Chocolate Cravings?

sc1572
sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
I am horrible when it comes to chocolate, and I know I am not the only one. I'm home from college this summer and it's actually easier for me to be healthy when I am up at school compared to being home. At school I have a granola bar as a dessert each night, and one night a week I get frozen yogurt, and another night I get a smoothie. At home, however, my mom buys so much junk food! Normally I can resist, but sometimes I give in when it comes to chocolate.

For example, night before last she had leftover brownies she had to make for work, so I had two, and last night she had leftover cookie cake from a party, so I had a slice. And then today my friend gave me a Coconut Twix bar.

How do you resist chocolate cravings? And if you can't, what's a "healthy" option?

Thanks! :)
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Replies

  • coolsmartygirl
    coolsmartygirl Posts: 299 Member
    try in moderation, it's very hard to do that when you are home because of mom's cooking. Instead of having two brownies, have half of one, a small sliver of cake, etc. As for friends, just say thank you for the candy bar but I am trying to eat healthier.
  • I'm a chocolate lover, too. Don't deprive yourself completely, allow yourself a treat or reward every so often! Skinny Cow ice cream treats are great! Lower calorie than normal ice creams, and there are a lot of options. Also Healthy Choice premium fudge bars are 100 calories and taste amazing! Very chocolate-y. :)
  • If you are working out then try chocolate protein bars or shakes
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    i don't resist them *S*
    every night i have a few little square of the best quality dark chocolate... (my fave is not even an expensive one, the brand is Green & Black organic dark chocolate)
    i take tiny nibbles and let each nibble melt n my tongue, filling my mouth with the rich slightly sweet flavour i love.

    all that pleasure (and i can make those nibbles last a good 15 minutes *L*... for just 55 calories, 3g fat and 2 mg sodium? oh yeah.. works in perfectly *S*
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
    I am horrible when it comes to chocolate, and I know I am not the only one. I'm home from college this summer and it's actually easier for me to be healthy when I am up at school compared to being home. At school I have a granola bar as a dessert each night, and one night a week I get frozen yogurt, and another night I get a smoothie. At home, however, my mom buys so much junk food! Normally I can resist, but sometimes I give in when it comes to chocolate.

    For example, night before last she had leftover brownies she had to make for work, so I had two, and last night she had leftover cookie cake from a party, so I had a slice. And then today my friend gave me a Coconut Twix bar.

    How do you resist chocolate cravings? And if you can't, what's a "healthy" option?

    Thanks! :)

    I don't resist. I work them in to my day and have chocolate as my evening snack. I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate... so at least it's healthier. :) I recently did an experiment last week to see what would get me off a 6 week plateau. It was adding chocolate to my day and I lost 2.4 lbs in one week. Don't write off chocolate just yet... but practice portion control!

    Edit to add link to my chocolate experiment: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/bjohs/view/plateau-vs-chocolate-who-won-116497
  • korygilliam
    korygilliam Posts: 594 Member
    I really like the nature valley oats n dark chocolate granola bars. I eat them for either a snack or for breakfast if I am running late. The chocolate tastes really yummy and it is 190 cal/8 g fat/3g dietary fiber/4g protein for the 2 bars in the package. It isn't super healthy, but it is a better option for me.

    Ooh, and skinny cow is good tasting too, for more of a desert chocolate
  • marjen002
    marjen002 Posts: 112
    4 words: No Pudge Fudge Brownies!!! They're fat free and DELICIOUS!!!
  • kristie778
    kristie778 Posts: 51
    Either high quality chocolate, SAVORED, or I also like Vitamuffins and Vitabrownies - they have 100 calories each and are pretty tasty. They're not that easy to find, but luckily more grocery stores are carrying them. You heat them in the microwave or toaster, so they are warm and delicious.

    Whichever, ENJOY it and don't deprive yourself - if you're like me, you'll just binge later! :P
  • clrrrr
    clrrrr Posts: 261 Member
    If you're willing to make the investment, instead of eating the food in your mom's kitchen, you can buy a bar of nice, high-quality dark chocolate and eat one square (i.e. 1/4 of a serving) as your dessert per day. It will satisfy your craving while being lower in calories than baked goods (probably about 50 depending on the brand) and high in antioxidants. Since it's borderline expensive, you hopefully will want to ration it and therefore won't eat more than you intend to. Hope this helps!
  • Mcctin65
    Mcctin65 Posts: 507 Member
    I keep a tin of Godiva Dark Chocolate Pearls.. Love them and I just try to savor each one.
  • nelli20
    nelli20 Posts: 7
    It might seem strange but I snack on cocoa puffs, put a cup in a bowl or get a bag of chocolate morsels and preportion them out.
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
    Dark chocolate almond milk.:drinker:
  • smlamb33
    smlamb33 Posts: 342 Member
    Have your mom buy you some Fiber One Chocolate bars. They are delicious, nutritious and will help with the chocolate craving. Also, try putting the brownies in container that you can't see thru or better yet, ask your mom to do it, so that you're not tempted to eat them. This way, out of sight, out of mind.
  • catie224
    catie224 Posts: 50
    Try SEES lollipops!! They're absolutely amazing. The normal size are around 90 calories, but the minis are only 15 calories a piece. By the time they dissolve, the craving will likely have passed.

