Whoops, I forgot to mention this part that I totally agree with. Right, one week is too short. Once you get used to giving it up (for a month or two) it'll become less tempting, I guess. One week? You might have a high risk of sabotaging yourself. Totally missed the one week part, sorry!


Well, I think control could mean many things. For me, an episode of South Park that made fun of the Alcoholics Anonymous groups couldn't be more agreeable (but again, this is just my opinion). Control with moderation (for me) is a lot harder than just nixing out something all together. It's terribly easy for me to say NO to chocolate EVER again after not having it for few weeks, but its very hard for me to say NO when I really want it. I wanted the control over being able to control what I ate, not the "I won't buy it, it won't enter my mouth let alone the house, no, no, no, out of my life forever" sort of deal. It could be what some people want, just not me. I've come across dieters that tell me that I'm going to get cancer when they see me eat a piece of steak. Hmm, a little extreme in comparison, but I can almost relate it to those 12 step programs that prevent me from even having a little. Teaching myself to control my portions and to stop when not hungry was much harder than saying no, and as of right now, I'm happy that I made the decision to keep all the foods I like. Of course, if it makes the user happier and the diet easier if she said NO to everything she liked, then I gess it'll work differently for everyone!

For me, and me only - I needed to be very restrictive initially. I knew that further down the road I would be able to reintroduce certain foods. But IMO, when first starting out, and trying to get back on track, having certain definite NO's is extremely useful. Because exactly like you said, it was easier for ME to say no altogether, then to have to stop after eating only a teeny, tiny portion. And quite frankly, I WAS looking for easier.

Of course, we're all different and therefore we need to find what works for ourselves - and just as important - what doesn't work.

This is what I love about 3FC - so many perspectives, and so many options to give a try to determine what is right for YOU. We are all individuals, and we all work toward and acheive success in different ways. I remember when I first joined thinking that the advice I got was ALL OVER THE PLACE. Now I realize why...nobody on here is the same as anyone else, and what works for me or you or any of the other members isn't the same as what works for anyone else!

My personal experience was that choosing not to eat certain things to keep my calories low was important, but eliminating the FLAVORS of those things or even trying to eliminate the desires to experience those flavors was not. Thus the "yes to low cal chocolate souffle for dessert, no to eating chocolates straight from the box" philosophy. If I want chocolate flavor, thats OK! I just try to make it the healthiest, lowest calorie chocolate flavor I can get.

The approach that I take, though, requires a LOT of effort, though...the effort to identify what the flavor you want is, the effort to find new ways of preparing it, and usually, the effort of baking/cooking something yourself that meets your nutritional guidelines but still fulfills the craving, in addition to the willpower to say no to whatever the tempting thing was in the first place.

Whichever way you decide to experiment with next, I hope you find a method that works right for you!

Alright, all this talk of chocolate is triggering MY cravings.

Amanda, share this magical low-cal souffle recipe before I dive into my stash of dark chocolate!

Hot Chocolate Souffle (by the way, this recipe, and the nutritionals associated, says it makes 4 servings, 168 cals each. I usually make mine with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, which cuts the calories so that it fits perfectly into my 140-150 calorie dessert allotment). From my Prevention Healthy Cooking cookbook, which has an entire Chocolate CHAPTER, including a chocolate crepe recipe...fill with berries, and oh my goodness!

1 tbsp corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup skim milk
3 tbsp dark rum (or for orange-chocolate souffle, grand marnier. Or for mocha souffle, Kahlua!)
2 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375

In a large saucepan, dissolve the cornstarch, cocoa powder, and sugar in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.

In a separate small bown, combine the rum or liquor with the water, Stir in abot a quarter of the heated cornstarch/milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then add the entire contents of the egg yolk/rum bowl into the cornstarch/milk left in the saucepan. Cook and stir for 1 minute, remove from heat, and set aside.

In a smal bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until you have stiff peaks.

Gradually stir a quarter of the egg white mixture into the chocolate/cornstarch/milk mixture. VERY GENTLY fold the remaining egg white mixture in.

Spoon into a 1 qt. souffle dish, bake for 30-35 min or until puffed and slightly browned, and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

AS PER RECIPE (4 servings, with regular skim milk)
Per serving - 168 cals, 3.4 g fat, 8.1g protein, 24 g carb, 1.4 g fiber

Yum! That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing. I need to buy some cream of tartar.

(Skipping the liqueur would probably knock 20 or so calories off per serving too).

I do think so. I have been off plan about 400 times.. lol. But I get back on track, and that means getting back to 'everything in moderation'... if I fall off again, which I almost certainly always do, then I just do it all over.

This is one of my favorite chocolate fixes! Yum! Please note the last line where you can make a single serving for a fast gotta have fix.

SASSY'S NO PUDGE BROWNIES
Makes 16 servings @ 2 points per serving

(don' let the name fool you its another Copy-Cat )

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 c fat free vanilla yogurt (or use plain yogurt and 1 tsp vanilla extract. tastes just as good)

Directions
1.Mix all ingredients together until well mixed and glossy.
2. Bake in an 8x8" pan sprayed with Pam.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Top with FF Cool Whip.

**Individual brownies: 2 Tbsp cocoa mix and 1 Tbsp Fat Free vanilla yogurt. Stir together until glossy. Microwave 1 minute on high. **

Just wanted to say, thanks for all the replies... and the recipes!

I wanted to let you know, you guys helped me out. I did NOT eat the chocolate bar! It's easier to have none, than some. Some makes me feel guilty, so some leads to all. So, yesterday it was all or nothing. Today, I'm not even feeling tempted by them.

Thanks for being my support guys!

EXCELLENT!!!!

I was waiting and waiting to see when you posted and what the outcome was. Way to go!!!!! I'm with you, it's easier to have none, then some. And by doing without it, you get stronger and stronger - and just like you said - you're no longer tempted by it. YES!!!! VICTORY!!!!!!

Jay