I am addicted to chocolate and can't stop.

mirrinias

Hi everyone,

I've been doing all right. 36 lbs down since Nov 2012. Not as fast as I'd like, but hey...a loss is a loss!

But my problem is this: Everyone pretty much agrees that we shouldn't cut what we love the most out of our diet completely, or we'll fail. I agree. But it seems with chocolate, I absolutely cannot control myself if I've purchased it. I will eat ALL of whatever it is I've bought. Even dark chocolate. I can't seem to limit myself to "one square a day" or "one 100-cal fudgescicle" a day.

But if I deny myself chocolate, it will inevitably start to invade my thoughts and I will obsess about it until I have my sweet fix...and that fix isn't just one piece of chocolate...it's one of the large candy bars (for example, an organic chocolate bar the size of a king sized Symphony) or nearly an entire box of the aforementioned fudgesicles.

I don't know how to stop. Because I know people will ask here is my info: 5'2", currently 210.4 lb, I originally had my cals set to 1380 but just upped them to 1580 because I couldn't stick with 1380. That is a 1 lb a week weight loss. For the past week I've struggled and eaten around my maintenance calories. I do not feel like opening my diary to the public and having you scrutinize my food choices at this time; I only want the question answered about beating a specific food addiction.

jmayerovitch

If doing what everybody says isn't working for you, why not try something different? Going chocolate-cold-turkey might be worth a shot. Everyone is different.

Many years ago, when I was a freshman in college and decided to join ROTC, I had a lot of weight to lose first. So as part of my diet I outright dropped all sweets. Pretty much anything that had added sugar in it, I didn't eat (although I wasn't entirely wise on what sort of foods had added sugar, so I was probably taking in more than I thought). The first couple weeks sucked. I remember my fencing team passing around chocolate truffles after a tournament and how awful it was not to take one. After about a month I had absolutely no cravings for sweets. Didn't bother me in the slightest to eat dinner with someone who was chowing down on that chocolate cake.

But, anyway, I think your 36 lbs is damn impressive. And the reason it's so impressive IS that it's been since Nov 2012. So many people drop the weight but can't keep it up (like me). You obviously can. So yes, you might have a weakness for chocolate, but it seems to me that you're doing better than most dieters despite it.

Kevalicious99

Being someone that has had junk food binge issues in the past I can understand where you are coming from. I used to go to Walmart and stock up on junk food and go home and eat it. (not like all at once .. but over a matter of a few days). I too had issues with chocolate, but I have been trying to be healthier. I have managed to be junk food free for probably the last month and really hope that this continues. I am a pretty dedicated person .. but I do expect that in time I will slip up and falter. But I will get back up and brush myself off.

I wish you much success in beating chocolate. I know it can be hard, but you can do it.

TavistockToad

well you only really have 2 choices... dont eat it full stop, or learn to only eat a normal amount in one go....

willpower is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

jollyjoe321

Bit like you over here, lost 31lbs since December, I found it best that I would either buy just a freddo so there physically wasn't loads to eat, or if there was a bar, eat really slowly as my family love chocolate as much as me, so it doesn't hang around long for me to scoff loads.

Or if you really love chocolate that much, on the days you fancy some, compensate with the other food, I'm not endorsing an unhealthy lifestyle, but every once in a while should be okay!

mp_deep

Decrease the amount gradually. You'll see that not so difficult.
Enjoy your life

jaimeek1

I know what you mean.. I am in the same boat as you always got to have my chocolate fix. Im going to try this..instead of buying a block of chocolate ill buy a small piece curly wurly or something. Dont know about you but if i bought the whole block i couldnt discipline myself to only eating a few pieces...ill literally demolish it all in obe go...so instead of providing the temptation..just get something small one or 2 bites worth....

chani8

I find eating even a homemade sugar free cocoa treat to be too triggering. Last week I made some and it was really hard to have self-control. They were supposed to be for dessert, but I ate my portion all as the appetizer. And it was only because I have a big husband and a fierce daughter watching over their portions, that I was able to stay within my allotted portion.

Sorry that you are struggling so much, OP. I think it's best to keep temptation away. If I drank too much, I wouldn't buy a 6 pack thinking, 'just one'. Addiction is addiction, and it's real. If chocolate is sabotaging your goal, then it's self-defeating to eat it. Wishing you clarity and self-control!

