So I'm curious - what foods - either "healthy" or "not so healthy" can you just not keep in your house?
I call these "red-light foods" because I know that no matter how hard I try - even though I'm fairly good with my portion sizes and such with most things - there's just a few things I can NOT keep in the house otherwise I will eat the entire box or more than 1 (or 4) servings at once.
1. Oreo cookies - have been known to eat the entire bag...if i'm REALLY craving them - I go buy a small pack from the convenience store.
2. Peanut Butter - I'll eat it right out of the jar. i know the fat content is the "better" fat for you - but it's still too high in points.
3. Pop Tarts - a full box of 6 WILL be gone in 2 days.
4. Cereal - really dry cereal of any sort. 1 serving just does not fill me up and so I end up eating 2 or 3 bowls at once. :-(
Cashews, or nuts of any kind.
Cake, or even frosting
Sourdough or french bread. I make exceptions, though, if I buy a single loaf for a single meal (for example - having friends over for appetizers, I'll buy a loaf with the understanding that it is ONLY for that meal).
COOKIES of ANY kind. Especially homemade, though. And especially chocolate chip homemade! I currently have a bag of oreos in the house for BF, and I haven't touched them since they've been here -- over a week!
Chocolate of any kind also! And chips, but they're not a big deal, because they've never really been around.
Oh mandalinn, I am totally with you on the french/sourdough bread thing but I don't buy those anymore. DH started buying whole grain baguettes for me, but I had to tell him to stop because I didn't totally go crazy but I went a little overboard.
Every time I walk by the bakery, everything looks and smells so good and sometimes I'll even stop to look at the pretty doughnuts in the case. But I always tell myself, "I will NOT pick those up and put them in my cart," and then walk away.
Another thing I avoid buying is potato chips. If there are potato chips in my house, I'm going to eat them.
Most things being around doesn't bother me. Chocolate doesn't bother me. Ice cream doesn't bother me. There's always ice cream in the house because I keep it around for hub and my 7-year-old son. Thankfully, though, I'm not a big fan of ice cream. I keep fudgecicles around for when I'm in the mood for something like that, but I don't eat them fast enough and I end up pitching them out because they get freezer-burned.
But put a box of doughnuts in my face and they're gone.
My trigger foods are pretty much ANY junk. I don't keep chips, cookies, candy, ice cream, etc., in my home AT ALL, not even the reduced-calorie, reduced-fat, reduced-whatever kinds
Indychick--I used to have the same problem with peanut butter. I could literally eat more than half a jar at once straight out of the jar. Reduced fat Skippy was my drug of choice (less sticky than the full fat kind). But have you ever tried natural peanut butter? I mean the super-plain kind where the ONLY ingredient in peanuts...no sugar, no salt, nothing. I find this to still be tasty in a reasonable amount on sandwiches or in smoothies, but I don't like the taste or texture of it right out of the jar, so I don't have the same problem as with the super-processed peanut butters.
I used to buy a loaf of sourdough and eat the whole darn thing.
Now, if I'm really having that craving and feel like I need to indulge it, I go to my local favorite bakery, where they have single-serving sourdough rolls available. I buy one, take home one, and thats it - once a month it can be a good thing. But I don't keep it in the house - I buy the single, eat it, and it is gone and not there to tempt me.
Candy, not just any candy -- for some reason the day after halloween or easter -- when the kids each have a bucket of those cute little candy bars hanging around -- which they don't even like, I can't stay out of them!!! And little debbie snacks -- the "lunch box" cakes in single servings, can't let them in the house.
Cheese. And to think when I was little, I hated cheese. I'm actually pretty good at staying away from it, but when it's in the fridge and I'm in a snacking mood, cheese and crackers usually call.
I think cashews are beginning to be a problem for me. I am going to try and limit myself to only one serving per week.
I hear you on the sourdough. I will buy it once in a while and we'll eat the whole loaf at one meal. If it's leftover, you can bet that I'll be the one eating it....with cheese melted on top....for breakfast. A bakery near here has a great roll, somewhat similar to sourdough but with cheese and jalapeno baked inside. I usually buy two....
I don't seem to have a problem with cereal, chocolate or ice cream. But an open bag of raisins....too tempting to not keep reaching for a handful.
Cookies can be really bad, so I do not buy those, but if I do, I can usually limit myself. But that limit is often a limit of 6...or 8....at a time.
Dry cereal...Haven't bought a box in a couple years at least. I used to eat it between meals straight from the box. My favorite was Corn Chex.
I was getting a little concerned about some over-indulgences peanut butter a few months ago involving myself and the jar, but thanks to posting on here in a thread called "My battle with peanut butter", I was able to kick the over-indulgences habit in a week, despite the fact that I continue eat it every day in moderation. It's amazing what being accountable here can do. I fully recommend it to anyone who has a food that they would like to learn to keep in the home without over-indulging.
I've been thinking about doing the same thing with dry cereal, but so far I'm very happy with eating cream of wheat every morning...Can't eat that straight from the box!
I've been thinking about doing the same thing with dry cereal, but so far I'm very happy with eating cream of wheat every morning...Can't eat that straight from the box!
Mmm, I love cream of wheat, it's my favorite hot cereal.
"Red-Light" food poll...
