Hey there. When it comes to weight loss, one of the biggest struggles many of us face is how to handle trigger foods. You know the ones. The chips, cookies, pizza, or cake that you feel like you can’t be around without losing control. For years, I told myself I couldn’t have them in the house. I would avoid them, ban them, and convince myself I was better off without them. But eventually, I’d give in, and when I did, I would overeat and feel like a failure all over again.
That tug of war is exhausting. It takes so much energy to constantly fight against something you’ve labeled as off-limits. And every time you “lose control” it feels like proof that you can’t trust yourself. But what if that cycle isn’t proof of weakness? What if it’s proof of why you actually need to face those foods head-on?
My approach is simple. Take your biggest trigger food and eat it every single day. If it’s pizza, have a slice of pizza every day. If it’s cake, grab a slice of cake daily. Chips? Keep them around and eat them on purpose. At first, this might feel uncomfortable, but here’s what happens. The more you allow yourself to have the food, the less power it has over you. Over time, the emotional pull weakens and it just becomes food. Something you can choose to eat or not without guilt.
To support this process, I also recommend some structure. At each meal, include a serving of produce. Drink water consistently throughout the day. And if possible, set aside a “trigger time” when you practice eating the food so it doesn’t blend into your regular meals. These simple steps remind you that even as you work through this, you’re still building habits that support your long-term goals.
This process is about ending the mental tug of war. Instead of using overeating as proof you can’t control yourself, you flip the script. You build evidence that you can handle these foods and that you don’t need to live in fear of them. That shift is how you take control back from the food and free up your energy for more important things.
If you’ve spent years fighting with food, I want you to know you don’t have to keep fighting. You can build peace and confidence by facing those triggers directly. And if you’re ready to take that next step, I’d love for you to join The YLF Experience. Together, we’ll create a sustainable plan built on your preferences and reinforce your confidence daily so you can finally make lasting progress from the inside/out.