During a session this week, my client Sandra told me about an experience she had had at the supermarket the day before. She was buying ingredients to make a soup she really likes and out of habit picked up a loaf of bread, thinking it would go well with the dish. Sandra then took a minute to think about whether or not buying bread actually made sense. She realized that every time she does, her partner ends up eating one piece while she ends up eating five pieces or more. Once she realized that buying the bread was likely to sabotage her evening, she was able to put it back.
As Sandra was finishing her shopping, she saw a package of cookie dough and decided to buy it, thinking that it would be nice to have a cookie after dinner. When she got home, an old habit kicked in and almost immediately, Sandra opened the cookie dough and ate four cookies’ worth. Much to her credit, she was able to catch herself and disposed of the rest of the cookie dough, knowing that if she kept it, she was likely to eat the whole thing that day.
Sandra and I discussed these two situations – her decision to put the bread back and her decision to buy cookie dough. I reminded Sandra that whenever she’s at the grocery store (or anywhere she’s buying food) and is considering a “specialty” item like bread, cookie dough, ice cream, etc., it’s important to consider the evidence. She should ask herself, “What’s the evidence that if I bring this item home, I’ll eat it in a way I feel good about? What’s the evidence if I bring it home, I’ll end up eating in a way that I won’t feel good about?” If there’s a lot of evidence that she’ll consume it in a positive way, then she should absolutely go ahead and buy it. But if there’s evidence showing the opposite, then chances are it’s just not worth buying it – at least not right now. Sandra’s goal for the long term is to be able to keep any kind of food at home and eat planned amounts at planned times, but first, she needs to strengthen her positive eating habits.
Another question Sandra might ask herself when she’s considering buying a specialty item is “Where does this food fit into my meal plan for the week?” If it has a place and evidence shows that she’ll eat it in a way she’ll feel good about, then she should buy it. I told Sandra that I had used this strategy recently when I was considering buying a new jarred cinnamon roll spread. As I was holding the jar in the supermarket, I asked myself that very question. If, for example, I was eating ice cream for my dessert and decided to put some of the spread on that, then maybe I would have bought it. But because I couldn’t see a clear place for it in my eating plan, I knew that chances were high that I’d put it in my pantry and forget about it. I might find it one night when I was rooting around for something sweet and end up eating half the jar in one sitting. Because that seemed like the most likely outcome to me, I didn’t buy it.
So, when you’re at the supermarket, these are the questions to ask yourself:
- If I bring this food home, what’s the evidence that I’ll eat it in a way I feel good about versus the evidence that I won’t?
- Where does this food fit into my eating plan for the week?
Remember, if the food you’re hesitating over has a clear place and a high likelihood that you’ll eat it in a controlled way, then go ahead and buy it! But if not, it might be worth it to leave the struggle at the store and not invite it home with you.