Chocolate

squires03071986

I'm contemplating cutting out chocolate totally as I cannot seem to only eat a small piece. Has anyone else successfully done this?

777Gemma888

Yes and No. Decided making it fit my cals was more beneficial and natural for me.

kommodevaran

I haven't officially cut out chocolate (and many other trigger foods), but I practically don't eat it (them) anymore. You can ask a thousand people, what matters is what will work for you. Will you miss it? Or are you better off without?

she_lived_wholly_forevermore

I've found the darker the better. Turns out it's more satisfying for me so I eat less than I would other varieties.

quiksylver296

I tried. I freaked out and binged on it after a couple of weeks. Now I leave about 200-300 calories at the end of my day to enjoy my chocolate (or ice cream). Knowing I can have it every day seems to keep the binging in check.

tcunbeliever

I cut it out when I'm losing weight and add it back in when I'm maintaining...I eat it every day when I allow myself, so for me, not eating it is an easy way to cut out calories without making major meal changes...

Francl27

I did for a few months, then ended up binging on the box of chocolates my sister brought me.

I figured it was probably not the best solution for me, so I actually bought a lot of chocolate, somehow knowing it's there makes it easier for me to only have a bit when I really crave it.

zyxst

Cut out, no. Cut down, yes.

TavistockToad

zyxst wrote: »

Cut out, no. Cut down, yes.

This.

Low cal hot chocolate on an evening, the odd chocolate bar when I fancy it and it fits my cals/macros

lemurcat12

For about a month, as part of cutting out all added sugar. When I added it back I found that for me chocolate is among the easiest things to avoid overeating -- I'm kind of picky about what I like anyway, and am generally happy with just a small piece, and you can buy lots of good chocolates in single-serving size. I found that even with a big bar, though, I could tell myself to just have a square a day after dinner and be good with it.

What helped me most with self-control over food was not snacking throughout the day, but just having regular meals and maybe a little something (ice cream or chocolate or cheese or fruit, etc.) after dinner. I'll also make room for special desserts (like pie or raspberry cobbler) on a special occasion, of course.

glassyo

squires03071986 wrote: »

I'm contemplating cutting out chocolate totally as I cannot seem to only eat a small piece. Has anyone else successfully done this?

Not in this lifetime or any other. Chocolate is my favorite food group.

sammyliftsandeats

I can eat just a piece of dark chocolate, 85% cocoa or higher.

Regular milk chocolate, I have a hard time stopping. I can eat a big bar of Caramilk and still reach for another. So I cut those ones out.

chocolate_owl

Nope. A life without chocolate would be very sad for me. But I do find it much easier to stick to one square of high-quality dark chocolate than a handful of M&Ms, and a lot of people seem to have similar experiences.

Note: Hershey's Special Dark is still overly binge-able for me. Hershey's has artfully engineered the most not-quite-satisfying candy bars out there.

VeganRaptor

Have you tried incorporating chocolate into your diet in ways that feed your body in addition to giving you the taste? For example, you might like to pop a square or two of dark chocolate into your oatmeal, or add it to a peanut butter sandwich. You could even try to find long chocolate bars that are light (so they don't have calories from being enormous) and dip them in your coffee to make them melty- like you would a biscuit.

I find incorporating things into your diet in this way doesn't trigger the same binge cravings as if you had them by themselves. It gives you the taste as well as the volume

watb108

I eat delicious chocolate flavour/covered protein bars instead.

My favourites are the MaxiNutrition ones, but there are other good ones I enjoy.

I actually prefer them to candy chocolate bars like Dairy Milk.

Carnhot

I instituted rules: I can only eat chocolate which has been bought for me, not at my request, or by me for sharing with others. This works for me as it reins in my addiction whilst giving me something to look forward to.

MiniMansell1964

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I tried. I freaked out and binged on it after a couple of weeks. Now I leave about 200-300 calories at the end of my day to enjoy my chocolate (or ice cream). Knowing I can have it every day seems to keep the binging in check.

wow. i could easily save 300 cal's for a decent chicken breast, but for me to waste it on chocolate would be a crime.

is it gender based? most men dont give a damn about chocolate.

trigden1991

If you can't eat it without consuming a whole bar then maybe consider cutting it out. However if you can use some self restraint to weigh and eat a portion that fits your macros then you should be ok.

zyxst

shredcamps wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I tried. I freaked out and binged on it after a couple of weeks. Now I leave about 200-300 calories at the end of my day to enjoy my chocolate (or ice cream). Knowing I can have it every day seems to keep the binging in check.

wow. i could easily save 300 cal's for a decent chicken breast, but for me to waste it on chocolate would be a crime.

is it gender based? most men dont give a damn about chocolate.

