This is the seoond article of a four-part series on weight-loss triggers: Substance | Situational | Behavioral | Circumstantial
"I did it again! How will I ever get thin if I continue to eat this way? Why can't I seem to get a handle on this?"
How many of us have said that to ourselves after overindulging? And after countless diets and attempts to change our behavior, how many more of these attempts can one stand before one simply gives up hope altogether?
A trigger is any person, place, thing, food — or situation — that has a tendency to cause one to overeat.
When dieters think of triggers, they typically think of a specific type of food. It's true: Some foods are triggers for these individuals. And for many, sugar and white flour are substance triggers. But there are other kinds of triggers that are much more insidious.
When the impulse to indulge stems directly from a situation in one's life that occurs periodically, this is considered a situational trigger.
Some examples of situational triggers are work-related, where one has a regular meeting that causes stress, the hiring or firing of an employee, or even a particular event where loads of food are brought in from an outside source. Even eating candy from the candy dish on the desk can become a situational trigger, and then a habit may be established from repetition.
Another trigger situation could be going to a fun family party and "socializing" right by the food table, making it an easy temptation to indulge in too much food. In fact, any party has the potential to be a situational trigger if one has a predisposition to succumb and has not prepared for the event.
Situational triggers may or may not involve substance triggers, but where one trigger occurs, another one may be lurking in the shadows. Often, one will be faced with two or more triggers simultaneously.
Those who are not privy to their triggers are going to fall into the pattern of overeating as easily as a bowling ball falls into the gutter of the lane. Don't let this be you.
Take a quick look at a specific situation in your life, where you indulged for no other reason than the fact that you found yourself in that particular situation. Consider why you indulged. Were you really hungry or were you experiencing emotions that made you feel you had no control, and this feeling made you indulge excessively?
If you are one of many who has struggled for years trying to get that excess weight off, then you have found an answer today. Stick with this program, develop that self-honesty and your dreams of a thinner you are just around the corner.
