How do you fight the temptation of eating chocolate? I started my "real" journey to lose weight after the holiday season early this year so this is my first go round with it around the holidays. Man those supermarkets have things down! Temptation is everywhere! So many amazing looking cakes, cookies, and don't even get me started on chocolates! I did give in and got some cookies and cream santa claus bars. Fully intending to only have one or two a day. Yeah... the bag lasted two days! Feeling like a major failure right now and dreading when the scale catches up to it. Nothing I've tried to fight the temptation seems to be working. That little voice in my head telling me to have some just won't shut up!
I allow myself dark chocolate with only naturally ingredients. That limits the choices considerably. It took awhile, but now the candy displays are just of no interest to me. I tell myself "That's not about me."
A strategy that helped was to make some behavioral changes by making rules that cut off my favorite places and ways of eating. I ate most stuff like this in the car, so my rule is "No eating in the car." Others have more problems at home, so they make rules about what foods are not allowed in the house. I also follow this rule "No eating anything purchased at a drug store or gas station." Now that those places aren't about food for me, I have a much easier time navigating my day. Is there a simple rule or change you could make that would prevent the purchase of cookies and cream santa claus bars?
Another thing that's worked for me is to promise myself one treat on December 24. So, I know I'm going to get a Christmas-y treat, but not spend the whole Christmas season eating treats like I once did.
My diet lets me make chocolate tipped strawberries! I melt the best quality bittersweet chocolate I can find and put just a little on the tips.
I also got one of those chocolate graters. If I need a chocolate fix I just grate a little on some berries or yogurt. You only need a little to get that yummy chocolate flavor!
I feel ya. I don't know what happened I was the person that use to be able to pass on candy but last few years I've become addicted to chocolate. lol Which sucks when you're trying to lose weight. And it's worse during this time of year. It seems to be non-stop chocolate in your face from Halloween until V-day. Oye! Being a cashier seemed to have made it worse for me. I stare at chocolate cause I'm pretty much swimming in it cause of the "impulse buys" they have at every counter (which is mostly chocolates) and then this time of year it's hoards of candy coming through my checkout for trick or treaters, stocking stuffers, and vday. I find having rules help. I like dark chocolate so I'll have the darkest I can find. Instead of buying a bag of candy I buy the smallest size of candy possiable. I avoid "king size." I try to avoid as much added things to it (like peanut butter, nuts, etc). I avoid having it in my house just laying around (I'll admit I'm a boredom eater and can't resist chocolate). But since I started a vegan diet that has made it almost impossiable for me to find any chocolate treats unless I make it (not saying you should become vegan to avoid chocolate but man it has made it easier for me not to eat it, I still want to nose dive into the bins full of bags of candy at work, but I don't lol). So now I litterally have to stop and take time to make it and then give away as much of it as possiable or go down to the health food store that's out of the way for me for a vegan chocolate bar.
Hope it helps to say it does get easier, but it's like kicking anything else, the detox sux.
I switched to dark chocolate as well, only on weekends and don't keep it in the house, all mentioned above. Early on when I was doing WW a few suggestions were mini peppermint patties candies, mini tootsie rolls. The thing that works for me the best is staying away from it, especially the milk chocolate varieties.
One thing that is difficult as well is to not give in to the "it's on sale, it's a good deal, etc.". If you can't control it then it isn't good for you, no matter what it is.
Another thing that's been helping me lately is looking up the calories of different treats, some are worth the indulgence, some are not.
it helps me to be very very picky about the sweets that I eat....I know it doesn't work for me to go "cold turkey" avoiding sweets BUT if I can limit it to the one sweet that I want the absolute most, that works well for me....and I also limit what comes into the house and avoid bringing home large quantities of things like donuts etc....I also have a rule of "no eating food after dinner" which takes out that chunk of time where I want to nibble endlessly on snacks and sweets....it's HARD not to eat after dinner but I know if I reallyyyyy want something, I can have liquids like a diet hot chocolate or a hot tea and that takes away the "all or nothing" aspect of it....I really dont' do well with all or nothing rules like "NOTHING after dinner"...I would rebel in less than two days against something like that lol
I recently tried the special K chocolate delight pastry strips and I LOVE THEM, I love chocolate so I have 1 every night as my after dinner/ dessert snack. I usually completely avoid the pastry/bakery portion of the supermarket to avoid temptations, I go in the opposite way and manage to ignore at least most of whats out there, or end up looking at it when I've spent all my grocery budget so even if I want it it would mean taking something out of my cart to get it, it helps!
