Please will you help me?
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Everyone is different.......I lost 100 pounds by putting the sugar monster to bed. A little chocolate for some can be the same as a little crack cocaine to others. I started allowing myself little treats once in a while after I hit my goal weight, that was back in 2008, I stayed at goal weight for 2 years, then started allowing treats more often. The sugar monster came back and the cravings and going to the store at 11:00 pm for treats and other sneaky behaviours crept back. 20 pounds gained....kinda scary. Now I am at MFP, trying to get the last few pounds off.....
If you know in your heart that abstinence is right for you, good for you, it is important to be honest with yourself. I support you!
Feel free to add me as a friend0 -
I understand. My husband LOVES chips but can not have them in the house. He has lost 40 lbs. I need a little chocolate everyday or I ...lets say I'm not happy and when I do break down and eat it--I'll eat a lot of it. You know how you are (by now) and what works. Keep at.0
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Every failure is a step closer to success
Abstinence rarely leads to success IMHO - only binging
But it's also OK to fall off the wagon as long as you get back on
Try cutting back on your chocky intake and increasing your will power
Most importantly, eat more/ exercise more
Eat crap/ exercise even more0 -
Thank you everyone I appreciate your comments. I know I have to give it all up completely to prove to myself I am the one in control and I can say no to the cravings. I know this might not make sense to you but it's the only way for me to succeed. I gave up chocolate completely, anything chocolate flavored even. The problem was I substituted it with sweets, I swapped one for the other. It's now time to give it up and prove to myself I can do this, it's the only thing in my life that I fail time and time again, everything else I fight for until I succeed. Now it's time for me to conquer my addiction to sugar and chocolate and prove to myself and my family that I want this and can do it. I have 3 teenage sons, I have always taught them that is they want something enough and work hard enough they can achieve anything they want to. I'm not setting the example though. Besides, this is only something you eat, I am the one that controls what goes in and out of my mouth.
Some asked if I was willing to make the sacrifice forever, the answer is YES, it's the only way I'm going to live. I'm super morbidly obese, I'm struggling to walk, I'm in constant pain and being fat is very restrictive. Being fat is something i can change, I can have a normal healthy life. I want my kids to enjoy life, not be restricted because I'm to fat to do the things they'd like us to do. I want a happy life, I want a job as a make-up artist without worrying if I'm sweating too much or if I will be taken seriously because being fat means being ugly. I want , No I need to change, I need to lose weight just so I can start living. I've already robbed my kids of being a fun, energetic mother up to now. When I lost weight they told me I was much more fun, I was happier. Sacrificing chocolate to get this back is not a big ask, I just need to get through the first few weeks and stay focused. Exercise and learn to live!
Thank you for all your advice but I have been fighting this battle for 24 years, I have learnt that this is what I need to do. I may change and allow myself to have it again counting it in my calories but for now, this is what I need to do.
I have just started counting calories again, I had a good day today but didn't log it on here. I will log it in my food diary from now on. x0 -
If you know in your heart that abstinence is right for you, good for you, it is important to be honest with yourself. I support you!
+1 I think this is spot on.0 -
I like Chocolate. I settle my craving with a bowl of Special K Chocolate delight.0
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I have the same weakness...I usually treat myself to unsweetened dark chocolate.
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Try carob instead it's good for you and tastes like chocolate0
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I have the same weakness...I usually treat myself to unsweetened dark chocolate.
I thought I was the only one chocoaddicted enough to do that!0 -
Good for you knowing what is best for you !
I am willing to be there for you. Giving up a vice is not easy. I am very forgiving and patient and I will support your efforts everyday. your first promise to this relationship will be to log your food ~ALL of it, good or bad.everyday. This makes you accountable to you and you alone, but helps those who care to guide you in the right direction. Honesty is crucial. You want it? lets get you there. ( I once had an assorted affair with valentino chocolattee, the fella is just no good for you!!! so I totally get the attraction lol)
my diary is open if you want to consider it my resume lol ~5lbs to go and my 25 year old wedding dress will zip all the way!
Up to you...best of luck0 -
Hi, I went to a nutritionist and she challenged me to let go of any candy for 30 days. The first week was HARD as heck! I cheated a little by having a candy bar. By week 2, I began to forget about chocolate. Like you, I am a chocaholic, so I KNOW what you are dealing with! It has been several months now and I have candy maybe twice a month. It just seems too sweet now, so I don't do it all of the time. Trust yourself and give yourself time to let it go. I can promise you that you won't miss it so much after a week. Keep giving it a shot; I am so thankful to be free from that chocolate addiction now.
