Combating overeating triggers

I happened upon the following and thought it to be good advice.

Overeating Triggers

Dim lighting: The dimmer the lighting, the higher the likelihood of overindulgence, says a study from the University of California at Irvine. Why? "Brighter lighting forces you to be more aware of what you're eating," says Joe Kasof, Ph.D., lead study author. Beat it by: Sitting outdoors or near windows, using brighter bulbs in your lamps, adding lighting to eating areas, or moving to a brighter room.

Distractions: In another study, when women who normally watched what they ate listened to a taped detective story, they consumed more calories. Researchers suspect the story interfered with the women's focus on keeping calories in check. Beat it by: Clearing all distractions; let the enjoyment of the meal provide your focus.

Low energy: "When your energy's low, you may look for food to pick you up," says Robert E. Thayer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at California State University at Long Beach. Unfortunately, most people reach for calorie-laden treats instead of an apple or banana. Beat it by: Identifying your low-energy times of day and substituting other activities for eating. Take a 10-minute walk or a water-cooler chat break.

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In comments recently, someone asked me what I am doing to lose weight. Of course, I am barely on this journey, but there are things I'm doing.

As I mentioned before, tea. Lots of antioxident tea. It keeps my hands busy. Of course, two of my favorites, blueberry and strawberry, have been discontinued, but there are still a few others.

Although I haven't had to use it, in the past I used to brush my teeth directly after a meal to curb snacking. I didn't want to mess up clean teeth and brushing declared an end to eating.

I coach myself that I don't want to treat my body like a trash can. If I eat past being full or if I munch on that last bit from J's plate, then I am treating myself like a trash can. It is a harsh lecture.

I have a goal of going to bed hungry each night. That means that I ate early enough and ate little enough to make it happen.

I allow myself to snack on trail mix or raw almonds, things with protein and a bit of fat that are pretty satisfying. I also snack on yogurt. Yoplait Whipped are like ice cream to me. They are very satisfying. I also snack on boiled eggs; I've been buying the lower fat/high Omega 3 + E kinds. Even Dole peaches feel like a real treat.

On bad days, I let myself eat whatever I want as long as it is diet food. If that means an extra apple, yogurt, egg, or dish of almonds, it's fine.

This past week, I had bad days that I didn't follow the rules and I don't feel good about slipping up. I weigh the same as last Monday, so at least I didn't gain, although I have weighed 1.5 lbs less (and more) midweek several times the last few weeks. For a while there, I wondered how I couldn't reach my 10 lb goal and now I am wondering how on earth I could.

Over the weekend, I bought our plane tickets to get down there ($800 - ouch!!) and I am thinking in terms of what clothes to bring on the trip. The cruise feels close and I sure would like more weight off as a gift to myself.

What I need to do is get to the grocery store and buy the foods I should have. That's been part of the problem. If I don't have an apple to snack on, then I will find something else. Like -- shhhhhh -- four chocolates in a little heart I bought for my son for Valentine's Day.

Speaking of which, I am really dreading Valentine's Day. Remember what I was doing last year? Calling my ex-fiance about his quickie marriage? Yeah, I need a whole grande heart of chocolates for that. Oops, I will not treat my body like a trash can. He's an overeating trigger for sure.