    Here's a link:
    http://www.sees.com/prod.cfm/pops_and_candies/Little_Pops
  • ljsmamma07
    ljsmamma07 Posts: 30
    i will actually grab a small handful of mini chocolate chips. sometimes it helps, sometimes i need a few more handfuls. lol. but i just try to stay away from it in general. take you water and go for a walk and tell your mom to hide it or give it to the neighbors while you are gone or something.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    How do you resist chocolate cravings? And if you can't, what's a "healthy" option?

    magnesium citrate, about 800 mg a day. I am a chocoholic, to be sure, but magnesium tames my "MUST HAVE!" into "Meh."
    And it's no wonder. Chocolate is rich in magnesium among other things. So either your body is either after magnesium or sugar. See if taking some magnesium citrate for a few weeks helps at all.
  • enlarsh
    enlarsh Posts: 67
    I LOVE chocolate. I have found that I like Jello Sugar-free Fat Free chocolate pudding: 1/2 cup is less than 100 cal. Also, you can find lots of ice cream bars that are low cal--just keep an eye out for High Fructose Corn syrup in the ingredients b/c that will sabotage your efforts no matter how few calories are in them!
  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
    Isn't the real purpose of losing weight and getting healthy, to gain control of our lives and the food we eat? Given that viewpoint, why can't you eat chocolate... IN MODERATION. Pick your fav treat, measure and weigh it out, log it in your food calorie and eat it slowly. Enjoy every molecule of chocolatey goodness. If you deprive yourself, you'[re going to go on a binge. If you allow yourself measured treats, you won't feel like you're missing anything, and won't go off your daily caloric plan.
  • I LOVE the ideas here!! One more for ya, M%M's pretzel variety are 150 cals for a bag (the size they have at the check-out aisle) and I have found that if you suck on them, don't eat, but let them melt in your mouth, a little bag can last long enough to deal with a craving and be pretty satisfactory. And you get the nice salty crunch in the middle.
  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    this might sound sucky, but the only way I can resist chocolate (and sweets like cookies, cake, etc) is by throwing them away or ruining them in some way. I know it's a waste, but i have literally put soapy water on brownies so there would be NO way I would want to eat them. If I'm in a situation where I'm the only one who really doesn't want to be eating that stuff, I make the other people hide it. I'm living at home until my lease starts in september, and my sister made red velvet brownies. I ate a piece of one, and then made my mom hide them and told her I'd throw them away if i found them (I haven't found them, but I haven't looked).

    I absolutely love chocolate. Sometimes, it's okay to eat a little bit every now and then, but I really just try to avoid it all together. You could ask your mom to hide the stuff after she makes it so you're not tempted?

    Alternatives-
    Chocolate version of 100 calorie packs
    Trader Joe's 100 calorie chocolate bars
    Dark chocolate [covered cherries]
    Emerald Nuts Cocoa Roast Almonds (100 calorie packs)- THESE are delicious and taste like oreos to me! Highly recommend.
    Goldfish Chocolate Grahams (very good as well 50 pieces have 130 calories)
    Chocolate Teddy Grahams (same as goldfish but 25-30 pieces have 130)
    Chocolate fiber one bars
    Chocolate nature valley bars
    Bear Naked Chocolate Granola (REALLY good, forget the serving size (3/4 cup?) , but it's 120 calories)
    Jello Sugar Free DARK chocolate pudding is SO good
    Jello Sugar Free Chocolate and Vanilla swirl pudding
    Jello Mousse Temptations
    Werther's Chocolate Caramels (35 calories a piece)

    lol I have a big list...... i'll stop.


    I go for the chocolate goldfish over the teddy grahams bc i'd rather have 50 than 25-30, but I think it's the same weight, but the teddy grahams are bigger.

    ALSO- i have rationed out a hershey's chocolate bar before. i would eat 2 pieces every day (54ish calories)
  • electromg
    electromg Posts: 70 Member
    I know what you mean about eating healthier at school than at home!! I lost so much weight in college because I got to choose what was in the apartment.

