How/why I'm cutting out chocolate completely!
jeebieheebies
Posts: 68 Member
For me, anything chocolate is my kryptonite. It is sooo delicious to me, if I just have a taste of it I turn into the shark in Finding Nemo. So I just decided to drop it cold turkey. I've been at it since July 3rd, and with some slip-ups, I've been progressively getting better and it's been 10 days now chocolate-free (*chocoholics anonymous*)! My goal is just to make my taste buds forget how good it tastes, and convince my mind that "I don't really like chocolate," which I've been repeating to myself as kind of a mantra. The longer it goes, the less I want to break my streak as well. The good things about this, is that I can still have any other dessert thing -- ice cream, baklava, strawberry shortcake, etc etc. Because with those things, I don't have an insatiable desire and can be completely satisfied after a few bits.
I'm ready to do this for the rest of my life, as well. It really is just a food item that is delicious while I'm eating it and then can't control myself over it and it ruins everything. I've tried to do it in moderation (1x per week) and that just reminds me how much I love it and I really can't resist it. I cut out soda as well, when I was 14, and only have it when I'm drinking now, and even then, don't really like it. My friends who are vegetarian say and think, "oh, I don't eat meat" automatically -- this is how I imagine myself with chocolate.
And just quickly I want to say that I've been keeping track by a calendar print-out of July and August on my wall. I put a smiley face on days I don't have chocolate. I am rewarding myself by : 3 successful consecutive days => $5 to MAC, and 5 sucessful days => $10 to MAC. Each day I fail it is $1, and the next day $-2, etc. I'm keeping track of my tab right next to the calendar. It's very visual and 'public' -- even if the only one in my room to see it is me, it's still *out there* so visible and I want to be proud of it, of lots of lil smiley faces on it!
(I had a dream the other night where I was showing my LDR boyfriend it, actually)
Anyway, I wanted to post this to maybe give anyone an alternative, if they really can't deal with moderation for whatever their vice food is. And wanted to show off my method. Lololol
Anyone can feel free to add me!
I'm ready to do this for the rest of my life, as well. It really is just a food item that is delicious while I'm eating it and then can't control myself over it and it ruins everything. I've tried to do it in moderation (1x per week) and that just reminds me how much I love it and I really can't resist it. I cut out soda as well, when I was 14, and only have it when I'm drinking now, and even then, don't really like it. My friends who are vegetarian say and think, "oh, I don't eat meat" automatically -- this is how I imagine myself with chocolate.
And just quickly I want to say that I've been keeping track by a calendar print-out of July and August on my wall. I put a smiley face on days I don't have chocolate. I am rewarding myself by : 3 successful consecutive days => $5 to MAC, and 5 sucessful days => $10 to MAC. Each day I fail it is $1, and the next day $-2, etc. I'm keeping track of my tab right next to the calendar. It's very visual and 'public' -- even if the only one in my room to see it is me, it's still *out there* so visible and I want to be proud of it, of lots of lil smiley faces on it!
(I had a dream the other night where I was showing my LDR boyfriend it, actually)Anyway, I wanted to post this to maybe give anyone an alternative, if they really can't deal with moderation for whatever their vice food is. And wanted to show off my method. Lololol
Anyone can feel free to add me!
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Replies
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A life without chocolate is a life I don't want to live. Good luck, but it sounds kind of depressing to cut out something you love so much.0
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You go girl. Hope you are still seeing smilie faces. It is great that you realize what your trigger is and I'm sure you feel more in control now.0
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Good for you. It's just a food and there are lots of other foods. It seems disordered to think you can't live a happy life without a certain food.0
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It sounds like you found a method that works for you that you can maintain. If it's a problem food for you, not eating it is better than constantly struggling with it.0
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »It sounds like you found a method that works for you that you can maintain. If it's a problem food for you, not eating it is better than constantly struggling with it.
+10 -
SoDamnHungry wrote: »A life without chocolate is a life I don't want to live. Good luck, but it sounds kind of depressing to cut out something you love so much.
This^
I won't give up chocolate forever....so I'm learning to manage it now.0 -
It works for you and leaves more chocolate for the rest of us.
Win/win.0 -
That does not seem like a healthy view towards chocolate, but good luck with that0
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This is sad. Say you live to 100, 80 years with no chocolate would be impossible IMO.0
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It seems like an easy way to become even more obsessed with chocolate.0
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Agreed! I love my chocolate and refuse to cut it out.SoDamnHungry wrote: »A life without chocolate is a life I don't want to live. Good luck, but it sounds kind of depressing to cut out something you love so much.