I agree with Kelijpa that it does get easier. For me, it was definitely an addiction and while I feel like I'm in control of it for the most part now, I know that I just cannot have sweets in the house. At all. I've learned over the years that the "I'll just have one" thing does not work for me. I absolutely love chocolate, but I usually just pass on it now because it's a definite trigger food for me once I get started.
I'm not done with my weight loss journey (and it's been a very long journey), but I have lost and kept 50 pounds off. I'm tempted when I see the cookies, cakes and chocolates that seem to be everywhere this time of year too, but I just remind myself what it felt like to be 50 pounds heavier when I'm tempted to take them home and I keep on walking. Find ways to treat yourself that won't derail completely derail all your hard work. That saying is true - nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.
I am doing low carb and love chocolate. I am now making my own sugar free chocolate with erythritol and stevia. I bought food grade cocoa butter and the chocolate comes out so good I can't tell it is sugar free. And since there isn't a blood sugar spike, I only eat a small amount and get my chocolate fix. I recently made it with coconut and came out like Mounds bars. My friends couldn't even tell it was sugar free!
I keep coming back and reading this thread, great ideas.
I remember one of my friends had a way of making herself work for her chocolate, makes me smile to remember.
She would open a bag of Hershey's miniatures and fling them randomly in her freezer, then when she wanted one she'd have to search around in there to try and find it.
I've found that chocolate definitely has a druggish effect on my mind! I have my monthly lady-time right now, and chocolate seems to magically do something to make me feel better during that time of the month.
I've found that super-dark chocolate, like 70%+ cacao "works" just as well as the sweeter chocolate does. It's the chocolate I'm craving, I can do without the fat and sugar, so a little bit of a really dark organic chocolate bar can be a lifesaver!
Also, straight-up cocoa powder mixed with anything can really cure those chocolate cravings. I'd put cocoa powder in a smoothie or mix it with almond butter.
Also, I like to make hot chocolate with almond milk (or any kind of milk), a bit of organic sugar, and cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is great, because it's straight-up chocolate without the fat and sugar. Cocoa powder doesn't TASTE as yummy as those sugary, fatty Hershey Bars, but it still gives my body exactly what it's craving.
Generally speaking though, I don't think "fighting the temptation" to eat anything is generally not a good idea. It's better to give in and have a little bit of chocolate now than it is to deprive yourself and end up bingeing on chocolate a week from now. My advice to anyone who's having chocolate cravings is "just go for it."
I'm a huge chocoholic and can eat 2-3 candy bars in a sitting so I feel your pain last year when I was really watching what I ate my chocolate indulgence would be a square of dark Ghiradellis chocolate. They come individually wrapped and are either 40 or 70 cals if I remember correctly. One square when I got a craving was enough to satisfy me, I'd eat it slowly and took little bites really savoring it. Sugar Free Jello chocolate pudding is also a favorite
I also adore chocolate, but it has to be the best-quality Swiss or Belgian chocolate. And dark chocolate doesn't do it for me. Creamy milk chocolate made with all-natural ingredients, on the other hand, is pure bliss. I have a different strategy than most: I don't eat chocolate routinely and don't bring it into the house, but once in a while I indulge in what (to me) is a satisfying amount, about 100 grams.
Like others have said, it's a combination of rules and behavior modifications that help me control myself and maintain my motivation.
I too have a "no eating in the car" rule. I've done 70% of my binging in my car for over 20yrs. Even getting in my car is a trigger and I have a hard time not thinking about the drive thru when I get in the car. So that rule is important.
I've learned that 4pm is a do or die time of day. That's when I get hit with all my cravings. So I reach for a cup of cinammon tea. No calories, just the warmth and comfort of cinammon without the calories of the cinammon roll. At first it was hard to get used to drinking tea instead of eating something but now I crave it, go figure.
No snacking - this is a recent change and I'm really happy I made it. Many diets and dieters will try to get you to eat between meals. And I'm certain that this is great for many people. But snacking kept me thinking about food all day and in reality I need to put aside my food thoughts for a good portion of the time. It's also helped me address hunger, which is something I used to fear but now I'm starting to get used to it and it's not so bad. It's not painful.
No eating after dinner time except for my daily piece of chocolate....
Chocolate - ok here's my take on chocolate. I eat a piece of chocolate every day in the evening after dinner, like "dessert". The key to this is to find a type of chocolate that you enjoy, that's dark and therefore has some healthful benefits. But make sure that your daily piece of chocolate is not so good that it derails you. I unfortunately ran out of my chocolate and had to go buy some more. But the store was out of my brand and so I had to pick up another type of chocolate. I got Lindt dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt. This stuff is so good that I'm scared to have it in the house. I can't bring it into the house anymore if I'm scared to be around it.
Last edited by Palestrina; 11-18-2013 at 08:44 AM.
Chocolate!!