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I know this is definitely not what you want to here but You really need to tackle this from a total mindset adjustment... Are you really going to give up chocolate and/or sweets, junk food for the rest of your life?? Highly unlikely so what you need to do is work on sustainable habits you can live with... You can enjoy the foods you like and still lose weight and or maintain your weight and live guilt free. You just have to put in the time to make it work for you, measure out portions and put them in separate containers and label them for each day. Instead of practicing complete abstinence, practice portion control and learn to have the things you like only in moderation. In the long run you will be alot better off...... Best of Luck
^^ Listen to Ed
Well, YEAH, listen to Ed...he lost 300 pounds!!0 -
Hi, I went to a nutritionist and she challenged me to let go of any candy for 30 days. The first week was HARD as heck! I cheated a little by having a candy bar. By week 2, I began to forget about chocolate. Like you, I am a chocaholic, so I KNOW what you are dealing with! It has been several months now and I have candy maybe twice a month. It just seems too sweet now, so I don't do it all of the time. Trust yourself and give yourself time to let it go. I can promise you that you won't miss it so much after a week. Keep giving it a shot; I am so thankful to be free from that chocolate addiction now.
Good for you! Moderation is your friend...0 -
Wow great insight here.
First of all it is great that you reached out for help. Feel free to friend me and I'll encourage you.
I started in this journey in May. May and June were challenging. For me logging my food...all if it...the good, the bad and the ugly was key. I opened my diary and read others nightly to see what things they were sitting. I noticed wow people eat too much some days and loose control just like me. Also when I log my food, that nice little note pops up...if you eat like this for the next 5 weeks you will weigh such and such....sometimes it was good and at first a lot of times not so great. Each day is a learning expierence. The best part is the tortoise ALWAYS wins the race. Getting back up after a fall and starting again. As the weight started to come off I started liking this new feeling so flexing that self control muscle just a little became easier and easier.
I recognize about myself there are some foods I do not have self control over yet but I will. There is food I choose not to have because I'm not able to stop yet but I know eventually I will.
I agree with the lower calorie options and bars. I used those a lot in the beginning.
For me having community to encourage me, encouraging others and seeing people whack the fat in little increments at a time has helped. I also made a pledge to myself that for the first 30 days I'd read 10 minutes a night if success stories....sometimes I was falling asleep but it helped.
great advice from all....
Many blessing and you can do this!0 -
I get where you are coming from, and if you are saying what I think you are (can't keep it in the house because you will keep on eating it all at once?) then Brenda probably has the approach for you. My approach, or what it is worth - I let myself splurge on the weekends. I don't bring chocolate into the house, ever. I buy a small amount, a bar or a few pieces, and eat it away from home. That controls how much i can consume. I may love it, but I can live without it 5 -6 days a week better than I can live with a little every day. For me the craving disappears after a while (2-3 weeks), so now I miss it a lot less (until I post about it, lol) but I still notice when I eat it I want more.
The most important thing is that you find an approach that will work forever, because when you say 'I promise I won't have any until I lose the weight' it makes me nervous that when you do lose the weight you will go back to eating as much as you want, which would probably not work.0 -
+1 avoid milk chocolate altogether, easy to eat too much of that stuff. Agree with those saying it's hard to eat too much dark chocolate (like 70-90% cocoa). You can do portion control at the store - Lindt makes very small portions (you can buy just one or two squares).
I don't agree with 'moderation' for binge-trigger foods, at all. Substitute with something satisfying and good for you, and keep the triggers out of your way as much as poss. Why make your life harder?0 -
I honestly don't think chocolate is your problem. Believing you have no self control is. I used to think I had no self control but it's just not true. I have chocolate every single day. Always within my calories. If I haven't got the calories then I'll have something smaller and have a selection of children's chocolate products that are below 100 calories just for that purpose. Other times I'll have over 200 calories stored up and can having something grown up. I've logged every day since 1st July 2012 and have been over my calories once during that time due to a mixup with FitBit calculating more calories than I had.
I was a binger and believe it all comes from your mind. I don't binge any more nor do I have the desire to do so. Therapy and hard work taught me why my brain was telling me those negative thoughts that made me choose to binge. I can now challenge those negative thoughts. As my Doctor says, I've learnt that I'm the boss of me.
You are accountable to yourself. We aren't responsible for you. You are. Please don't do this to please random strangers on the internet who you somehow think can keep you on your straight and narrow. Please don't do this to prove to your family that you can do it. You need to work on those negative thoughts that make you think that you have no self-control and free yourself from them.
There are so many fantastic posts in this topic from people that have succeeded and know that the grass is always greener on the other side and as soon as you ban something you will only want it more. I know from bitter experience that banning things makes your world get smaller and smaller as you restrict yourself from places and people that hold temptation. You live in the real world with freely available sugar and chocolate. Don't waste the rest of your life believing it has some hold over you that means it is more powerful than you. I wish you luck.0 -
I know I have to give it all up completely to prove to myself I am the one in control and I can say no to the cravings. I know this might not make sense to you but it's the only way for me to succeed. I gave up chocolate completely, anything chocolate flavored even. The problem was I substituted it with sweets, I swapped one for the other. It's now time to give it up
This is maybe not what you want to hear, but...
Yes, give it up forever. The sweets that is. Not necessarily the chocolate. There is lots of non-sweet chocolate out there that can satisfy the craving and is good for you:
- dark chocolate (nonsweet: Michel Cluizel makes one that's 100% chocolate, no milk or sugar)
- chocolate nibs (available in organic food stores)
- pure cocoa powder, fat reduced.
Learn recipes with them, then make small portions, then have at times for rewards. Yes, take control : make it yourself instead buying factory- made preprocessed sweets which contain too much fat and sugar.