GiGiBeans

Sour gummy worms were my addiction. There's like 1000 cals in a bag of them and I'd eat a bag a night. I gave them up 15 months ago. I still crave them from time to time but I'm a sourgummyaholic. I can't stop at a few, that's all there is to it.

BernadetteChurch

Try buying a smaller bar. You'll still get your chocolate fix but won't be in danger of eating too much of it.

Definitely don't keep a chocolate supply in the house!

janimei

If chocolate were my worst craving, I wouldn't have it in the house. That's the theory.
My weakness is Kerry Gold butter, slathered on anything. If it's in the house, I overindulge.
Right now there isn't any here and I hope to keep it that way.

Hildy_J

You could plan to have the chocolate and fit it into your calories? Go buy a small chocolate bar every day or have a massive bar or a whole box of fudgesicles at the weekend. And enjoy them! :bigsmile:

I have a Snickers or two every day. All that matters is that you're happy with what you are doing and it's sutainable for you.

Good luck!

goodnamegone

Take it one day at a time. If you need to get help with this then do. Treat addiction seriously, sugar is a drug. I've had sugar addiction it can be very hard to get out when you are in the cycle. If you can do some days without sugar your body will crave it less.

JcMey3r

Dont keep chocolate at the house, when you want it you might not want to drive to go buy.

Plus if you do buy chocolate just buy a small bar and that's it.


Its all in your head, you say u can't quit I say otherwise.

Fit_Natasha

I know exactly what are you talking about. What works for me: switched to dark chocolate completely (75-80 %). It is really bitter, and I cant eat it a lot, but it does satisfy your chocolate cravings. I started buying mine in the Organic store only (yes, it is more expensive and I am on budget, so I can't get a lot of it). I just telling myself, that chip chocolate is a junk, I love myself and I treat myself for a bar on nice expensive chocolate. They do make small bars now (at least the brand that I am buying, Vivani, but I also saw Lindt making small bars too). It is more expensive to buy small bars than big one, but at that point I was considering it as a cost of medicine -- I have to have it. Another reasoning that worked for me was my skin -- I had a tendency to break out if I ate a lot of chocolate. So reminding myself that I can wake up with a zit tomorrow morning worked sometimes. It is not going to happen overnight, it is a long process, but it works if you really want it. Last month I have a friend who brought a large box of chocolates from my homecountry and I managed to have only one candy out of it. It was sitting in my dining room for a week until my family finished it, but I never came back for a second one.

EvgeniZyntx

Buy less. Eat close to maintenance to avoid binges.
I love and eat chocolate every day - and yes, the 500 calorie Ritter bar can be my downfall, but I manage to fit it by not overly cutting on calories. And buying less. Balance it with a lot of lower calorie, filling items.
Assure your protein needs are met - I found I lusted after chocolate when my macros are way way off.

bridgie101

Hi everyone,

I've been doing all right. 36 lbs down since Nov 2012. Not as fast as I'd like, but hey...a loss is a loss!

But my problem is this: Everyone pretty much agrees that we shouldn't cut what we love the most out of our diet completely, or we'll fail. I agree. But it seems with chocolate, I absolutely cannot control myself if I've purchased it. I will eat ALL of whatever it is I've bought. Even dark chocolate. I can't seem to limit myself to "one square a day" or "one 100-cal fudgescicle" a day.

But if I deny myself chocolate, it will inevitably start to invade my thoughts and I will obsess about it until I have my sweet fix...and that fix isn't just one piece of chocolate...it's one of the large candy bars (for example, an organic chocolate bar the size of a king sized Symphony) or nearly an entire box of the aforementioned fudgesicles.

I don't know how to stop. Because I know people will ask here is my info: 5'2", currently 210.4 lb, I originally had my cals set to 1380 but just upped them to 1580 because I couldn't stick with 1380. That is a 1 lb a week weight loss. For the past week I've struggled and eaten around my maintenance calories. I do not feel like opening my diary to the public and having you scrutinize my food choices at this time; I only want the question answered about beating a specific food addiction.

There's two sides to this so bear with me.

side 1: physical addiction
side 2: psychological addiction.

Let's go for side 2 first because it's quicker. I'm telling you how I've done it, so maybe it's not a good fit for you, take it or leave it.

