Sorry, I probably didn't explain very well, and it's not an easy one to explain....
With an inductor, current always lags behind voltage, ideally by about 90 degrees. That means, in steady operation, as the voltage rises after a zero crossing the current and magnetic flux are still falling from the previous half cycle of the opposite polarity. If you switch on from a zero crossing, the flux is already at zero, allowing it to rise further in the first half cycle.. to the point of saturation in a cheap, tired or undersized core. At the point of saturation there is no longer any reactance to limit the current.
The resistor I was suggesting would be a wirewound one for surge capability. It needs to have a wattage rating sufficient to withstand the voltage drop at normal lamp current (with a safety margin). Actually an NTC thermistor designed for surge limiting (as used in switch mode power supplies would probably a better and more efficient solution. I'm not sure about mounting, I don't know your mechanical setup - obviously it would need to be electrically safe and somewhere that would withstand its heat dissipation. Sorry, that sounds a bit vague.