chocolate and sweets

I usually don't buy them, then I'm not tempted. If I do, I put them somewhere inconvenient and just leave a small portion size easily reachable.
Try fruit (mandarins are my current favourite) as a sweet snack in front of TV.
Or, take up knitting or something that keeps you hands busy instead of eating!

if you can make it into your calories for the day then i say why not? i would say not every day though... Refined sugar is no bueno

i snack on the kellogs Special K Chocolatey drizzle cereal bars (other brands have them as well... Alpen, Fiber one) ... that curbs my candy cravings a bit.

I still enjoy chocolate every so often, when the craving hits. But I make sure I keep it within reason, and within my log limits for the day. I'd go nuts if I couldn't have Reece's ever again, and I would never stick with this lifesyle change!!

So go ahead and indulge every so often; just make sure to do it in small portions so you can keep up with your progess, instead of reversing it!

As for sweets in the evening, I keep around strawberries and apples to munch on when I'm relaxing.

Hi,

I totally give in to chocolate cravings in moderation, especially if I'm under my calorie goal & it's not going to push my stats way up. Right now since it's hot (I live in AZ--just hit 115 today) I saw sugar free fudgsicles on sale at the grocery store! Just had one tonight & it was amazing! The serving size is 2 fudgsicles, but I only ate one & it was really satisfying. It killed 2 birds w/one stone---chocolate & a cool sweet treat! Plus it doesn't do a lot of damage to my stats. 1 fudgsicle is 40 cal, 1g of fat, 10g of carbs & 2g of protein. I always have cravings at night while relaxing too...hope this helps!

yoplait makes these dessert things they're 100 cals and decent sized snack, a little bigger than a pudding cup, i just got some at the store today and have yet to try one but my mom says they are really good. i got strawberry cheesecake and chocolate raspberry.

I don't think it's a problem to eat sweets in moderation. If it something you plan to stick with for life, you'd better make changes you can live with. That said, stick with serving sizes. Eat one cookie instead of the entire batch . Eat a starburst a day for a month instead of binging on the bag.

I try not to buy sweets, but if I can't survive without something sweet I drink chocolate milk. Also, if you want to make brownies or something, slash the recipe. Make a fourth of what it calls for. You can't eat it if you didn't make it.

From what I understand, calories are of greatest impact when losing weight. Recently a nutrition professor lost 27 pounds on Twinkies and Litle Debbies to validate this point. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

The article says his blood panels even improved! Goes against a lot of wisdom I've heard, but it seems to work. Good luck, from a fellow chocolate lover.

God bless.

First, don't feel bad about craving sugar. Sugar acts like a drug; it addicts us to the temporary "sugar high."

Also, sugar is probably one of the biggest enemies to fat-loss and is a huge danger to our overall health. Nearly 75% of the fructose (sugar) you consume goes directly to your liver to be processed--the liver is where your body sends toxins to be removed from your body. When too many toxins flood to your liver, your liver packs those toxins into whatever fat it can find and stores it away safely. If you continue to have this toxic flood of sugar into your system, it can 1) destroy you liver in a manner similar to alcoholism, 2) keep storing toxins in fat for safe keeping, 3) prevent you from losing weight and keeping it off.

I eliminated all added sugar (i.e. chocolate, candy, ketchup, lite salad dressing, etc.) from my diet and limited my fruit to 2-3 servings per day and lost 7 pounds of fat in 14 days! My dad-in-law lost 50 lbs in less than a year by reducing his sugar intake to 20 grams per day and he has kept that weight off for more than a year!

This video has a complete overview of sugar and its impact on our bodies: http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM

All things in moderation. If you can afford it calorie/carb/fat wise depending on your diet if you are craving and it is at hand, have a little to satisfy. I have found that when I deny those little cravings they get worse and worse until I end up binging and then I really feel bad.

I have several low calorie/fat/carb snacks that are wonderful. One of my favorites is a chocolate mint cup. According to MFP it is 43 calories & 6 carbs per serving (6 servings)

1sugar free chocolate pudding mix , 4-serving size
2cup fat free milk
1/4floz frozen low fat whipped topping , thawed
1/8tsp mint extract , more to taste
1/4oz red food coloring , few drops (optional)
1tbsp frozen low fat whipped topping (optional)
1oz fresh mint , sprigs, as garnish (optional)

1 Prepare pudding mix according to package directions using the 2 cups fat-free milk. Set aside. Combine in a small bowl the dessert topping, mint extract, and food coloring to make desired color.
2 In six small dessert bowls layer half the pudding, followed by dessert topping and remaining pudding. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until set.
3 If desired, top with whipped topping and mint.

Low Carb Toasted Almond Coconut Balls - Makes 6 servings - 89 calories & 3.5 carbs per 2 balls
1/2cup slivered almonds , toasted
1/3cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, granulated (or other heat stable, granular sugar substitute)
1/3cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2tbsp unsalted butter , softened
1tbsp cold water
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1/3cup flaked unsweetened coconut (optional)

1 In small skillet, heat almonds over medium low, stirring frequently, until golden brown about 2 minutes.
2 In food processor, place almonds. Process until very finely ground.
3 In medium bowl, combine almonds, sugar substitute, coconut flakes, and cocoa powder. Add softened butter, water, and vanilla. Cream butter with back of spoon until all ingredients are well mixed.
4 Shape into twelve balls (about 1 inch in diameter). Roll each ball in coconut, if desired. Serve immediately or cover tightly and chill up to three days.


Chocolate coconut meringues

Ingredients
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract or imitation coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
2 tablespoons trans-fat-free white chocolate chips or finely chopped white chocolate, such as Sunspire

Preparation
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 250°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, coconut, almond and vanilla extracts and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined. Gradually beat in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff, shiny peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes.
Sift cocoa over the mixture and gently fold together with a rubber spatula until combined.
Spoon the meringue into a gallon-size sealable bag (or pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip). Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Cut a 1/2-inch hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe the meringue into 2-inch circles, about 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake on the upper and lower racks for 50 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the meringues stand in the oven with the door closed until completely dry, about 1 1/2 hours.
Melt semisweet and white chocolate (see Tip) and drizzle or pipe onto the cooled meringues. Let stand until it sets.

Nutrition
Per cookie: 36 calories; 0 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 17 mg sodium; 25 mg potassium.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla chips - I use La Tortilla Factory whole wheat low calorie/low carb tortillas. You can use the fruits that tickle your fancy and sub spenda or stevia for the white sugar and it lowers the calories even further. This recipe as is says it makes 10 servings at 312 calories.

Ingredients
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray.
Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar.
Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
Spray again with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Alternatively, there is sugar free jello with a squirt of low fat whipped topping.

I have a whole bunch more I can inbox you if you are interested.

Anything in moderation is good but anything in excess, including healthy foods , is bad for you. Whatever benefits chocolate has will diminish once you eat too much of it.

buy some organic cocoa nibs. they are not as sweet as sugar, but i like them like that. for my kids i mix them in a little container with dried fruit such as chopped dried plums and dried blueberries.

http://www.powersuperfoods.com.au/cacao-power-raw-nibs.html
Here is a link on cocoa nibs. there are also some recipe's....... have not tried them as yet.