Why do I make bad decisions? I was at work, and I was hanging out with friends, so I wasn't worried enough about my weight. I'd been cautious all day long, and counted every single calorie. I made it to 6:30 with only 770 calories, enough left for a turkey burger or something. But I wanted an egg and cheese on wheat, so I got one - with bacon. That was just the start. I ate two (small, but still fried) chicken wings, and two mozarella sticks, and a few bites of my friend's ice cream. My total calorie total afterwards? 1600. And once I'd had the fried food, I wasn't satisfied, I wanted More. Why do I want more? I took a break, since I'm the supervising manager on the shift, and I'm in the office right now just freaking out because I narrowly escaped scarfing down cake or an ice cream. Once I'm over where I want to be, eating-wise, it's like I feel all is lost and I might as well have fun. But it happens too often. Yesterday I dieted just fine and then suddenly I wanted crackers with pizza sauce and I ate them. Where's my self control? Why do I make bad decisions? What is it that I'm trying to get out of food? It's not to fill me up. I can stuff myself and still want more. It's not because I like the taste. I was eating pulled pork just because it was available and fast; I don't even really like it. Why do I eat like this?

I just read an article recently and apparently there are certain trigger foods that will cause a binge because they set off a circuitry in the brain that makes you want more food and it is very hard to shut off. Apparently bacon, licorice, ice cream, nachos, burgers were the worst offenders.

There is another poster on these boards (hopefully she'll post so the quote will be correct) but in her signature it says something like:

Deciding to go off the wagon because of 1 food slip up for 1 day of food slip-ups is like dropping your cell phone and then thinking "Well might as well smash it"

I do the exact same thing. I wish I had some answers for both of us.

Haha, I just had a burger (home made) and told my mom I wanted another because it tasted so good but that I knew I was already full. Yup, could be a different trigger.

Huh... do you know if french fries could be a trigger? Because sometimes I snag just one, like last night, and I think I do better on the nights where I don't snag any

I would recommend reading "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler, M.D. The book is all about why people over eat (including the way the food industry perpetuates it!) and it was a real eye opener. It helped me learn my good ques and how to avoid them.

he also has some really good strategies for how to avoid over eating.

Yes, for you -- french fries could be a trigger food. Many people have trouble with salty & sugary snacks and fried foods; this is very common. It could be a physical trigger and/or an emotional one: a comfort food for you.

I like this statement by Kaplods: "Avoiding a trigger food is easier than trying to fight it." You need to plan better; and be prepared.

Always have some healthy snack foods with you wherever you are, especially at work so you don't cave and dive into junk foods or vending machines. Take a healthy lunch/meal and snacks for those times you are hungry.

You can take an apple, a protein bar, and a few UNsalted nuts; along with your lunch. Plan ahead the evening before and have the lunch & snacks ready so you can just grab them as you are going out the door.

Trigger foods. Also, eating foods which aren't whole and are full of additives, etc, will create cravings and make you want more and more even after you're full. I highly recommend you look into eating all whole foods, natural, no additives, etc and your cravings will disappear. As well as trying to eliminate added and processed sugars and flours in your diet. I'ts helped me.

I agree that with trigger foods none is better than some! Sometimes just that one taste can set off a binge so why "tease" yourself. However, on the flip side, totally depriving yourself of something you love can end up with a binge too. It's not easy! I find myself in similar situations all the time I'm learning that avoidance is best for me.

^ I think that is your answer right there... you only had 770 calories by 6:30 pm... YOU WERE HUNGRY! How many calories do you aim for per day? I think you're really undereating and that's whats causing your "bad choices".

It happened to me as well with junk food: the more I have, the more I crave. You just need to have the power and pull yourself out of this vicious circle. Now I find that the smell of fried food makes me nauseous sometimes, because I've stayed away from it for a while.

Once I get on the trigger food cycle I head straight for a binge. I had professional treatment for Binge Eating Disorder and everything was fine - until the therapist started on about me having just one biscuit - I can't have just one biscuit full stop -just like an alcoholic cannot have one drink, or a nicotine addict one cigarette!

I can have alternatives which have to be chosen very carefully but i cannot have chocolate, biscuits, cakes, in fact anything with sugar and white flour because it starts me off - the solution to the binge cycle for me is accepting this

Trying to struggle through the day/week/month on low calories can make binge foods seem like a release or what ive found hard to trying to eat without trying to suppress feelings which I can do but when food is handed to me I get so nervous and feel like i need to get rid of it, so i plan before hand, and eat before I go somewhere because im at the point where I want to taste that food but if I rely on it to fill me up that will be way too many calories and make me feel bad.

But I do NOT save up my calories for an outing, its better to eat higher amount of calories of good food that is not a trigger food than eating a really restricted amount of food that will cause stress and cause you to feel like snapping.

1200 calories does not work for me long term, 1400 is even too low 1600 is hard to accept, 1800 makes me nervous
.. and then I eat 1300 calories for two weeks and binge on 3000 calories make no sense, I've tried relieving some of the cravings by buying one portion size of something or moving myself away from food at parties and making sure I am not hungry at them, was at a workshop, we went out for coffee and I was not expecting that there were lots of nice cookies I never buy and I couldnt get coffee as it was so busy I was planning on that coffee to distract me from the cookies so i sat down I was hungry and I thought okay il have two, that is a normal portion.. one chocolate cream and one chocolate wheat.. and then there was a vanilla type of crunchie cookie so i needed to have that to get rid of the chocolate taste but then I didnt like it so I had a chocolate digestive that i did like, then finally got my coffee and was tempted to get another cookie with my coffee but i resisted..

I cant believe all these people saw me eat four cookies when only some of them took one, oh look the fat girl eating everything, il never forget the time I was called a fat b.tch for taking the last slice of pizza someone else wanted

I feel exactly the same way! I don't have a clue why I do it or why I don't stop. I even think while I am doing it, why don't I stop? I'm not hungry, I don't want to be fat, I want to be thin again. But it doesn't stop me. It feels like a NEED. I'm definately going to look up that book.

I think that Pringles saying is "once you start you can't stop" I just avoid those foods because they create them so that I will stop eating, even if I tell myself "um these chips aren't THAT good...I just can't stop"
If I get to a point where I can stop myself, I might start eating them again, but its not worth the inevitable agony I feel trying to pull myself away from finish an entire bag of junk food.