Should I eat chocolate if it takes up 340 of my calories?

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  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    noorandjenna1 wrote: »
    I will usually eat half a chocolate bar that is 160-170 calories and then eat the other half.
    Should I just eat only half of it?

    It depends on what your total calorie allowance is per day. 340 out of 1300 is a lot different to 340 out of 2200.

    If you're eating about 1300-1500 calories per day and of that 340 is a chocolate bar, it's going to crowd out other foods you need, making it very hard to eat a healthy diet. By "healthy" I don't mean a diet that's adequate to keep you alive and functioning, but the kind of diet that medical professionals agree people should be eating for good health and long life.

    If you're eating it only occasionally, or if you're eating a lot more calories the answer might be different though.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2017
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    dfwesq wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    noorandjenna1 wrote: »
    I will usually eat half a chocolate bar that is 160-170 calories and then eat the other half.
    Should I just eat only half of it?

    It depends on what your total calorie allowance is per day. 340 out of 1300 is a lot different to 340 out of 2200.

    If you're eating about 1300-1500 calories per day and of that 340 is a chocolate bar, it's going to crowd out other foods you need, making it very hard to eat a healthy diet. By "healthy" I don't mean a diet that's adequate to keep you alive and functioning, but the kind of diet that medical professionals agree people should be eating for good health and long life.

    If you're eating it only occasionally, or if you're eating a lot more calories the answer might be different though.

    Isn't that what TonyB0588 was saying?

    (If you understood that and intended to be agreeing, never mind, but the way it was juxtaposed it kind of seemed as if you thought you were disagreeing.)
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    Just to put it in perspective, here's what someone with low calorie needs might be eating, who's eating the kind of diet the USDA recommends:
    300 calories - 5 fruit and veg (assuming mostly non-starchy vegetables)
    300 calories - 3 ounces whole grains
    250 calories - 5 ounces lean protein
    300 calories - 3 servings of nonfat or lowfat dairy or alternatives
    100 calories - healthy fats
    Total 1250 calories

    If you eat beans, nuts, or seeds, the calories would be higher. And that's a very disciplined and limited eating plan that you'd really have to work at. On a 1300-1500 calorie diet there's still room for extra servings and some treats, but not for a daily 340 calorie chocolate bar. (I don't know what OP's calorie goals are - just posting it for anyone reading who is trying to lose weight and be healthy.)
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Luckily, a lot of chocolate bars are 'only' 210-240 calories rather than 340. (And the SO gets the other half if I only did a short run).
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I reserve space in the budget for a square or two of high quality chocolate. Sometimes you just need the whole bar. You do you though.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    You could try getting your fix by making a fruit smoothie using unsweetened cocoa powder, which has very little calories, but lots of good stuff in like iron, plus you have the fruit and protein if you thin it with milk. Win-win!
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    noorandjenna1 wrote: »
    I also save room for a pint of halo top.
    All this on 1300 calories

    I personally would not eat half my daily calories in ice cream and chocolate. I don't even eat ice cream nor chocolate daily. I'm not sure how you can get enough nutrients in to sustain this if you are eating this daily. I would burn out fast.

    You might be able to get enough nutrients in 1000 calories and have one or the other, but that would depend on your activity etc. but I personally wouldn't risk it daily. Perhaps a couple times a week.

    I want to come out of this weight loss on the healthy side:).
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    edited April 2017
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    As long as it fits in your calorie goals, and you want it, yes, you should eat it as long as (other posters have suggested the same) it isn't shorting you on calories for the rest of the day so much that you end up hungry. I buy huge dark chocolate bars at the store (Hershey's Special Dark) and I eat 3 blocks at a time (somewhere around 170 calories) by chopping it up and topping high fiber no sugar added icecream with it. Yum. I do it because 1) I am a chocolate lover, and 2) I needed the extra fiber anyway for the no sugar added blue bunny ice cream, and because 3) it's really really yummy.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited April 2017
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    If you want some chocolate and you have up to 340 calories left in your calorie bank, assuming the rest of your diet is pretty nutritious, I'd say go for it!
  • alltimeburrit0
    alltimeburrit0 Posts: 41 Member
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    What I've been doing recently is; I have these 'healthier' protein, meal replacement type chocolate bars, and although they taste really powdery and so bad they satisfy my need for chocolate as they in a way put me off wanting chocolate ? Usually 20 cals most as I only have like 1/8 of the bar
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    alltimeburrit0 wrote: »
    What I've been doing recently is; I have these 'healthier' protein, meal replacement type chocolate bars, and although they taste really powdery and so bad they satisfy my need for chocolate as they in a way put me off wanting chocolate ? Usually 20 cals most as I only have like 1/8 of the bar

    Try Fit Crunch by Robert Irvine. Better than most candy bars.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    noorandjenna1 wrote: »
    I will usually eat half a chocolate bar that is 160-170 calories and then eat the other half.
    Should I just eat only half of it?

    Does it put you in a surplus?

    Does it come at the expense of protein and fiber?
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    edited April 2017
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    I had a slice of Costco pizza last night, way more that your chocolate.

    Log it and deal with the consequences. I find tracking my calories greatly reduces the urge to make high calorie splurges a frequent thing. I still do them, but it's fortnightly rather than weekly or every other day.
  • DasItMan91
    DasItMan91 Posts: 5,753 Member
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    If you're really that worried about it, just eat a little bit of it.
  • kmcadam78
    kmcadam78 Posts: 21 Member
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    I find that when I have anything sweet it triggers my sweet cravings and that the best thing is to wean myself off processed sugar completely. I know that sounds extreme but once I've done cold turkey I feel so much better, have no more cravings and have all those calories to eat during the day. I do have to admit cold turkey isn't always easy. I had headaches and nausea but it passed. Sugar really is a drug and a poison and the fact that people have withdrawl symptoms proves it
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited April 2017
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    kmcadam78 wrote: »
    I find that when I have anything sweet it triggers my sweet cravings and that the best thing is to wean myself off processed sugar completely. I know that sounds extreme but once I've done cold turkey I feel so much better, have no more cravings and have all those calories to eat during the day. I do have to admit cold turkey isn't always easy. I had headaches and nausea but it passed. Sugar really is a drug and a poison and the fact that people have withdrawl symptoms proves it
    No. Please post reputable scientific proof to back this up. Thanks.

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