Avoiding the 'Danger Food' zone

I am generally a fairly controlled eater.  I generally like most healthy foods.  I generally don't eat so much I make myself sick.  Generally.

With a lot of my recent health and food education with Beachbody I feel pretty confident that I am choosing what is best for my body most of the time.  My portions are generally ideal for me and not often do I do any emotional eating any more.

There are a couple exceptions and I refer to these as my 'Danger Foods'.



When left alone with my Danger Foods I have a hard time separating myself from the sheer overwhelming delicious flavors and happy memories they evoke.  Some I have a very long history with.  Really, really good fudge with pecans seems to be one of those items I cannot turn down.  Eating homemade fudge brings a peace and happiness, its delicious!  ...and I can't stop myself.  The same thing with nachos, funny enough.  A really hearty tortilla chip topped with an extra sharp local cheese and some savory, spicy toppings is truly something I could live on.  A serving and maybe a little more is totally acceptable, but the whole family sized dish?  No.  Just no.

eating the entire batch of brownies= not good

When faced with these Danger Foods I now am learning better ways of handling the temptation to over-do it.  But first, why would I just not want to let myself go overboard and gorge myself 'for once'?  I work hard, right?  I eat healthy every day, so why wouldn't I go crazy on a pan of fudge once and a while?

Over eating causes stomach ache and intestinal pain.  I do NOT like to feel bad, ever.

Too much sugar causes emotional mood swings.  No thanks.

An overabundance of greasy food slows your body down and sucks energy from you for hours on end.

Massively going over your calorie intake adds on extra pounds quickly, which is hard for your body and causes low-lying medical issues and eventually very serious ones.  I don't like medical issues. Not one bit.

Now that we know some reasonable reasons as to why we shouldn't over-eat, how do we actually stop ourselves??  Here are some ideas I rely on:

1) Portion control.  Pull your 'serving' in a dish.  Lock up the rest!

2) Bad taste.  Brush, floss and use mouth wash.  Now that chocolate won't taste so good and saying no is easier! This is ideal to do AFTER you have already had your reasonable portion!

3) Substitutions. Tasty gum or mints or herbal tea can be good alternatives.

4) Exercise.  No, it doesn't sound fun right now but when your endorphins are pumping you are stronger and can say no to anything!

5) Hydrate.  Drink a gigantic glass of water before you have your treat!  Hydration keeps cravings at bay.

6) Long term health.  Building a healthy, well running body that runs on nutritious food will actually result in a body that does NOT crave junk.  When your nutritional needs are met you won't get those cravings.  This has been my biggest help yet!

What are your Danger Foods???