Grocery stores and ads
 

Okay so today is one of my days off so I spent the day running errands. First off just an update I can't join the Y until next week as they also have a sign up fee on top of the regular monthly dues, so it will have to wait until payday (I can't walk outside as I tend to fall down and break bones)

So I went to the grocery today and man it was hard as I wanted to just go crazy, I mean the feeling to just say "forget it" was so overwhelming but I didn't. I bought some fresh salmon, fruits and veggies. Anyhow looking in the cabinet here at the house I found a box of brownies. My Gosh I felt like I won the lottery and I don't even like chocolate. Now it is hotter than heck here so firing up the oven is a no go but gee whiz when is this going to ever end.

How do you all deal with triggers in the grocery, ads or even at home?

One, go throw away the brownie mix. It will call to you for weeks, otherwise: you can either build up one big rush of willpower and toss it, or have it eat away at your willpower until you break.

Two: lists, lists lists. Take a list to the grocery store, Buy ONLY what is on the list. If you are there and remember you need TP but it isn't on your list, don't buy it. You'll have to come back tomorrow with a new list. Have it that you simply do NOT make decisions while you are in the store--it isn't even an option. You just buy what is on the list.

Never go to the grocery store hungry either!!!

I agree with Shmead. I too make lists! I don't even look at ads, I find them distracting.

When I'm at the store, and find something yummy, I always look at the nutritional info on the back. That usually shocks me into putting the item back!

oh yeah I had a list and I followed it to a T but there is so much bad stuff out there in the grocery store, to get to the seafood I had to walk right past the bakery that has end caps full of muffins, cupcakes and everything else imaginable. Do you know they have people who lay out stores to set people up to impulse buy and make bad food choices. It's just horrible and it was really a hard day but I made it through

I always eat before going to the stores as well. I also always look at the nutrition of any snack I am contemplating. Usually the calories listed are so outrageous that the item becomes "not worth it" for me to fit it into my plan so I put it back. In the beginning I walked around the store picking up dozens and dozens of items, looking at them and putting them back. I must have looked like a nut lol.
I find it is just easier to avoid areas of temptation if at all possible. When I have to get bread, I take a route to the back where I completely bypass the baked goods. I never go down the chip and snack aisle either. Out of sight, out of mind ;)

Good for you, and next time will be easier.

This is why it is important to get NOTHING that isn't on the list. Once you open the floodgates, anything can be rationalized.

Did you throw away the brownie mix?

No I didn't throw it away my daughter might want to make it, I am not really worried about the brownie mix because I am not a fan of chocolate anyhow. My daughter bought it a few months ago when we were out shopping

I agree about list-making. I look at the ads, I figure out what's on sale, I make my list, and then I follow a predetermined path that will only take me to the things on my list. If there's nothing in an aisle that I want, I don't go down it. On a trip to the grocery store, typically, as is common with people of my habits of eating, I stay pretty much on the periphery of the store, with brief forays here & there for one or two items down aisles. What you don"t want in the grocery store is spontaneity. Except for the kind of spontantaneity that sees marked-down produce & figures out some great dish you can make that very evening using that produce. (For me, it was gazpacho a couple nights ago, as I got a deal on cukes & tomatoes & a heat wave was about to hit.)

You could also think about doing peapod.com for shopping... if it is available in your area. I use it on occasion. It is really easy to avoid temptation when you are ordering your groceries online.

I dont look at ads. My newest rule of thumb the past couple months is that I shop the outer aisles of the store only...the only time I go into an inner aisle is at Whole is to go down the nuts aisle to grab a bag of unsalted almonds & a tub of almond butter....& I go out the same outer aisle I went in. Other than that...if its in an inner aisle...I dont go. The only bread item allowed in house are Hemp bagels but thats an outer freezer at Whole. I buy tempeh & tofu at a japenese grocery. I make a list...stick to it & always eat before I go. When I started I tossed opened treats & every debatable item into the garbage....boxed up all unopened junk items & brought it to the food bank.

I pretty much buy the same things every week and only go to three areas of the store - produce, dairy, meat counter. I just make small variations like different fruits & veggies, or a different flavor of cheese, or a different type of fish or cut of meat. It makes shopping quick and easy. And there's no temptations.

Good for you for not giving in to the cravings. It gets easier each time you resist! You're teaching yourself that you are no longer the kind of person who eats those things. Instead, you're the kind of person who buys what's on the list and eats what's on your plan!

When our grocery store moved, I just pretended that they didn't move the bakery. As far as I'm concerned, it's still back at the old store and, thus, very inconvenient.

Make a list and stick to it. I also listen to my fitness/health/wellness podcasts while I shop. Or any talk radio or that matter. I get to into the topic to get distracted by crap.

The way I get through the temptations is to have a small conversation with myself about said item. Is it going to make me happy? Is it worth it? Is it worth me going off plan to eat junk? How much satisfaction am I really going to get from it? How much other food could I have for the same calorie content? Is the item nutritional?
By the time I get done answering all of the questions, I have no desire to buy the item.