    I would say get a dark chocolate candy bar. It may not be everyone's favorite, but after awhile you will appreciate the pure taste of chocolate. You can eat it slower, and really appreciate it. See if there are smaller bars you can buy for individual cravings, or try to open a package and just eat a third of it. I've also heard the Dove dark chocolate hearts are good. But again, you have to trust yourself!! You can always split a candy bar with a friend too! haha

    Key is, don't deprive yourself. Get the real deal. I also like the sees idea.
  • electromg
    electromg Posts: 70 Member
    ALSO you can tell your friends and family you are reducing your sugar intake. It doesn't have to mean saying you're on a diet, but talk about how you have much more energy throughout the day and feel healthier when you resist sugar.
  • astroub
    astroub Posts: 289 Member
    Those brownies are the best!!!! I could eat the whole pan! Luckily I resist though and the good thing, my family likes them as well!! No pudge all the way!! Also, you can get a chocolate cake mix and substitute all the ingredients for a diet coke..... Still tastes great and very moist! Plus you can get your chocolate fix without all the fat and calories..... Good luck and best wishes! From a definite chocolate lover! :)
  • eating4balance
    eating4balance Posts: 743 Member
    Homemade "Chocolate" Bar
    - 1 banana
    - 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    Peel and slice the banana. Put the banana and cocoa powder in a food processor, blender or mix by hand until completely combined and creamy. Cut 2 pieces of wax paper and spray both with nonstick cooking spray. Place one sheet on a cookie sheet, scoop out the chocolate mixture onto the paper, then place the second piece on top. Using a rolling pin or your fingers, spread out the chocolate until it is just a thin layer. Remove the top piece of wax paper. Freeze until solid and enjoy!
    -140 calories for entire "chocolate" bar

    Chocolate Ice Cream
    - 1/2 frozen banana, peeled and sliced
    - 2 Tbsp skim milk
    - 1/4 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder (optional)
    - 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
    Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill for 10 to 20 minutes or until thicker. (Or just enjoy like a milkshake or frosty)
    - 100 calories for entire recipe

    I hope this helps with your chocolate cravings!
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    I thought I was the only one who would throw them out! I have done that SO many times, too! I feel horrible but it was the only way. I've gotten better though. And thank you for the list!!!
  • bmw4deb
    bmw4deb Posts: 1,324 Member
    I always keep chocolate mini rice cakes, and i buy the mini sixlets
    comes 8 in a little plastic sleeve for 20 cal I love to let them melt in
    my mouth one at a time.
  • BJPCraig
    BJPCraig Posts: 417 Member
    When I get the craving, I put a little of Walden Farms sugar-free, fat-free, zero-calorie chocolate syrup into some soy or almond milk. Only as much calories as the milk I use (60-80).
  • meldaniel
    meldaniel Posts: 111
    try having a sugar free hot cocoa made with skim milk at night. Gives you calcium, protein, and won't hurt your diet! :) I am also a chocoholic, I try to substitute my desserts with FF frozen cool whip and fruit or fruit with peanut butter. Its hard though! Sometimes I would rather just have dessert and skip the meal! haha!
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    Here are some great low cal recipes:
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/dessert-recipes.html

    I have the chocolate chocolate chip biscottis which are very good. They look more like brownies but I still like them.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    I'm a chocoholic. I don't deprive myself of anything that I want and I don't feel guilty for eating things that I like. You have to have control over food and not let food have control over you. When a person let food have control over them, they allow food to make them feel bad.

    There's nothing wrong with eating something that you want. But, you have to have control over the amount you want.

    My advice to everyone that loves chocolate is to buy your favorite chocolate treat and if it comes in mini size buy that, instead of the larger size. If you like brownies, buy a box of Little Debbie brownies or you can always buy a box of brownie mix and bake your own brownies. If it's ice cream. Buy the little cup size. It may come 12 in a pack. Whatever your chocolate favorite is, buy it.

    Okay, this is what you do next. Storage candies in a plastic $1.00 container if you don't already have a container. For the brownies, if you buy the Little Debbie brownies or even off brand brownies, store them in a plastic container as well. If they are the brownies that comes two to a pack, take all the brownies out of their packages and store them in a good size ziplock bag and then put it in the storage. If you have to bake the brownies, bake it and cut it in square pieces and put the pieces in a good size ziplock bag and store it as well. For ice cream cups, you can leave it in the bag or take them out of the bag.

    You be in control of your chocolate. If you want a piece of chocolate candy, go to your container and tell yourself, "I'm only having one candy." Take that one candy and leave from your container. Whatever you chocolate is, do the same thing. Tell yourself, "I'm only having one ????"

    Your body may scream for more, but tell it no and stand firmly on your no. It will be hard at first, but your body will get use to it and get use to only getting one.
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