Weight loss advice?

Jodysmith999
Jodysmith999 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm aiming to lose 1 stone but I have real trouble sticking to the diet because I have a real chocolate addiction! Any advice to help me stick to it and stay away from the devils food?

Replies

  • GemmaM_x
    GemmaM_x Posts: 324 Member
    I personally don't shy away from any food I enjoy or want. I exercise more or cut back on calories elsewhere to allow me to fit the treat in.

    I've found depriving myself leads to bingeing on the thing I'm trying to avoid.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Stop bringing it into the house. Stop calling it the Devils Food. Enjoy it in moderation, especially when you are out at a restaurant or can buy it in a single (let's be honest, most are double) portion, and fit it into your daily calorie allowance.
  • Jodysmith999
    Jodysmith999 Posts: 10 Member
    Thanks, the only problem with me is a can't have a little I have to have the whole shops worth
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Jodysmith999 wrote: »
    Thanks, the only problem with me is a can't have a little I have to have the whole shops worth

    So don't buy the whole shops worth. Just stop it.
  • Jodysmith999
    Jodysmith999 Posts: 10 Member
    Think I should just stop eating it all together or just have one binge night?

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,228 Member
    I figure you have 3 options:

    1. Abstinence;
    2. Substitution; or
    3. Moderation.

    In the first, you just cut it out. Don't buy it, don't keep it in the house. Upsides of this method is that some people find it easier not to have a particular food at all and find it easier to avoid when it is "out of sight, out of mind". Downsides - are you going to go the rest of your life not eating something you love? The issue with cutting something out entirely is it doesn't build good long-lasting habits and you risk sliding back into bad habits once you lose the weight and go back to "normal".

    Option 2 means finding something that scratches the itch but is lower calorie/less appealing/requires less to be satisfied/all of the above. Some people find swapping milk chocolate for good quality, high cocoa dark chocolate means they have much less to be satisfied. Others find lower calorie chocolate pudding works, or chocolate milk drinks etc. Again, the downside could be that when you introduce the real stuff back in, you backslide. Not saying it's going to happen, but it's a consideration.

    Option 3 is that you learn to enjoy your favourite treat in moderation. Buy portion sized amounts, fit it in your day, enjoy it and log it. The advantages of this are obvious, and really the only downside is the actual learning of the habit. It can be hard to learn to moderate. But if you don't plan on giving it up for life, it's probably a habit you'll have to learn some time, right?

    Anyway, those are my thoughts.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Jodysmith999 wrote: »
    Think I should just stop eating it all together or just have one binge night?

    No. Stopping entirely will likely make you miserable and allowing a binge night is a pretty slippery slope, IMO. Do as @bbell1985 suggested above. Stop bringing it in the house but allow yourself to have a chocolatey dessert when you go out to eat. Weight loss, and especially maintenance once you hit your goal weight, is all about moderation. So might as well start developing that skill now.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Jodysmith999 wrote: »
    Think I should just stop eating it all together or just have one binge night?

    Honestly, you could stop for awhile. Some people think that doing this automatically demonizes food, but I disagree. Having trouble? Getting rid of the problem food for a period of time doesn't hurt. You're not swearing it off for life. I think you should just start logging your calories and stop making it so difficult.
  • Jodysmith999
    Jodysmith999 Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you! Think I might just have dark chocolate once in a while I don't love it so it might put me off chocolate and it's suppose to be better for you right? Just won't eat tons of it
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Heres how I moderate...

    I don't buy for the house large portions i.e. bag of chips, crackers, cookies etc.
    I buy one single (not a box/bag of single servings) for the house once or twice a week.
    I eat some foods when just eating out.
    Stay satiated eating a carb/protein/fat with every meal.
    Drink at least 48oz water.
    Get 7-8hrs of sleep.


    Try these for a couple of months. If you can't moderate you may have to cut it out all together.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,129 Member
    edited January 2017
    I have a horrendously sweet tooth and in the past would easily put away a whole large bar of galaxy and a couple of small bars at work. Now I get the kids size (18g) bars and keep them in the fridge and have one or two if I feel I need a fix. Most of my morning snacks or post-workout shakes are choc mint/choc orange flavoured protein items. I incorporate these into my calorie count when planning meals and exercise. Trying to cut it out entirely will probably just make you crave it more.

    Meal planning has been my biggest help, I plan a week ahead, write out my shopping list based on that plan and only buy what is on the list. When I write the list out I split it into departments: Veg/ Dairy/ Meat & Fish/ Stock Cupboard/Freezer/ Cleaning (Yeah I am a tad OCD) and this often means I've no need to be in the confectionary aisle. Unless the kids bars are on my list.

    Nakd bars are great for getting a choc taste without the actual chocolate.
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