slave to them? Do you want to recapture control over your life and not let any kind of food item control you?

If you answered yes to the previous two questions, then you are ready to be catapulted into the next dimension of life! But it won't do you any good to rely on circumstance or luck to make it happen. You are going to be the source of your own success in this matter. You are going to have to choose each day and each meal exactly how and what you will and will not eat.

Becoming aware of your substance triggers is the first step. Most people who struggle with their weight don't ever get to this step. They go through life confused as to why they can't seem to get control over the food - and their weight. If you have become aware of what your substance triggers are, you can begin now to protect yourself from being sabotaged, and you then have hope of reaching your weight loss goals. But this will take time and planning. Here is something you can do today to begin:

Take an inventory of your kitchen, pantry, refrigerator and office setting. What do you have control over? Are you able to remove temptations? What unnecessary and tempting foods lurk in the shadows of your pantry or refrigerator? How about the jar of candy on your desk? Who is that for? Is it more of a temptation to you than your co-workers?

Take control over those things you are able to take control over. Make the decision now, and stick with it. Next time, we will talk about situational triggers.