Resetting Chocolate/sugar relationship

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MismatchedAlmonds
MismatchedAlmonds Posts: 90 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm playing around with the idea of going off chocolate and sugary desserts for a few weeks to try and break my cravings for it. Right now I spend too much money getting chocolate for snacking and desserts, and I end up eating it too quickly too. Would going off these things for a few weeks help my body stop craving/needing it so often/so much? If so, how long should I "detox?"

Please note, my intention isn't to never eat it again. I just want a dessert after a meal to be an option, not a necessity.

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  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    I wouldn't call it a detox, myself.

    But switching to something like unsweetened applesauce for dessert for a while would be a fine idea. No reason to eliminate dessert if it's something that makes you feel "satisfied" and like you really ate a meal. I mean, if giving up dessert means you eat half a jar of peanut butter before bed (putting you above your calorie goals for the day) then I'd personally rather just eat the dessert. Maybe just smaller sized pieces of dessert!
  • guitarpaul
    guitarpaul Posts: 2
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    I tried something similar to this a couple of weeks ago, that is I gave up 'sugar' totally for 7 days. I was climbing the walls after the 6th day it's very hard to completely give up sugar. I found myself binging on the 7th night, eating so many sweet things, cakes, chocolate, biscuits and did so for a couple of days before my body was satisfied with sugar once again. So I would say it's not a great idea (certainly for me) to give up totally. However, prior to this I had pretty much not eaten chocolate for probably 4 months or more so I have found it is possible to do that quite easily, some self strictness required on occasion but by and large easy to do. I would suggest you give up chocolate perhaps for a few weeks, then try bringing in your other sweet desserts one by one every 3 or 4 weeks. As you say though, trying to break the habit of a 'necessary' dessert is the way to go ... I heard it said it takes '3 weeks of abstinence' to break any habit at all ... so ... good luck :)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    So I'm playing around with the idea of going off chocolate and sugary desserts for a few weeks to try and break my cravings for it. Right now I spend too much money getting chocolate for snacking and desserts, and I end up eating it too quickly too. Would going off these things for a few weeks help my body stop craving/needing it so often/so much? If so, how long should I "detox?"

    Please note, my intention isn't to never eat it again. I just want a dessert after a meal to be an option, not a necessity.
    The only thing making it a necessity now is your belief that the cravings are uncontrollable. How long it takes to realize they're not is going to vary from person to person. You might be over it after one day or still fighting the habit months from now.

    If the wish for something sweet after meals is hard to quit, I'd just have some sugarless gum or a diet drink or fruit, or brush my teeth.

    If it's the 'treat' aspect you have trouble giving up (and don't want to use artificial sweeteners), stock up on non-food treats to reward yourself with.
  • whyyesitsneke
    whyyesitsneke Posts: 47
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    Often the need for treats is a habit, not a need.

    That being said, if you want to cut them out, all the power to you, but many people do so and then binge when they can eat it again, so be wary of that.

    But as was mentioned, treats that are less sugary do tend to help. Then you wont feel empty or like you're missing out.

    Applesauce with a touch of cinnamon reminds me of pie, for example, but with a portion of the sugar and way healthier.
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
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    If you enjoy it, you will always have a taste for it. The key is moderation. You don't have to eat the whole bag/dessert/box of whatever chocolately goodness you are enjoying. Detox? Nope, just no. There isn't a quick fix for this. Just stop eating them!

    Reset butter next to right nipple? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    At the beginning of my weight loss, I set aside Sunday as the only day when I would have sweet treats. At that point, I was in a complete sugar/carb haze and needed to be able to compartmentalize that type of food. I stuck with that a few months and then gradually started allowing myself to have reasonable sweets on other days. Now I am fine with having them throughout the week--in other words, I can eat one cookie without eating a bag of cookies. In my opinion, doing something like that is fine in the short term. I wouldn't suggest it as a permanent fix but for a short time, sure.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Would going off these things for a few weeks help my body stop craving/needing it so often/so much? If so, how long should I "detox?"

