Just eat the Chocolate, ok!

Calliope610 · June 2013

I learned a valuable lesson this afternoon.

I have been wanting chocolate for a day or two now, but the "craving", the wanting hasn't been that powerful, that is, until this afternoon. I had an errand to run, so I went to Walmart, got my shopping done and started looking for a Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate w/ Almonds bar (190 cals). Then my conscience started kicking in. Did I really need a chocolate bar? I still had plenty of cals left for the day, plus I'm going to do SL5x5 and walk/run 5k later tonight, so I will have about 1400 cals to go before the end of the day. But that little voice that says "you don't need it, you're on a diet, chocolate is bad" got louder and louder. So I put the candy bar back on the rack, made my purchases and went home.

And went straight to the refrigerator and ate 429 calories of "healthy" food that didn't satisfy me or dissipate my desire for chocolate. And I'm probably gonna go to the grocery store later tonight and get a chocolate bar.

The moral of this story, My body knows what it whats, and my brain knows whether it fits in my plan (calories & macros) for the day. If it fits into the day, there is no reason I can't give my body what it wants. So when that little guilty conscience of the former me starts making noise in the future, it can just STFU! I'm gonna have my chocolate.

Luckee_me · June 2013

Totally agree with you on this one.

flitabout · June 2013

Agreed!!!!

tameroo2 · June 2013

Couldn't agree more!!! Enjoy. . .besides-- dark chocolate AND almonds are both good for you

Calliope610 · June 2013

:flowerforyou:

mandeenicoleb · June 2013

Yes eat the chocolate! I am a chocoholic and I find that when I have a craving, it won't go away until I satisfy it...and one day I'd go nuts and eat probably 34957857293485 cals in chocolate. So I just eat chocolate here and there almost daily staying within my goals.

Great discovery for you!

43932452 · June 2013

Yes, you are correct. Don't deny yourself. Try to plan it,make room in your
diary when you feel the need. You'll feel better w/this route.

Gigsluvscw · June 2013

Thanks for the great post! What will get across to a lot of people/newbies is the great way you included the example of the chocolate bar being 190 calories, but instead ate 429 calories of unsatisfying food.

AJ_G · June 2013

IIFYM EAT THE CHOCOLATE!

elvensnow · June 2013

Yeah I totally agree. If I ignore cravings that bad they just stick with me till I give in and possibly make it worse than it needed to be.

Also I read a study at one point (sorry I don't have a link) that they tested some people and found that if you imagine eating whatever it is you're craving--and I mean going through the entire motion of eating--that it can reduce cravings. In the study they had people imagine eating M&Ms -- so you had to really picture it, imagine picking one up and putting it in your mouth, the taste, etc, and made them imagine eating a whole bag that way. Then they sat them down in front of a bowl of M&Ms. The people who did the imagine exercise ate a LOT fewer (something like 50%) than those who didn't.

Just an interesting bit if anyone wants to try!