Psychological addiction. Explore it. Do you feel like you are 'missing out?' I used to. One day I realised, however, that I'm not missing out. I can have it at the end of the diet/ tomorrow. Whatever. I'm not missing anything that I can't handle missing.

I also will eat all chocolate until it is gone, except for cooking chocolate. I was going through a phase of breaking it into 2 squares and refrigerating it broken - allowing myself one. this quickly deteriorated.

So now I have evolved to this point: if I'm gagging for some chocolate, I'll go down to the shop and buy a freddo frog. I don't wait till I'm nuts about it. I make sure I'm not hungry ever, enough to trigger my brain's survival 'get chocolate' reflex. But if needs must, I'll have a smackerel of something. A small smidge of something. And I really enjoy it. Sante bars are good, freddo frogs if you get them where you live, a small handful of chocolate caramels from the pick and mix at the supermarket. Whatever floats my boat on the day.

Physical addiction: yes. i get this. I therefore try to last as many days without chocolate as i can. If i have not had chocolate for over a week, I find I can look at it without eating it. its power over me wanes... but give me one taste? it's all on! and it can take me 2 weeks and 2 kilos to escape its evil clutches.


You'll see clearly a complete hypocrisy in what I'm saying. On the one hand I say little and when you want it: on the other I say 'get away from it and don't touch till the addiction's gone.' I sort of amalgamate them into

"when you're gasping for a choccy fix, first eat something. Something with peanut butter or cheese in it. if you're still gagging for some choc go buy some small thing. But don't let yourself go into the shop hungry or you will make baaaaaad choices."

You can savour that sante bar for an hour and get the same delight out of it as a whole family bar gutsed in one frantic sitting. But you won't wake up the next morning wishing you hadn't done it.

1stday13

Have you tried some of the Chocolate protein Bars? I keep them at no more that 200 calories. Another thing I love are my protein Shakes. The one I make is Chocolate. By adding some yogurt to it and some Peanut butter extract ( I use Watkins) to the shake, It tastes like a Peanut Butter Cup.(under 200 Calories. If it is not Chocolaty enough I add some Dark Chocolate Cocoa. More extract if needed. I use AWE 60. total protein 36 grams, Carbs13, fat 2, fiber 2, Iron 11.. Total Calories 194 .There are a bunch of protein drinks you can make using /extract in them to make them taste like a chocolate Candy bar. Or chocolate. Do the protein mix and add strawberry extract = Chocolate covered Strawberries, or Raspberries, Cherries. . You can also use fresh or frozen Fruits.I use Silk light as milk and Truvia If I need extra sweetnes. I also make a true "shake" by adding crushed Ice in the blender And Whip the heck out of it. There are so many combinations using Extract. You can make almost any of them to taste like, Chocolate, Fruit deserts . I have a ton of varieties I make taste like whatever I am craving. I wish I could make one for you and see it that helped your cravings. I use mine for 1 meal replacement a day usually.:drinker:

Satiable

I absolutely cannot control myself if I've purchased it. I will eat ALL of whatever it is I've bought. Even dark chocolate. I can't seem to limit myself to "one square a day" or "one 100-cal fudgescicle" a day.

Hi mirrinias;

First, CONGRATULATIONS on your loss so far! Great to see long-term results.

Would it help to only keep unsweetened chocolate in the house? I'm talking about the 99% cocoa, seriously bitter/inedible stuff. That way you need to dilute it before it can be eaten -- 10 grams melted into a cupful of fat-free milk makes a decadent hot chocolate. Or you can microwave the same amount with 30mL milk and a sprinkle of salt, then dip an entire 250g punnet of strawberries into it. Both under 150 calories and much bigger/more satisfying than a tiny square of chocolate.

I'm not an addiction expert so will leave that part of the question to more capable responders. Good luck!

Achaila

The only thing that broke my addiction to sweets was being diagnosed with diabetes. And really, the only thing that did was make it switch to sugar free candy.

SuffolkSally

Sympathy here. Since I gave up my excessive alcohol habit (that bit's been easy, lol) chocolate has become my problem too. I can't tell you what's right for you, but I think for me I'm going to have one last try at managing eating it in moderation (till the end of this month) and if I can't then I'll give it up altogther.

I've found with the alcohol that deciding to simply not drink it at all has taken a lot of the mental stress away - I'm just incapable of limiting myself to one glass of wine, or only drinking at weekends, or whatever. I admire those with more willpower but I simply don't have it myself!