Jee, I used to not be able to moderate chocolate, but I can now. It took a lot of hard work and willpower but I can have a thing in the house now and not scarf it down, including chocolate.
What I tell myself is I have control over food, it does not have control over me.
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I don't think it's depressing because /yeah/, it *is* a disordered view towards chocolate. I legitimately can't get enough of it. But (1) I'm teaching myself not to like it basically, so it won't be anything to miss. (2) Chocolate gives me immediate and hedonistic pleasure, and then leaves me with regret and guilt. It isn't the kind of happiness that I value in the long-term. Maybe eventually I will incorporate back in though, I'm not ruling that out completely but for now, I am trying to train myself to make "nah, I don't like/eat chocolate." an automatic phrase, like "nah, I don't drink soda" is.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Good for you. It's just a food and there are lots of other foods. It seems disordered to think you can't live a happy life without a certain food.
By the same token, thinking you can't eat a certain food ever again is disordered thinking.0 -
I'm not thinking I can't eat it ever again -- I'm thinking I don't want to eat it ever again.0
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If chocolate is her nemesis, it doesn't make sense for her to keep sabotaging her progress. All that does it continue the cycle.
Every person has a weakness. For some people, conquering the weakness and still having it around isn't a problem. For others, they can't or don't want that weakness around. It doesn't mean that their life can't or won't be happy.
The OP is learning her limits and is working a system that appears to be helping her. Instead of saying how terrible life would be without chocolate, why not say well done, OP. If you are happy with your new path, that is what matters.0 -
If thinking I can't live a happy life without corn tortillas is disordered thinking, then I have disordered thinking. I can live with that.0
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jeebieheebies wrote: »I don't think it's depressing because /yeah/, it *is* a disordered view towards chocolate. I legitimately can't get enough of it. But (1) I'm teaching myself not to like it basically, so it won't be anything to miss. (2) Chocolate gives me immediate and hedonistic pleasure, and then leaves me with regret and guilt. It isn't the kind of happiness that I value in the long-term. Maybe eventually I will incorporate back in though, I'm not ruling that out completely but for now, I am trying to train myself to make "nah, I don't like/eat chocolate." an automatic phrase, like "nah, I don't drink soda" is.
You sound self aware which is great. Good luck with your experiment.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Good for you. It's just a food and there are lots of other foods. It seems disordered to think you can't live a happy life without a certain food.
By the same token, thinking you can't eat a certain food ever again is disordered thinking.
Outside of allergy or intollerance, I would agree. Giving any single food that type of importance seems disordered to me.0 -
jeebieheebies wrote: »I'm not thinking I can't eat it ever again -- I'm thinking I don't want to eat it ever again.
Yeah, that's what I got from your OP. It's an important distiction. Best of luck.
I did the same thing years ago with cheesecake. I love cheesecake and never used to turn it down. I haven't had any in over 10 years. It just stopped being worth the calories to me. I haven't missed it.0 -
Good for you, especially if it works. It wont make your tatsebuds forget though imo. Restriction is often a double edged strategy that can make people binge, but good luck. It works for some.0
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There's nothing wrong with cutting something out of your life if you do not find it to be beneficial to you. Good luck.0
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Mine is ice cream. But I have no plans to give it up, just learn how to control it.0
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I completely understand, hopefully someday it will be something you can have some and have a take it or leave it attitude. I'll buy ice cream and think I can really stick to the 1/2 cup serving HAHA no, i'll have 2 or 3 servings and use way more of my day on that ice cream then anything healthy.0
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I am the same way with potato chips. I just can't start eating it because then the entire bag is gone.0
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For me, it was mayo. I've more or less cut it out - I no longer add it to anything myself, but I won't avoid pre-made sandwiches that have mayo on them, for instance.
It's worked just fine for me, and I no longer have the desire to add mayo to everything I eat.
You're the expert in your own life, OP. Do what works for you 0 -
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krazyforyou wrote: »Mine is ice cream. But I have no plans to give it up, just learn how to control it.
Same! Now I weigh out what fits in my day instead of what fits in my bowl.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »It works for you and leaves more chocolate for the rest of us.
Win/win.
+10 -
I can get on board with cutting out/restricting an item because it's too easy to go overboard/binge eg I avoid doritos as I find it hard to only have a portion.
However, the trying to make yourself not like something you clearly like seems somewhat disordered. Have you thought about talking to someone about your relationship with food/chocolate in particular? I wonder if the trigger to binge on chocolate goes a bit deeper.
Also as a footnote I've been trying to get myself to like mushrooms for a long time, and still hate the damm things.0
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