Cocoa powder: make a REAL hot chocolate. A tablespoon of cocoa powder, a teaspoon of sugar or your favourite sweetener, mix with hot water to dissolve, fill up with skim milk. Sip really slowly. Go for a walk afterwards.
Go searching for the best cocoa powder there is. Walk to the next organic food store. Search the town you live in, on foot as much as possible, for Caillebaut cocoa pwder.0 -
I'm still struggling with my weakness for chocolate. I have eaten some today and I feel so horrible that I've failed AGAIN! So today is a new day and I am promising myself and you, I will not eat chocolate, sweets, junk food , ice cream or any other crap again until I have reached a healthy weight.
Some of you won't agree with me cutting it out completely as you believe in all things in moderation. I do understand why you say that but this doesn't work for me, so I have to cut it all out. The problem is I'm weak "a little bit won't hurt" does hurt, I eat too much then. So I make this promise today. Ice cream I can swap for sorbet or fruit juice lollies which I can do in moderation.
The problem is I don't really have anyone to answer too, if I eat chocolate in my mind "it doesn't matter I can have a little and start again tomorrow" So can I ask a really BIG favour please. Would someone please ask me every day for the next few weeks if I have kept my promise, ask me if I have abstained from chocolate. I know it will keep me in the straight and narrow if I have someone questioning me and nudging me to stay focused. If 10 of you do this every day for a few week I know it will get me few the first month or so and after that I can do it myself. I just need a little help.
I'd really appreciate your help with this, it will give me the strength to break free from chocolate and sweet cravings.
Thank you x
you say you cant do moderation, so you have to cut out 'all junk' but you also cant do cutting it all out....
this site is great for support, but you need to do it because YOU want to get healthy for YOU.... not because a stranger on the internet is going to ask if you ate cake today!
you allow yourself to be weak... stop doing that and you'll be fine!0 -
Moderation!
But, if like me, you're one of those people that needs to just completely remove it... Just don't buy it anymore. If you don't buy it, you can't eat it. Your taste buds WILL adapt to different foods. If you don't eat it, you can't crave it. I promise after a few days the cravings will go away.
However, I would recommend that you form a healthier relationship with food and just eat it in moderation. Switch to dark chocolate if you like, or drink a chocolate protein shake/low cal hot chocolate drink to curb the cravings.
ETA: You mentioned switching ice cream to sorbet - if that makes you feel better, why not switch chocolate to cacao? Cacao is the raw form of chocolate, it's much healthier, gives you a bit of a caffeine buzz (yay!) and it tastes really good. Carob is lovely too. Google 'raw chocolate bars' and order some. They're quite pricey too, so you can just buy a few and indulge in a nice treat once in a while.0 -
May I suggest something that worked for me? I was like you. I HAD to have chocolate every day. So one day I decided to give up sweets for lent (40 days). It was challenging, but I knew I had an end date in sight which made it a bit easier. I also allowed myself to eat things like yogurt to help. The funny thing is that when I could finally eat chocolate it was kinda gross. You don't realize how over sweet it really is until you abstain for a period of time. I couldn't believe I was eating this sugar every day! Yes, I still have chocolate on occassion but it's no longer something I HAVE to have. If I want chocolate, then I'll eat it but I usually look for substitues like a Cherry Chocolate Kind Bar or a square of dark chocolate which is very rich. Chocolate no longer has control of me. You may want to abstain for a period of time and see if you lose that craving like I did. We never realize how unhealthy our foods are until we abstain for a bit.0
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The problem is I'm weak "a little bit won't hurt" does hurt, I eat too much then.
I think you could do with a bit of positive self talk here. If you keep saying "I'm weak" etc, you'll believe it and it will be true.
You need to wake up every morning and say "I'm powerful, I'm in control" till you belive it.
I thought I was like you. In fact, I didn't see the point of chocolate unless I gorged on it! I couldn't eat it in moderation. Christmas, I'd be given a box of chocolates - I love Terry's Segsations - they're orange flavoured chocolate sweets shaped like segments of orange - don't know if you can get them outside the UK! I used to sit and eat and eat and eat unwrapping the next one before I'd finished the one in my mouth, till I felt sick.
But as soon as I started logging my calories I discovered that I could have 3 of these sweets and easily fit them into my daily allowance, so I meticulously ate 3 each day through last Christmas. I enjoyed the chocolate MORE in fact!
At Easter, I spent the whole day in the garden and earnt back so many calories, I discovered I could eat my whole Easter egg at a siting. I did, but I didn't enjoy it anymore.
I'm not scared of chocolate now! I'm bigger and stronger than it is. I don't need it but sometimes I WANT it, so I have it, on my own terms.
(ed) and I don't believe I'm any different to you 0 -
I would not give up on chocolate entirely. You will want it even more. I get my chocolate fix in my chocolate banana smoothie. I had the dark chocolate baking power or sugar-free jello pudding mix. Also you can try this recipe. I take a few tablespoons of dark chocolate chip and melt then and then coat some fiber one cereal. WW calls them haystacks, a good little treat.0
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