Ok for those that know me - I am a big chocoholic. I love the stuff. Its so tasty and I could eat it all day if I had the chance. I admit it!

I gave it up for Lent - that is right I didn't have one piece from 2/28 until 4/14 - it wasn't easy - but I did it (this is my 2nd year in a row doing that) I didn't even have hot chocolate! That is how committed I was. And it wasn't that bad. I did want it - but I did fine without it. (did better OP too)

So Easter comes around and at the stroke of midnite I had a cadbury cream egg (counted it too!). It was devine! And then I just seemed to crave it. On Easter Sunday I did indulge more than I should have (more than I planned to really) - I admit that too. And now it seems like the chocolate is making me snack even more! I did snack throughout lent (non-chocolate items) but I was more focused on being OP than I have been since Sunday. Maybe its a coincidence - but I really think chocolate is the culprit.

I mean how does someone like me "limit" their chocolate consumption. It seems when I have some - I want more and then I want other junk too (chips, etc). Its a vicious cycle.

Any advice, suggestions, etc? Anyone else overcome this? I mean if I gave it up forever I would be depriving myself - and I really don't want to do that. But how do I have some and not want more? Is that even possible?

What do you all think?

Tara

Tara, I'm a complete chocoholic, too. The mere thought of giving it up for Lent is enough to make me break into a cold sweat! I've found, however, that chocolate can be one of my best staying-OP tools. Yeah, I know---it sounds delusional. BUT...I plan chocolate into my day, and knowing that there is a treat at the end, if I meet my other OP "obligations" (all the fruits/veggies, my calcium, water, exercise, enough protein---something I have to work at, the right proportion of complex carbs, sparing use of added fat, and very limited refined carb intake), really helps me stay on track.

Often, I find that by the end of the day, I don't really want it---eating well and filling up on the "good stuff" really does curb the craving---but just knowing that I can have it (and that, furthermore, I can CONTROL myself with it) is pretty freeing.

You asked how you can stop yourself from wanting more if you have a little chocolate. For me, it's very simple. I just allot a certain number of points, and that's that. If I eat my allotment for treats, I tell myself, "That's it for today. Tomorrow's another day." It took some practice, but I no longer feel as though I must eat my way through Hershey, PA every time I have a Hershey's kiss! I always know that I can PLAN for another treat, another time. For me, it works.

Make sure you portion it out so you have only what your points range can sustain and make sure you take your multi-vitamin (and it should be one with magnesium). Magneisum will help curb the chocolate cravings. As for wanting other junk that is more of your mind playing with you (basically say...tee hee you've had some junk who cares about thsi weight loss...let's forget it and just binge).

I sure can empathize with that; chocolate is just incredible. Someone on another thread said that she and her mom would every so often buy a small box of the very best chocolate, and her mom kept it hidden in her room. Then on occasion, they'd each have one, and put the box away. Sounded like a good idea to me, esp. if you have someone to help like her mom did!

In my unhealthy lifestyle days, pre-WW, I used to buy chocolate bars at checkout counters. Now, I've decided that cheap chocolate isn't really that good, not worth all the points, so I save points to have one piece of a *really* good chocolate when it's available. That same "quality,not quantity" approach has helped me with a few other red light foods & beverages, too.

Re: one leading to two, maybe planning another activity or change in location immediately afterward would help? And I totally agree with you, this program isn't about giving up the things we enjoy, but learning to deal with them reasonably. That's why it works so well!
Regards,
Jan
256/162/155

If I have chocolate in the house, I will eat it, and not a little at a time. Once I taste it I won't quit until I eat it all!

I went to Albertson's yesterday to stock up on Skinny Cows (on sale for $3.99!) and passed several carts of 50% off Easter candy. The one cart that I hesitated a couple of seconds at contained Cadbury eggs and Snickers eggs at half price. But I looked down at my arms full of ice cream sandwiches and knew the Skinny Cows would certainly last longer at my house, so I passed on the Easter candy. But now that I'm thinking about candy, I can imagine how creamy chocolatey they would taste right now...

