only 3rd day already eaten chocolate
Replies
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mindoverplatter8 wrote: »elisa123gal - thanks. I've failed so many times before, so I don't have much confidence in my ability to lose. I am really good until 4pm, then I lose all self-control and just eat. I think what I really want then is a nap which isn't possible. (Wouldn't it be great if every work place had a nap room?)
Budget your calories ahead of time. Plan what you’re going to eat that day, accounting for your snacks.
If you’re consistently tired far before bedtime, then I’d look at possible reasons for that, such as an overly aggressive calorie deficit or issues like sleep apnea.
I lost 100 pounds and have maintained that loss over 2+ years. I also eat chocolate every day; some regulars here will remember my infamous chocolate spreadsheet
It is 6 am here and I’ve already had chocolate. Greek yogurt with chocolate PB2, chocolate protein powder, and fiber cereal is my standard breakfast. I will also split a chocolate bar with my husband after dinner. Weight management is 100% about calories eaten vs. calories burned, not what specific foods you eat. 7 -
mindoverplatter8 wrote: »I've been a member for 3 days and have already fallen off the wagon. I had some chocolate tonight. Late afternoons and evenings are my worst times: I am tired, feel a little weak and want nothing more than to eat dinner and go to bed. I don't have the energy to cook dinner, so I rest for two hours before I get the strength to cook. In those two hours I eat and today I ruined a good day by eating some chocolate. i am disappointed in myself, but not surprised. how do other (older) people manage the end of the day? I have very low energy levels which don't last long.
Admittedly, I do not know your circumstances, i.e., diabetes, or worries about blood sugar. But like good coffee and great wine, a lovely piece of chocolate has room in the calorie count as long as you are mindful of it.4 -
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Don't sweat it , I eat chocolate EVERY day and have still lost 90 lbs and counting. Stay within your calorie deficit and you'll lose weight.4
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You also may want to consider that you want a nap and more food by 4 pm because you’re eating too light during the day. If you add some calories to your “light” lunch or budget for an afternoon snack with some fat and/or protein, you might feel less like you need to go crazy with evening eating.6
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mindoverplatter8 wrote: »I am able to snack at work but most days i am so busy i dont have time to snack, which is why, when i get home, i am so tired. I eat a light lunch. I do function better in afternoon and evening if i have tea/coffee, but then i cant sleep through the night. What fast snacks do people eat at work?
I'm retired now but crackers to munch on when I worked and now instead of bread.1 -
nighthawk584 wrote: »Don't sweat it , I eat chocolate EVERY day and have still lost 90 lbs and counting. Stay within your calorie deficit and you'll lose weight.
I agree with you!1 -
I will often stir cocoa or chocolate nut butter into my porridge so I can have chocolate for breakfast.
It sounds like you do need to try and get something in the late afternoon, fruit, a protein bar, a yoghurt, all easy to pack and eat. Or of course something you can have immediately when you get home from work.
I would also try to plan easy to cook meals, batch cooking, using a slow cooker, can all make life more simple.1 -
I eat what I want but just make sure I keep under my calorie goal as it's hard as husband cooks but have smaller portions.1
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I am a chocoholic and had/still have a hard time controlling myself around chocolate. I often find it hard to stop at one piece/one portion because of how much I like it. Depriving myself of it makes it worse so so there are ways I've found to cope/manage it so that I can still eat it.
1. Eat chocolate you can have in small bits - whether little Godiva pearls/squares of chocolate/small treat size chocolates that you can spread out at and at least psychologically feel like you're eating more than you are.
2. Have the chocolate but eat a serving of fruit you like before or after the chocolate - in my case it's granny smith apples, cherries, raspberries or green grapes - along with carbonated mineral water. These fill you up so you feel less inclined to want to snack more on the chocolate.
3. Roughly plan ahead of time how much chocolate you're going to let yourself have that day and if you want more, tell the Chocolate Devil sitting on your shoulder that you can have some more chocolate tomorrow as part of tomorrow's Chocolate Budget.
4. Calculate how much the chocolate you want to eat is going to 'cost' and assess the impact on your daily calorie budget. At that point, you can decide if you can eat it comfortably within your budget or if eating it means that:
(a) you will have to swap out another food you wanted to eat;
(b) you will need to do some more exercise to offset it. For instance, I know that 4 squares of Cadbury is 140 calories and 3 Quality Street chocolates are 132 calories so will take m around 30-40 minutes of leisurely walking with my dogs to offset. In contrast, 10 tiny Godiva pearls 'cost' 31 calories.
I sometimes enter the chocolate into my diary to 'see' the impact and decide if I want it that much. Sometimes I"ll adjust the portion, frequently I'll still go ahead and eat it. Sometimes I'll decide to skip it and eat it tomorrow when my budget has refreshed and been topped up with exercise.
What does NOT work for me:
1. chocolate substitutes. I find them yuck
2. eating fruit or other snacks instead of chocolate. I once laughed when I read someone telling someone to eat beetroot or vegetables instead of chocolate. For me, nothing comes close to how yummy chocolate is.
Good luck!!!3 -
Don’t cook every night if you don’t like it. Pre plan, maybe even just a couple days in advance. Have your food prepared and ready to go so you aren’t trying to plan, cook and eat when tired. Cook and refrigerate in the morning if that is when you feel the most energetic. I’m 68, and I don’t always feel like cooking either! Having food ready to eat is key for me. Also, having a few simple and quick dinners like frozen turkey meatballs and bagged salad or cottage cheese and fruit for those rough nights.2
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apullum - Chocolate spreadsheet?! That sounds intriguing. Can you share it again?0
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koalathebear - your tips seem doable and something I will try. Thank you!1
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missysippy930 wrote: »I make room for chocolate, as well as any other food I like, every day. A calorie deficit is all you need for weight loss, why deprive yourself of foods you like? I lost over 1/2 my body weight with a calorie deficit, moderation and portion control.
I completely agree! I buy my chocolate individually wrapped squares, and log them. The best way for me is to plan my food for the day and log it all in the morning. Obviously life happens, and I can edit it as I go. But I try to stick to the plan each day. My plan includes a glass of wine (I use a tasting glass, which is half the size) and chocolate most days!
One book that helped me start was The Half-Diet Diet, which talks about eating half of each food...it doesn't make you restrict by food type.
Hang in there!0 -
Brookside açaí dark chocolate nugget thingies (crack berries as I call them) are my go to chocolate snack...I pull out of the bag 16 of them log them and enjoy. They take me a long time to eat, because I like to let them melt in my mouth.
Try prelogging your chocolate snack and anything else that you are likely to eat and then plan the rest of your calories around them.
ETA (posted too soon);
I would suggest to not worry about hitting your goal for your first two weeks. (I actually was wishing that there was a blind entry option so you can log without seeing your calories) let your first couple of weeks be fact finding entries.
Once you’re done with them, then go back and see if there are ways to cut back in calories for things you are normally eating, it may be painless substitutions or smaller portions. Then start that for a few weeks, and try to get goal...use these next couple of weeks to tweak what you are eating and getting used to logging.
The biggest thing is don’t beat yourself up or go into this with an all or nothing outlook. It’s a process and it takes time and practice to figure out.0 -
I weigh an ounce of dark chocolate chunks and add them to half a serving of whole natural almonds and half a serving unsalted peanuts or chopped pecans or walnuts and put them in ziplock baggies for when the munchies hit, satisfying, healthy, yummy and guilt free 🙂2
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