How Do you give up a 25year love of chocolate?

R_is_for_Rachel

i've given up eating milk chocolate because it seriously was my down fall-before MFP i was eating at least 200g a day!

the issue with most chocolate is the sugar content -which is what you crave rather than the chocolate itself.

i'm now only eating good quality dark chocolate, and because i don't really like the plain stuff , i go for dark chocolate with flavours in it such as bits of mint or orange or coffee. These make it taste so much nicer and also with dark chocolate you really don't want to scoff a lot of it!

good luck!

TourThePast

I went for a month to the US and the chocolate I had there was so horrible I couldn't eat it! I got a bag of Hersheys kisses and I ate one and spat it out,, that has NEVER happened to me...ever...I then gave them to my 3 children and they hated them also, we threw them away in the end. yuk yuk yuk

Yes, whenever I hear someone from America saying they are addicted to "chocolate" ie Hersheys I wonder whether it's really the chocolate they're addicted to or whether it's the sugar.

Cadbury's isn't much better but at least it contains some chocolate.

Ideally I'd have 80% chocolate, but prefer not to have large bars of chocolate in the house so I won't be tempted, so for now I'm compromising by having just one Cadbury's Freddo in the house, which is less than 100 calories. When it's gone it's gone.

To the OP, how do you give something up? By taking a cold hard look at your body and your health and realising that while you might like something, it hates you!

nursekj

I think Ill go for the teaspoon of cocoa in hot water with bit of milk and that should give me a bit of a kick!

sap389

I am a complete chocoholic... with either an all or nothing approach - unfortunately the nothing stage doesn't seem to last too long! I've found that if i buy the dark cadbury choc chips and weigh them out in a little cup, say 10-50g, that it's enough because it takes so long to eat them if you have one at a time. My flatmates think i'm a bit nutty but at least it doesn't completely destroy my diary and i don't feel like i'm missing out! The other thing i had to decide was that i'm basically just not allowed to buy the big blocks of choc.. especially dairy milk or delicious green and blacks, otherwise it just disappears.... :-)

I also love mocha's but gave up coffee (along with my friend) so now order trim hot chocolates... the small ones fit into my calories fine and i only get them in social situations and never as takeaways.... that's where peppermint tea comes in.

Good luck! If you find a miracle cure let me know xx

unsuspectingfish

I would definitely second the suggestions of eating darker chocolates. That's what I've started doing. Also, look at the ingredients and make sure the first one is actually chocolate, not sugar. I also liked the suggestion someone had of putting cocoa powder in various foods, like yogurt and such. If you're really having trouble with portion size, too, try buying individually wrapped chocolates instead of bars. I try to avoid that simply because of the waste, but it might be a good way to get yourself on track to craving it less.

I've always said there are two things I will never get rid of for the sake of a diet, and those are coffee and chocolate. I figure, if I can learn to drink black coffee for the sake of keeping it in my diet, I can learn to eat dark chocolate. I may be slightly addicted to caffeine...

phinners

I have to eat it every day whether its a Milo drink, mochacino, or chocolate biscuit but I usually have to have my fix twice a day....need a chocolate patch. Does anyone else have this addiction or successfully curbed their love of chocolate?

No I havent quit it, but I eat less now, I dont take the piss anymore. I dont think anyone wqhould have to quit their fave foods.

A chocolate patch would be awesome!

rlysrh

I buy chocolate chips and weight out about 10 grams and mix them with goji berries or sultanas or other dried fruit. It makes me feel like I'm eating more chocolate because theres more of it. (:

jmruef

I just don't like dark chocolate. For me it's better to try to control portions of what I *do* like rather than learn to like something else (like dark chocolate). If I learned to like dark as well as I liked milk - well, that's one more thing I'd have to not eat as much of.

I heard on National Public Radio (I think that was it) that if you look at pictures of chocolate or read about it a lot, you're less likely to overindulge, or overindulge as much - this was a study that was done. I'll see if I can find the story.

*a few minutes later*

Okay, here's a link to the transcript. My brain was a bit fuzzy on the details but it's still an interesting study.

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/10/131967496/Thinking-About-Eating-May-Mean-Eating-Less

unsuspectingfish

I just don't like dark chocolate. For me it's better to try to control portions of what I *do* like rather than learn to like something else (like dark chocolate). If I learned to like dark as well as I liked milk - well, that's one more thing I'd have to not eat as much of.

It's definitely not for everyone. It was easy for me to switch because I already lean toward stronger flavors (stout beer, dark coffee, black licorice, etc.). Another reason I really like it is that it's richer, so I get fuller faster when I eat the dark stuff. Portion control is definitely your friend, though, if milk chocolate is your thing.

rachvitality

try a choc flavoured protein/ diet shake.

They are formulated with vitamins and minerals so at least it isn't empty calories and probably more filling than a choc biscuit. Check the sugar content of protein shake - they can vary. If you dont want a whole one, you can use half the powder and half the liquid.

jemmur

uh, another chocoholic, here. swapping to dark chocolate might help but i wouldn't count on it. i don't drink milk so i only eat dark chocolate and, let me tell you, it is entirely possible to eat one of those 70%+ "for sharing" bars in one sitting. you just need practise :laugh:

my cravings largely subsided on their own, now that i'm eating better. i find that i just don't want it so much now. once i start, i can't stop though so i don't keep it in the house and i never buy big bars or multipacks. i also find that i can really feel the sugar rush/crash after eating it now, which sucks. not quite enough to put me off entirely but it's an incentive not to stuff my face with it regularly!