I too am a chocoholic and I keep referring back to this thread for help. I do not appear to possess the "off" switch when it comes to chocolate. I had a bag of mini eggs (3 = 1 point), so I opened the bag and then I couldn't stop. I have tried to control myself and if I tell myself I can't have it, I crave it even more. How/where can I get the off switch that others seem to have.

In the past, I used to think nothing of eating 3/4 chocolate bars per day, I don't do that now, but I still seem to be having some trouble. I know there must be some drug in chocolate that makes me wanna keep on chomping

Sometimes, I think you really do need to eliminate the food for awhile. My leader told us that it doesn't mean you won't ever have that food again but for now, you just can't control it once you start eating it. I don't care for chocolate but I do tend to go overboard with chips. I had been buying the fat free Pringles but I recently stopped getting them at all because I would eat the whole can.
Another thing my leader suggested was to only have the red light food when you're out. If you ordered a piece of chocolate cake at a restaurant but didn't have any other chocolate at home, you wouldn't be able to over-indulge.

Well, I just got back from the grocery store. I don't often eat sugary things--I'll take french fries over chocolate any day--but I must say passing up those Cadbury cream eggs was actually an effort today. Must be that serious chocolate craving I get once a month, and you know which time of the month that is.

A couple of years ago, the American Dietetic Association came out with an information sheet that debated whether chocolate is a food or a drug. Um, who cares? The result for people who love chocolate is the same!

So no useful advice from me, just sympathy. I will think of you chocoholics every time I walk past McDonald's without ducking in for some fries. Solidarity!

SMKH, we were posting at the same time. I am so with you on the fat-free Pringles thing. The whole can is only 7 points, so it's a major binge trigger for me. But I know that Olestra strips my body of fat-soluble vitamins and beta carotene, so I am trying to stay away from the stuff.

I can relate to you Tara. I also gave up chocolate for Lent, and here it was two weeks before Easter and I was buying candy for the big day. I use the logic that the kind of candy I like only comes out at Easter (Brach's
Fiesta Malt Balls) so I buy 2 bags. And on Easter Sunday, I take the candy in the car, so after church I can begin eating them.
NOW, I can't seem to stop from eating sweets...
I am so out of control now. My weigh in is thursday, but I won't be able to weight in till saturday this week. I have got to get control...
HELP!!!

Tara, I just wanted to share something that has worked for me. First, however, I want to make it clear that I, too, have a major problem with chocolate and sometimes can't stop once I get started. Other times, my control strategies do work.
One thing I do when I decide to have "The Big CH" is to plan it after a meal. I'm not telling myself I can't have it but I can put it off. It can be enjoyable to look forward to it, sometimes. Also, after the meal, one piece of candy can be very satisfying. I try not to eat it when I'm hungry because one piece would never be enough. It also works sometimes to continue to delay the planned "event": I'll have it after lunch--lunch comes--maybe it would be really good after my PM snack--snack time--I'm going to have it after dinner--dinner time--I'm going to have it at bedtime. (Of course, you only do that once in a while because you don't want to hurt yourself, LOL)

hmmm well, i have one fail-safe method for locating the "off switch"... read something about the plight of the destitute child labourers who work on the cocoa plantations of the Ivory Coast (and elsewhere i'm sure.. just so happens the article i read focused on Ivory Coast, a major world supplier of cocoa). Suddenly those lilliput foil eggs don't seem quite so compelling.

Deb
195/139

Hi,

I don't want to step on anyone's religious toes, but perhaps you ought to give up something else for Lent. When you give up something you love, you tend to feel really deprived. When you get it back, you may go overboard for a while. It's like when I had all four wisdom teeth out at once and I had to puree and sip all of my food through a straw for a week or so. When I could chew again, I went nuts! But that only lasted for a few days.

