Tip: Know Your Triggers

All of us have trigger foods. These are foods that send us spiraling right into the seventh circle of gluttony hell. Those triggers vary greatly from person to person.

This is one area where I'd define foods as being "good" or "bad" based on your reaction to eating them. Contextually, a bad food is one that meets the seventh circle criteria when you're trying to get lean.

It's up to you to be aware of what foods cause you to eat more even after you've had your fill. For me, it's basically anything that doesn't fall under the bro-diet umbrella. So basically anything that's not eggs, oatmeal, rice, chicken, etc. I don't just eat a slice of pizza; I eat four pizzas. I don't just eat one doughnut; I clean out the bakery.

Some people CAN just have two Oreos. They're called sociopaths and they feel nothing, have no emotions, and lack empathy.

It's up to you to identify your trigger foods and eliminate them during the time that you're trying to have a high degree of compliance. No, this isn't something you have to do forever. But if you're wanting to shed fat and you don't want to screw it up, then just eliminate the foods that cause those problems.

Beware the Scarcity Effect

This is one obstacle to look out for. It's when we end up wanting something because of the perceived lack of availability. The less access we have to something, the more we tend to crave it. This can be a lethal combination when it comes to trigger foods.

The solution to replace those trigger foods with foods that are "close enough." If you love pizza, try a thin crust or cauliflower option using toppings that are higher in protein and lower in calories: grilled chicken instead of sausage, extra veggies, half the cheese, etc.

If you love cookies and brownies, try the low fat and/or low carb recipes for those foods. If it's easier for you to just abstain all together, then do that. But figure out what you need to do to stop short-circuiting the fat loss process by giving in to your trigger foods.