We are all capable of using food to make us feel better when the chips are down, whether it is from hormones raging out of control or from episodes of depression to just having a bad day and needing something to make us feel better about ourselves.

When this happens we also tend to over eat and then you feel the guilt and you don’t feel better at all in fact you feel worse about yourself and this can lead to more emotional eating. It all can become an emotional nightmare. When things start to go bad there seems to be a ripple effect one thing after another and before you know it you’re a mess.

Sometimes we just get a craving for fatty or unhealthy foods, it just happens and why is this. You could be following a raw diet and feeling great and for no apparent reason want to eat the bad stuff. A small indulgence is fine but if it becomes a habit then you have to start all over again trying to break the habit.

If this is a picture that resonates with you then an action plan to avoid this scenario repeating itself will help. If you have a plan that you can put into practice to identify the triggers and avoid them this is a start, then have an action plan to follow should you be triggered and a prevention plan to work towards eliminating the problem altogether.

When you are trying to change your lifestyle it takes time and dedication for the new habits to set in, so having a plan of action with workable steps to follow is always going to make it achievable. Identifying your triggers is the first step, what is it that starts you wanting to eat unhealthy or comfort food.

We are all individuals and have our own triggers. Take action to identify them, make a list, be honest with yourself, identify everyone you are aware of and be prepared to update this list as you become aware of new triggers.

Make a Trigger Sheet

Write a list on the left side of your sheet leaving several lines between each item. On the right of each item on your list write down all the situations that could be a catalyst to this particular trigger, leaving plenty of room for this section to be added to as more come to mind.

Now that we have identified the triggers and scenario’s/situation that could lead to falling in to the trap of emotional eating all we have to do is avoid them. Well this all sounds well and good but life isn’t quite like that.

Although awareness is always good as a warning it isn’t going to stop it happening altogether on its own. This is a good start though, so we now need to have a plan to deal with the situation after you have been triggered.

What to do once you have been triggered

This plan will need to be designed to suit the individual. First you need to find a way that works for you.

It is important to understand that it is connected to the way we feel about our selves and if we don’t like ourselves then we are more prone to being triggered. You need to make a plan for how to deal with the situation, only you can do this, I can only make suggestions but at the end of the day you need to work this out.

Some suggestions for this plan are:

Have a list of the things that makes you feel good about yourself, make this short and concise so you can resite this to yourself easily. This will automatically lift the mood. You need to be grateful for all those things and express your gratitude to yourself.

Being prepared is always helpful, so have you favourite healthy snack on hand, or know how you can get it very quickly.

Menu Plans are always a good way to stick to your program develop one for the times that you know that you are at risk of being triggered. i.e. PMT. Mother in-law is coming to visit.Work out what you are going to eat for that day in advance and get into a habit of sticking to your plan.

Make your life easy not complicated healthy eating is fun, green smoothes are the best way to get rid of cravings for unhealthy foods.

Put yummy things in like blueberries or pineapple to make it a taste sensation, you then have a healthy guilt free comfort food that you can indulge in on the down days.

Clear the pantry of all the unhealthy food and replace with yummy foods that you want to eat, like dried apricots and nuts and seeds that you like to snack on, and things that can be whipped up in a flash to make a yummy healthy treat. Smoothes are always yummy and filling.

Now on the back of the Triggers Sheet make your Once Triggered Plan.

You can design this any way you want, but make it achievable and realistic. It may help to outline individual situations and the steps you will take to in still new habits. Also don’t forget to build in a reward system but it should not be in the form of food, there are many other reward one can give oneself. This needs to be kept on you for reference when needed.

Now old habits die-hard so it is best not to put in your desk or draw and forget about it, because that is to easy. You need to have it handy where you can pull it out and read it several times a day.

Remember this is an action plan it will get no action if you hide it away. The next stage is in the future and we will cover that at a later date when you have developed this strategy and are ready to move to the next step.

Watch this space.