Can I Eat Chocolate?

I love chocolate! And I have it a lot!

As others have said, of course you can have anything you like - but if it's calorie dense, it has to be less often and/or small portions if ýou want to meet a low calorie goal.

So, if I want a large portion (which I do) or want it on a tuesday nothing special afternoon (which I do) I find ways to have the chocolate flavour without too many calories per serving - to be fair, I like it VERY dark, and I don't mind if things don't come out as the same 'experience' so to say as I'm used to from store bought products etc. So if you like the chocolate bars etc. these tips might not be helpful for you, but if it's just a craving for that dark, dry, bitter, melting, intense flavour of good cocoa, here's my tips:

Dark unsweetned cocoa solid powder is a must have. I sometimes make a "chocolate soup" (it could be hot chocolate, but it's thicker, so I call it soup), where I take like 1½ cups of milk, and keep putting the cocoa solid powder into to it, stirring over heat, and seeing how much I can mix in - it usually turns out with the consistency of creamy soup. Then I throw in some chili powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla what ever - For special occasions I put in like a teaspoon of a good brandy, and at last, use sweetner to taste (it takes a lot if you don't like it bitter).

I've also done this recipe several times: www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/02/03/how-to-make-100-calorie-moist-chocolate-cupcakes/

Except I use sweetner instead of sugar, about 50% more cocoa powder, and I make apple sauce myself (grate 2 apples, put in like ½ cup of water, microwave for a couple of minutes, stir, microwave again, stir etc. until it become difficult to tell the apple pieces apart) - they come out at about 65-75cal for me, and are an excellent chocolate fix!

Oh, and you can also just mix the powder in with greek youghurt or skyr, use sweetner or sweet fruit, and it's delicious!

Just a few things I am unsure of. I have heard several schools of thought on the chocolate front.

Some say avoid it all together, which I won't because im an adult! LOL

Others say to enjoy occasionally but choose the highest % of cocoa. Like I said, I like dark, but im not really into that 70% stuff.

Is this because it contains less milkfat? and more of the beneficial type stuff?

If you're a chocolate eater, what is your happy medium between cocoa content and fat? (what do you eat)

none of this matters I promise. Eat whatever chocolate you like and log it. Remove the guilt - it's misplaced!

Don't eliminate any foods from your diet while losing weight that you can't live without for the rest of your life - the key is to develop good eating habits so that once the weight comes off, it stays off. So if you want chocolate, eat chocolate if it fits in your calorie limit! I eat a single serving of 60% cacao dark chocolate chips nearly every day - not because dark chocolate is better for me than other kinds of chocolate, but because I like how it tastes best.

^^ Agreed! If you can't live without it forever, learn to moderate and eat within reason - This goes for Chocolate, Pizza, Ice Cream whatever. Once you lose the weight you want, if you go back to eating that stuff, you'll just gain it back. You have to learn HOW to eat it, not just cut it all out.

By the way - I'm a chocoholic - I am NOT giving it up and have learned to buy the individual wrapped chocolates that I like, so that I can eat one or two and not leave a 1/2 a Hershey bar sitting around.

You can eat whatever you please so long as you are hitting your calorie goals and you are otherwise getting proper nutrition. Also, news flash...dark chocolate is extremely nutrient dense...it is also calorie dense but it has a lot of nutrients and is very heart healthy. I eat around 200 calories or so per day on average just from dark chocolate...and yes...I get all of my other vitamins and minerals as well as essential proteins and I've easily lost 40 pounds and then maintained and now trying to drop just a few more to make my rides and other physical endurance activities a bit easier.

I also eat pizza once every couple of weeks...I eat pasta a couple times per week...potatoes and rice are a staple of my diet and I also really like jelly beans.

Everything in moderation is definitely my motto. If I fancy some chocolate and I have enough calories, I eat it

Just a few things I am unsure of. I have heard several schools of thought on the chocolate front.

Some say avoid it all together, which I won't because im an adult! LOL

Others say to enjoy occasionally but choose the highest % of cocoa. Like I said, I like dark, but im not really into that 70% stuff.

Is this because it contains less milkfat? and more of the beneficial type stuff?

If you're a chocolate eater, what is your happy medium between cocoa content and fat? (what do you eat)

I don't worry about any of that if I eat a piece of chocolate. The issue, I think, is there are so many different opinions out there on what you should and should not eat. Too many opinions and information can be overwhelming and confusing. When I eat it the chocolate is a treat to fulfill a craving I am having. Not something I eat on a daily basis. I pick something that is pleasing to me, will satisfy my taste buds and fits into my daily goals. I think the best thing to do is do your research and pick something that works for you. Eating a piece of chocolate no matter what type it is once in a while really isn't going to hurt you. Enjoy whatever you decide to go with. :flowerforyou:

Edit to add: My chocolate of choice is Ghiradelli peppermint squares. I finally finished my Christmas stash and now have to wait until next year to get more. :sad:

For me the question is not "CAN I EAT IT?"....but "HOW MUCH HAVE I ALREADY HAD TODAY??" LOL

I love dark chocolate, but it usually is the Hershey's or Dove's, so I don't think it is that high of a percentage. I have had some of that stuff that puts percentages on the package and I think my limit was over 80% and it got too bitter for me.

I *added* dark chocolate to my diet when I got serious about losing weight. One snack size Hershey's Special Dark is 51 calories. I have one almost every day.

You don't need anyone's permission to eat a certain kind of food, you're an adult. As long as what you are eating fits into your calorie goal for the day, you'll lose weight. That doesn't mean eat chocolate all day, because that would be a nutritional disaster, but if you've hit your nutritional goals for the day and have some calories left over, eat whatever treat you want. People here eat chocolate, cookies, or ice cream every single day and still lose weight.

100% agree with this. I absolutely love chocolate (who doesn't?) and I've been eating a dark chocolate bar for dessert most nights.

If you're still hungry after dinner, and you also REEEALLY want that chocolate, try having your chocolate bar with a piece of fruit. Like a pear, an orange, some berries, anything. Not only does the fruit bring out the flavor of the chocolate, but it will actually keep you more full than the chocolate alone would have. It's a great trick that I recently discovered and love to use!