My husband gives many damns about chocolate, though it's because he was allergic to it for 15 years. A sad childhood of white chocolatey-flavored Easter bunnies.

lemurcat12

shredcamps wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I tried. I freaked out and binged on it after a couple of weeks. Now I leave about 200-300 calories at the end of my day to enjoy my chocolate (or ice cream). Knowing I can have it every day seems to keep the binging in check.

wow. i could easily save 300 cal's for a decent chicken breast, but for me to waste it on chocolate would be a crime.

is it gender based? most men dont give a damn about chocolate.

300 calories is probably more than I could eat of a chicken breast, but for various other meat options it would be easy to consume 300 calories. I don't think of it as "saving calories," though, as it's dinner. Are you assuming that people would be eating chocolate instead of dinner?

Loug1983

I work the occasional kid sized chocolate bar into my allowance, I get the satisfaction of eating the chocolate without the fear of eating too much!

Madwife2009

I cut it out completely when I first started losing weight as I had the same problem - I couldn't have just a little bit. It would be the whole bag/bar.

I've just reintroduced it into my diet (small amounts) as everyone deserves a bit of pleasure, only to find that, in order to manage a recently-diagnosed medical condition I've got to give it up again. The medication I'm going to be taking doesn't work effectively in the presence of caffeine so anything with caffeine in has to be eliminated, including chocolate and my much-loved tea - I'm more upset about the tea than the chocolate.

No good suggesting white chocolate or green/herbal teas as I'd just rather not go there. Bleugh.

And, if the treatment works, then it, and the caffeine-free existence, are for life

lemurcat12

Yeah, I'd find chocolate easier to give up than coffee, so I can sympathize.

chocolate_owl

shredcamps wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I tried. I freaked out and binged on it after a couple of weeks. Now I leave about 200-300 calories at the end of my day to enjoy my chocolate (or ice cream). Knowing I can have it every day seems to keep the binging in check.

wow. i could easily save 300 cal's for a decent chicken breast, but for me to waste it on chocolate would be a crime.

is it gender based? most men dont give a damn about chocolate.

A chicken breast is dinner. It gets me to my protein macro. Once that macro has been met and I've gotten a decent amount of fruits and veggies in, leftover calories are discretionary. Most days I have 200 to "spend" on whatever I want, usually a glass of wine and a piece of chocolate, but sometimes ice cream or Cheez-Its or whatever else I'm craving.

My husband loves chocolate just as much as I do, my dad always kept fun-size candy bars around the house, and the men I work with devour the brownies I bake as soon as I bring them in, so I think there's plenty of men who give a damn about chocolate...

vnb_208

If i have a chocolate craving either 1 fudge pop which is 40 calories, or 1 square of ghirardelli chocolate, if you buy the bags the squares are individually wrapped around 70 calories. I've been pretty successful *former chocoholic" before my journey i ate a whole fun size bag of chocolates practically every day!

Charis50

Yes. I successfully cut out all chocolate for three months. At which time I fell under the Chocolate Wagon, and it backed over me. Repeatedly. I don't do well with putting specific foods off-limits, as it turns out.

I've found it much easier to transition from eating really sweet chocolates (e.g. milk chocolate with a lot of added sugar) to an 85% cacao chocolate from Trader Joe's. A little of the barely-sweet dark chocolate goes a long way, and it doesn't seem to prime me to want more and more and more the way a candy bar did....

Good luck with whatever approach you choose!

OhMsDiva

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I tried. I freaked out and binged on it after a couple of weeks. Now I leave about 200-300 calories at the end of my day to enjoy my chocolate (or ice cream). Knowing I can have it every day seems to keep the binging in check.

That part

jgnatca

Hubby is the chocoholic in our family but he also is chief laundryman and bottle washer.

I get regular rewards and feedback from my peers at work.

He gets chocolate.

It works.

cerise_noir

shredcamps wrote: »

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I tried. I freaked out and binged on it after a couple of weeks. Now I leave about 200-300 calories at the end of my day to enjoy my chocolate (or ice cream). Knowing I can have it every day seems to keep the binging in check.

wow. i could easily save 300 cal's for a decent chicken breast, but for me to waste it on chocolate would be a crime.

is it gender based? most men dont give a damn about chocolate.

Waste? Oh hell no.

vikinglander

I restrict myself to good organic dark chocolate, with 65% to 75% cacao, and typically limit myself to half an ounce (14 g) per day, usually in the afternoon. Once in a while if I have extra calories and have a particularly spicy dinner, a little afterwards is nice.

Oishii

I'm awful with Dairy Milk, but I can restrain myself with 85% and absolutely love the 100% from Montezuma.