Hi,

I hope everyone is doing well today.


I'm on my first day of trying to give up chocolate. I'm desperate for any suggestions to help with "withdrawl." I'm cranky and headachy and tired....and PMS. This is not the best time to do this (but when is) with Valentine's Day and my birthday within the next few weeks.

I realized that besides the obvious side effects of eating sweets (the weight) I also seem to not eat as healthy when I'm eating too much sugar. I go more for "white carbs" and eat less vegetables and whole grains and protein than when I'm not eating a lot of sugar.


Has anyone managed to kick the sugar habit? I'm not looking to do Sugarbusters or anything, but I do want to cut way back on the chocolate/sweets etc.


Thank you so much,
Sherry

Sherry get some chromium. that wil help. I do a low carb and believe me I am the biggest sweet toothyou have ever seen. the chromium will help with the cravings and then after about a week you wil not longer have the intense desire. but i will say that TOM is NOT a time to do this wait till it has started then do the kick the habit!1 welcome to the board by the way!!

Hi Sue,

thanks for the reply and the welcome. I figured I wasn't the only one with this problem!

How much chronium do you take? Is it part of a multi vitamin, or a separate vitamin.

I've already given in to cravings today Well, maybe tomorrow will be better.

Thanks,

Sherry

How does chronium help with cravings? Did a nutritionist recommend it to you?

My understanding is that you can take up to 1000 mg daily but i go for about 400. I buy it at the local strore dept and drug both carry it. I am not sure how it works but who am I to argue!! It does help though. I have heard that it works from another low carb board. and found that it does help. good luck.

Be sure to get chromium GTF (that's glucose tolerance factor) it works the best.

Good luck you will get past the cravings.

Suzie, don't think of it as trying to give up chocolate. I too am a major chocoholic, and sometimes nothing but a Hershey bar will do. But on the other days when you are in control there are other chocolate alternatives. Fat free hot cocoa can sometimes really do the trick, or fat free chocolate pudding, they even have chocolate rice cakes/popcorn cakes. Sometimes I will just take a teaspoon of chocolate syrup! I can be really pathetic when it comes to chocolate. Junior mints and pepermint patties are also my alternatives when I have to have something. I wish I could be like alot of other people here and say I can control by cravings, but I can't. A life time of eating disorders has made me come up with a plan I can live with. That is what you have to try to do. It would be overwhelming for me to say I am giving up chocolate. I don't set myself up for disaster either, I buy one candy bar, not a bag of smaller ones, because I would eat the whole bag. Maybe you can give up chocolate, I know alot of people on this site have good stratergies, that is why I am reading here too. Maybe some day I will be as strong as they are, but for now I try to do the best I can and stay in enough control so I don't go on a complete binge. Good Luck.

220/185/150

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who responded. I am going to look for Chronium GTF today.

I really don't think I can realistically give up chocolate either. The harder I try, the more I crave it.

I'm not a person who can keep a bag of chocolate and eat one piece...I don't finish the bag, but I definitely cannot stick to one or two pieces.

I'll try the hot chocolate-hopefully that will work.

An embarassing chocolate craving confession: does anyone else eat chocolate chip cookie dough? Like the Pillsbury, toll house etc.
I've never told anyone about it...I figured there must be someone else here who does it. I taped an episode of Oprah cause she had emotional eating as the topic. One of the guests said she ate raw cookie dough and Oprah looked like she was going to be sick at the thought. I guess she isn't a chocolate addict. I totally understood the woman, and thought it was brave to admit it in front of millions...

Thanks,
sherry

Sherry, my daughter and some of her friends eat chocolate chip cookie dough on top of yogurt and ice cream. TCBY sells it as a topping so I don't know why Oprah thinks that's sickening. By the way my daughter doesn't have my problem, she's a size 6.

I've really found that adding protein and cutting back on complex carbs has helped my cravings enormously. It keeps your glucose level more stable. I did have headaches for a few days but they passed and I don't even think about sugary stuff now.

Carol

Sherry... chocolate chip cookie dough is a classic. My sister would make it to just eat the dough (not to bake the cookies) since she was a teenager... and would keep it in the frig for snacking. I never did it (I have my own favorite snacks, unfortunately), but I can definitely understand why someone would. And goodness knows I love chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream! Not sure why Oprah didn't get it. You'd think she'd be hip to that... I mean it's a popular goody for a lot of people.

Kath

I am also a confirmed chocoloholic. I have also found that a cup of that Oreo pudding from Jello, (I think). Not low fat but just enough to give me the taste I want. also the fat free chocolate vanilla swirl pudding is good. And then there are the times I just get a plain old hershey bar and eat it for lunch with an apple and a few carrots. Wacky? Yes! but it works. I NEVER keep hershey bars in the house. Seems to make them more special if I have to get out and buy one. Best of luck!!

Elaine

284.5/280.5/199 first goal back on the wagon 2/17/2002

#1 crave killer for me is WATER. Hate to say it, but it is.