I'm with the folks who plan for a treat at the end of the day. I find that if I only eat treats after a meal, it's easy to eat the proper amount because I'm not very hungry. I feel satisfied with whatever serving fits into my meal plan.

Handling "red light" foods really takes planning, practice, and patience with yourself. I can be done. It took me years to get to the point where I don't have any "red light" foods. The main change was in my attitude. That's why it took so long to get there. I was raised in a family that acted as if you had to eat food now or you wouldn't get any. So, I had to learn that I could choose to eat that food later or tomorrow.

Then I also had to get rid of the old dieting adage that there were good and bad foods. I had to really believe that I could eat whatever I wanted. Then it was a matter of practicing making the choices that fit my favorites into my food plan.

The last attitude change I needed to make was believing that I had to be perfect about it. I had to allow myself to make mistakes. I had to allow myself to eat too much sometimes and to realize that making progress was the important thing. I'd never have succeeded if I quit trying to learn this skill the first time I slipped and overate!

Over time, I've learned to eat what I want in reasonable quantities. I've learned that I often can make food that is as good or better in my own kitchen that is lower in fat and calories. And I often prefer the lower fat version. But when I want the original, I save my points and enjoy it. I still make mistakes, but I forgive myself, count it, and move on. Often I write a journal entry to try to figure out if there's something else going on, like boredom eating, etc. I've learned to share desserts with my family in restaurants. Then I don't feel obligated to eat the whole thing. I can eat a bite or two, just enough to enjoy the taste, and then let them eat what they want of it. (They're all skinny and don't have a problem with not finishing their food, even desserts.)

The thing that helped me to tackle this issue was realizing that if I'm going to change my lifestyle and make better choices for the rest of my life, I had to deal with this because there was no way I was going to give up anything forever. But there are a lot of things I thought I'd never be able to do without that I don't eat because I don't want them anymore! It's like once I could eat them, I didn't want them as much. But chocolate is NOT on that list! LOL!

Good luck!

Lin

Chocolate is without a doubt a drug and should be handled as such. I know that for me, eating chocolate, especially quality chocolate, elevates my mood and gives me energy. Afterwards, I might crash and need more chocolate to make me feel good again. Moderation is key. I could never give it up - I eat it every day and have eaten it every day of my entire life as long as I can remember. It's always in the house in one form or another.

How I'm trying to handle it: Eat it when I'm not hungry - when I'm not depending on it to make me feel good. Having a piece after dinner is great.

Keep only quality chocolate around - no more crappy candy bars. If it costs more, I'm less likely to binge on it.

Make it harder to get more - take my portion, wrap up the rest and put it away. Go to another room to eat it. Focus on it. Enjoy it. Write it down. Stop. Think about something else.

One good thing about chocolate - one regular chocolate bar provides as many antioxidants as a full day's portion of fruits and vegetables. I guess that must be why I'm rarely sick! Who knew?

Good luck with the chocolate factory,
Kimmers
332/313/299 (10% goal)

Deb--that thought about the conditions under which chocolate is made is a great idea. Although I'm ashamed to admit that when I really get fixated on that old cocoa bean, most rational and moral thoughts fly right out of my head...

I've got three suggestions:

First, look at your diet; I had terrible chocolate cravings when I started WW, and when I did an analysis of what I was eating I was very short on both protein and fat. I added in "good" fat supplements and extra lean protein, and my cravings got a whole lot better. Second, the less-than-perfect chocolate snack: the Hershey's Tastation, or some other chocolate hard candy. Tasteations are 10 points apiece, so I can have two and not count them. After lunch, they really save me. Third, I'm with the chocolate-at-the-end-of-the-day group. I have 1/2 cup of chocolate soy dessert (I'm lactose intolerant) almost every single night after dinner, unless I'm over points. It's a food ritual that keeps me sane. Because I know I'll have it, I can turn down other sweets. Then I'm done eating for the day, no exceptions.

Best of luck! Chocolate is a demon that won't go away, so we have to live with it!