To some extent it helps to find osmething else to obsess about if that's your nature - I've become a tea and a yoga addict, and both of these help....

Good luck. And you've had good sustainable weightloss despite this difficulty - congratulations.

Remember that the measure of strength is does not lie in not having difficulties - it lies in facing and managing them.

emilycarr71404

I have two methods that help me from going overboard. 1.) I allow myself one meal a week that is whatever I want. You could save that one night for that high calorie chocolate treat you love. or 2.) If you want chocolate but binge eat huge sizes THEN DON"T BUY the big ones. Just get the single serving sizes and savor them. Good luck.

ToFatT0B3S1ck

Try buying chocolate cereals and have a bowl every morning for breakfast. Cereal is about 110 to 120 calories for either 3/4 cups or a full cup. Chocolate Cheereos have 100 calories per cup. I chocolate so every morning I eat cereal. It keeps me satisfied unless TOM comes around. They I say F it and get a Fastbreak.

GingerLolita

I have a rule to avoid chocolate by itself. For example, I can eat a granola bar with chocolate, a trail mix with chocolate chips, or chocolate-dipped strawberries. I also like adding a half teaspoon cocoa powder to steamed unsweetened vanilla almond milk, which is a low-calorie treat. This helps me avoid overindulging.

scruffykaz

I used to be the same. Ben and Jerrys chocolate fudge brownie frozen yoghurt worked for me. I'd have 100g which is something like 150cals and bulk it out with strawberries...

beachlover317

It is a choice as others have said. I've been a chocoholic my entire life. The one thing that helped me when I first started was to not bring things into the house that would tempt me. I also started buying dark chocolate in individually wrapped pieces. Believe it or not, over the months my craving for chocolate has really lessened. One or two pieces of dark chocolate does the trick for me now and I rarely want more than my 2 pieces.

Now, is this because I have learned to control my cravings or is it because the dark chocolate has magical powers to stop my carvings? :laugh: I'm pretty sure it is the former. Keep working on it. Learning to control our food cravings is an ongoing practice. Keep at it. If you truly want to lose the weight - you'll find the power within yourself to do it!

Good luck.

addysolari

If you really, really can't cut it out of your diet then at east switch to darker chocolate like 70% cocoa or more. Personally I love it, goes great with red wine.

AllyCatXandi

I struggle with chocolate too. Now - quite shockingly - I'm starting to train myself into this moderation thing. Kinda.

Just to give you some context here, back in the day I would easily wolf down an enormous bag (500g!) of Smarties in one sitting. They're basically like a yummier version of M&Ms, haha. A block of chocolate? Entire packet of biscuits? Easy. I was that kid who could eat their whole Easter basket/Halloween haul in one sitting. AS A SNACK.

So, here's what happened:

When I started keeping track of what I was eating, there were more than a few occasions where I would use up my entire day's worth of calories in chocolate by noon (or at the very least a significant portion of it). Usually this was on weekends, because those were the two days university didn't cater for our accomodation package. Now, since I was ridiculously stubborn (and still am) about not seeing those little red numbers...let's just say I went to bed more than a little hungry. Stupid, in retrospect, because ultimately I was depriving myself of proper nutrients and so on, but MY GOD did I learn. I was one of those people who just had to figure things out the hard way. Habit broke pretty quick after that. I still wasn't eating spectacularly on the two days I had to fend for myself (think microwave macaroni and cheese), but it sure as heck was better than a 1000+ calorie Cadbury binge first thing in the morning.

Fast forward to having moved off campus and now preparing all my own meals. I realized that although I could say no to chocolate and leave it sitting in the cupboard for months at a time, once it was opened there was no stopping me. One moment of weakness, one promise to myself that I would just have a little bit, and...oh look, it's all gone. Oops. So at that point I stopped buying it altogether.

Thing is, I love chocolate. Even if I don't have it in the house, I won't be able to avoid it for the rest of my life. And if I ban it, I'll feel deprived and crave it a thousand times worse. Which would make my encounters with the stuff a disaster waiting to happen. So, my general philosophy with grocery shopping has basically become, "If you can't be responsible with it, it's not going in the trolley". If I buy a pack of biscuits and eat the entire thing in one sitting, well, guess I won't be buying those again. Or at least not until I feel like I can do a better job in the self-control department. It's kind of like incentive, really. If I stick to my two choclate biscuit/squares of chocolate/whatever quota with my morning cuppa then in the long run, I get more of them! And I find that I actually enjoy them more, since I focus on what I'm doing instead of mindlessly munching through everything. Oh, and it means I can buy the good quality stuff (I love Lindt). Because it's worth spending the money on since it's my special treat.

