Weight Watchers Western Regional Speaker's Bureau Award-Winning Humorous & Inspirational Speaker Weight Watchers Leader and Lifetime Member Marketing & Public Relations Specialist Former Radio Talk Show Host Toastmasters Champion Sales Trainer Author

 

Red Light Foods and How to Handle Them

© March, 2000 Scott "Q" Marcus, THINspirational Speaker

To go direct to the chart click here.

We’re all familiar with "red light foods," those pesky treats we don’t yet seem to control. Bringing them into the house triggers a major eating urge. Before we know, we’re consuming anything that stays on a plate long enough to get a fork into it. (That is, if we even put it on a plate!) Once done with our multi thousand calorie binge, the guilt and shame set in and the thought process, "As long as I’ve blown it, I might as well really blow it!" begins. The spiral escalates. Spirit falls. Weight goes up. No food in the house is safe now. (For a copy of a .gif [graphic] file that shows the eating cycle: click here.)

"Yellow light foods" usually don’t trigger the binge but are consumed in mass quantities once a "red light food" has activated the trigger. For example, cereal might sit serenely and safely in the cabinet for months. Yet, after inhaling a jar of peanut butter and the prowl for more is in full swing, that box of "Sweet Puffies" is gone quickly.

Of course, "green light foods" are those that don’t cause a problem no matter what. Rarely will I hear someone confess that s/he ate too many celery sticks last night. These foods are always safe to have around.

What to do with these foods?

1. Realize everyone has a red light food or two. (The average respondent to my survey had more than four.) One is not weak nor doomed to a life of obesity due to a craving for pizza. For whatever reason, we associate pizza (or whatever the food of choice) with comfort or pleasure or security. Each of us could use more pleasure in our lives. Don’t ‘beat yourself up" over the desire for a better life. (If shame and guilt were motivational, we’d all be skinny.) The key is to realize every behavior has a side effect (the result you didn’t plan) and sometimes the side effect is more harmful than the main benefit.
   
   Accept you are not YET willing to handle the food of choice and be vigilant for its appearance in your kitchen (and workplace). As was said by Wendell Phillips (speaking at Harvard University in 1852), "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
   
2. Learn to live without the food. (Gasp!) This can actually be a risky strategy. Too many times, we say that we’ll just "give up" whatever might be our food of choice. We survive, at times digging our nails into the door jambs to prevent running to the nearest Mom and Pop store when the urge bludgeons us. However, pressure builds, desire escalates, urge increase - and finally we suffer from a "food explosion," making up for lost time with several month’s worth in one sitting (or "standing," more appropriately), a reaction usually caused by a feeling of deprivation.
   
   If you don’t feel deprived by removing that food from your life, it’s the best strategy. If you feel you’re removing your food because you "should" do it, try a different approach. Remember, not all solutions work for all people. That’s why the make chocolate and vanilla. (Hmm, maybe that’s not the best example I could have used here…)
   
3. Ask for help. If ice cream is a red light food for you and your husband insists on bringing it into the house, ask him if there is some alternative. Could he use a flavor you don’t like? (Is there such a flavor?) Could he eat it when you’re not around? Could he not leave it in plain view in front of the freezer? Could he eat it when you go out as opposed to when you’re in the house? Many times we don’t ask our families for help. (Is it because they might agree to do so and you’re looking for a reason to "go off?") Elicit support whenever possible; your family and friends are on your side. (And if they’re not, why are you with them?)
   
4. Find lower calorie and lower fat substitutes. Sugar free soda replaces regular soda. Fat free cheese can be used instead of the "real thing." Granted the taste might not be as fun - but that just might be the ticket that makes you think twice before eating. If you do, the "damage" will be lessened because of fewer calories.
   
5. Eat the food only when you go out. My big flashing red light comes from peanut butter (sigh…). I have learned (sometimes) that if "I always do what I’ve always done, I’ll always be where I’ve always been." Each time in the past that I brought it in my house, I consumed it all (sometimes having to run back to the store to buy a new jar and eating that down to the level of the previous so no one would know what I did). Finally, after years of walking into walls, I moved over and opened a door and learned NOT to bring it in my house. That hasn’t stopped me from ordering off the kids’ menus at many restaurants (I just tell them I’m immature). My peanut butter and jelly sandwich is delivered on a bright shiny plate with a glass of milk and a smiling cookie. I’m content. The world is OK; I again have my peanut butter.
   