    It really depends on you. I quit sweet treats for a couple of weeks when I started, and it helped me, and I now eat them in moderation without problem.

    IMO, this has nothing to do with detoxing (I note that you used quotes, though) or really any needs that your body has for these things, but because for me they'd become a crutch and something I was misusing--as a first line way of dealing with sadness, stress, a bad day, being tired, etc. Cutting them out forced me not to immediately go to the sweets and to find another way of dealing, and it also taught be that not snacking on sweet stuff (or highly carb-based foods on their own) throughout the day left me feeling much better, with a lot more energy, more even-tempered, and not all up and down. These may not be issues that apply to others.

    For me the lasting habit I've taken from this experiment is that I try very hard not to use food for emotional purposes like I was, and I don't use snacks as a pick me up when I'm tired, and in general snack rarely and make sure if I do it's something more like yogurt or nuts or carrots or maybe a piece of fruit where the fiber prevents the up and down response and which I'm much less likely to turn into something to which I have an emotional response in my mind.
  • Voww
    Voww Posts: 39 Member
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    Don't know what kind of chocolate you love/crave but I was the same once with milk chocolate. I managed to change over to preferring plain/dark chocolate; it took time to get used to the stronger taste but I found one that wasn't too bitter and gradually chose higher percent cocoa ones. The higher cocoa content means a more intense flavour than the milk ones, and I find I eat far less ot it as a result, tend to buy the 100g bars that are 'thin squares' rather than 'chunks' and break a square into lots of smaller pieces to savour slowly, especially with a coffee. I like plain chocolate that's flavoured with something else too, e.g. Green & Black's Maya Gold has a lovely spicy orange flavour. I don't buy milk chocolate any more and I wouldn't cut chocolate out completely as I don't believe you should have to give up any food you love, just find a healthier alternative and/or eat in moderation.
  • MismatchedAlmonds
    MismatchedAlmonds Posts: 90 Member
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    Thanks for the input guys. My goal here isn't really to stop eating that stuff, it's to stop NEEDING to eat it. Even if it's just a mental thing or a habit, I really don't want to keep thwarting my health and my wallet by constantly buying sugary/chocolaty dessert foods.

    Does that make this "going cold turkey" idea seem more reasonable? Or do you still think it won't work?

    I'm SO not trying to set myself up to yo-yo. I just want to be able to treat dessert like it's an OPTION, not an I WILL SELL MY FIRST BORN TO YOU JUST GIVE ME THE SUNDAE.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Thanks for the input guys. My goal here isn't really to stop eating that stuff, it's to stop NEEDING to eat it. Even if it's just a mental thing or a habit, I really don't want to keep thwarting my health and my wallet by constantly buying sugary/chocolaty dessert foods.

    Does that make this "going cold turkey" idea seem more reasonable? Or do you still think it won't work?

    I'm SO not trying to set myself up to yo-yo. I just want to be able to treat dessert like it's an OPTION, not an I WILL SELL MY FIRST BORN TO YOU JUST GIVE ME THE SUNDAE.

    What have you got to lose? If cutting it out for a few weeks helps you strengthen your willpower with respect to those foods, all the better. If it doesn't, well you've learned you don't do well with restrictive diets and need to find some other way to consume those foods in moderation.
  • tlicttbh
    tlicttbh Posts: 89
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    I used to be a chocaholic. Like I'd eat a whole bag of chocolate chips in an evening. But now when I eat them, I eat when I am totally focused on eating them. i am not on the computer, watching TV, reading, etc. I eat one at a time and enjoy it. Usually I start out with 20, and after I eat 5 or 10, I often get bored and put the rest back. The term some people use is "eating mindfully." The most helpful books to me were Ovecoming Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth and EatQ by Susan Albers. On a typical day I will now have 1 dove chocolate square (the kind that are about 1" and wrapped in foil). That is a big improvement from eating half the bag or more over the course of a few hours! Some days I will choose not to have one. It's almost as if now that it is not a "no-no", I don't care about it as much. Same with icecream. I used to eat half a carton in an evening. Now I have a 1/2 gallon in the freezer and don't particularly want it.

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