Not sure if my talking through my entire relationship with chocolate will help any, but I'll move on with a few tips I picked up that have helped me.

- Dark chocolate. You tend to need less of it to get the same sense of satisfaction. Yes, it's better for you and all that, but also unlike milk chocolate it's a bit more of an effort to consume in epic portions.

- Don't let your PMS go shopping. Just...don't. Stick to your shopping list. If the chocolate's already in the house and you live with someone, tell them to hang onto/hide it until your willpower comes back if you feel it slipping. I try to eat foods higher in magnesium to combat cravings, but it doesn't make them disappear altogether.

- Since chocolate's pretty calorie-dense, you can find other ways to still get the flavour while feeling full. I mix chocolate in oatmeal or have hot chocolate. I have chocolate Up&Go for when I have to be somewhere absurdly early, and my protein powder is...you guessed it, chocolate flavoured. Some brands of chocolate mousse (like OMG or Soleil) are pretty low calorie as well, and there should be some single-serve chocolate puddings or yogurts that aren't too bad either.

- Only buy one small pack of biscuits or a small block of chocolate to start off with. It may cost more to start off with, but I found it easier to start with a pack of 5 biscuits and learn how to control having that in the house before I was able to handle buying 2 packs of 12 when they were on sale at the supermarket. I have a bit of an ingrained 'finish-the-plate-and-do-it-quick' mentality, so that was what helped combat it.

- After you've portioned out how much you're going to have, put the rest of the pack away. And in an annoying cupboard that you have to bend down/climb on a chair and rummage around in to get it (my snack cupboard is the one right behind the bin, to make the process extra difficult). Make sure they aren't staring you in the face when you go to said cupboard - out of sight, out of mind. So keep them at the back, behind something, and/or in an opaque container.

- Eat away from the kitchen. If you have two snacks a day and during one of them you will be at work or otherwise out of the house, have it then. That way you physically cannot go back for seconds.

- Focus on what you're doing. Savour every bite. And have something else after it like an apple or a cup of tea to make you feel full and to get the flavour out of your mouth (if I can still taste it, I tend to want more).

- Don't carry loose change. That way you won't be inclined to hit the vending machine or anything like that. I know I've probably saved myself hundreds of dollars by simply not keeping coins in my purse. Granted, it's a hassle sometimes when you genuinely need change, but worth it in the long run.

And wow. I think I rambled quite a bit here. But that's all I can think of for now, so I'll wrap this up. Best of luck to you and congrats on your weight loss progress thus far

stephiehampshire

I find the best thing is to try and replace it with something else or earn it.

Once you stop for a few days you will find you want it less

Ive got 40 cal per portion hot chocolate to drink as a treat, and sugar free ice lollies if I want something to eat

At the weekend I did 25 miles of cycling so when my sister asked do I want a cupcake I said yes please I worked hard I deserve one (butter icing and all)

Its important that you treat yourself and reward your hard work but it is also important to learn what works for you to build on your self control. All the while you make the excuse of you cant give it up means your not ready to give it up, there is no such thing as can or cant the only thing is whether or not your ready to take the next step

Fullsterkur_woman

I'm much the same way. I don't buy candy. I can't remember the last time I did. But I do have a 100 calorie deep chocolate vitatop after lunch and dinner every single day. I budget it in to my daily allotment, and I never feel deprived. If I could cut those out, I would theoretically lose 0.4 pounds more a week, but I would never be able to sustain that as a lifestyle change, so I accept my results as they are and go on with my life.

Maybe try buying one square of Ghirardelli chocolate or one Lindt truffle for your chocolate fix?

I know buying "economy size" is more economical, but some things I have to buy the single-serving packets. No sense in saving a few cents now if down the road I'll be bogged down with even more medical bills than I already have!

TheLung

I love chocolate also. I could eat a bag of those little bars daily, I know this so I don't buy them. It is pretty hard sometimes to say no to myself. I have found that Fiber One 80 Chocolate cereal to be pretty good and filling. A 3/4 cup is only 80 calories.