6. Purchase only small packages. Don’t bring in the giant deluxe bag of cookies. Only purchase the little four-cookie package at the check stand. Count it toward your program. In the event of overindulgence, damage is minimized.
   
7. Wait ten minutes. The best advice I have ever received is to wait ten minutes before eating- anytime. More times than not, the urge to eat is due to a trigger. Triggers pass (really!); we just usually don’t wait around long enough to find out.
   
   When the urge to eat crosses your mind, grab tight and look at the clock. Promise yourself you’ll wait ten minutes and then decide. If you’re really hungry, the urge will not go away (and no, you won’t die of hunger in that time period). If it’s a habit, 80% of the time, it’ll pass and you’ll forget about the food for quite awhile.
   
   If 80% of the time you have the urge to eat - and you don’t - you’re going to lose a lot of weight.
   
   (One suggestion: Don’t set a timer. All it will do is remind you when time’s up.)

I hope this helped. If you have a suggestion, or an idea, send it to me at ScottQ@THINspiration.com. We’re all in this together.

Treat yourself special.

---

Notes on the survey:

The attached chart was compiled during the week of March 6, 2000. Three hundred people were asked to mention their "red light food of choice." After listing the foods, they were asked to vote as often as they would like, raising his or her hand when a food was on the list. (Most people have more than one red light food.) The first column shows the ranking in terms of how many people said the food was on their list. Column two lists the food. Column three says what percentage of all the votes the food received (There were about 1200 votes because the average person had about four foods on her list). The final column shows what percentage of the 300 volunteers raised their hand when asked if this was on their "list." Therefore, Chocolate was the number one trouble food (wow, no surprise, huh?). It received 10.4% of all votes tallied, and it was listed on 44% of the lists. Of course, this list is totally unscientific and is not to be used as a shopping list to help you lose weight.

	The "Top 40" of Red Light Foods
	(for suggestions to overcome these foods, click here.)

 

 

Ranking	Red Light Food	% of all votes tallied	% of respondents who said they had a problem with this food
1	Chocolate	10.443%	44.0%
2	Cookies	8.940%	37.7%
3	Chips	8.782%	37.0%
4	Pizza	6.883%	29.0%
5	Ice Cream	6.566%	27.7%
6	Cheese	5.775%	24.3%
7	Fresh Bread	5.617%	23.7%
8	Nuts	5.301%	22.3%
8	French Fries	5.301%	22.3%
10	Alcohol	3.956%	16.7%
11	Cake	3.877%	16.3%
12	Peanut Butter	2.848%	12.0%
13	Candy	2.690%	11.3%
14	Pie	2.294%	9.7%
15	Butter	2.136%	9.0%
16	Donuts	2.057%	8.7%
17	Pastry	1.741%	7.3%
18	Fast Food	1.582%	6.7%
19	Pasta	1.503%	6.3%
20	Cereal	1.028%	4.3%
21	Salami	0.949%	4.0%
22	Bacon	0.870%	3.7%
23	Popcorn	0.791%	3.3%
23	Macaroni & Cheese	0.791%	3.3%
25	Rice	0.712%	3.0%
25	Potatoes & gravy	0.712%	3.0%
25	Nachos	0.712%	3.0%
25	Meat	0.712%	3.0%
29	Pancakes and/or Waffles	0.633%	2.7%
29	Crackers	0.633%	2.7%
31	Snack Bars	0.554%	2.3%
32	Olives	0.396%	1.7%
33	Hot Dogs	0.316%	1.3%
33	Eggs	0.316%	1.3%
33	Dip	0.316%	1.3%
33	Burritos	0.316%	1.3%
37	Marshmallows	0.237%	1.0%
37	Cheetos	0.237%	1.0%
37	Bread Sticks	0.237%	1.0%
37	Avocado	0.237%	1.0%

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For comments and questions: ScottQ@THINspiration.com

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