Chocolate addiction

fatcatdogbog
fatcatdogbog Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am just desperate for some help on this. I can stick to my eating plan with literally no problem until about 8:00 at night. And at that point it is like some impulse takes over that I dont have any other time of the day and I crave and I mean crave chocolate and sweets. I sabotage all my efforts during the day. I dont know if its emotional eating or just a habit but I do know it's some kind of high that I get from the chocolate. And nothing else can give me that same feeling. Has anybody found anything that replaces the taste of chocolate? Thats probably a dumb question. But its almost like a drinking binge. I wake up with guilt and shame the next morning but start it all over again the next night,. And then I punish myself with 2 hours on the stairclimber. I just feel like its such a lack of discipline and control and its so impulsive. I wake up everyday determined that I wont do this again. Its almost like I can feel it feeding the dopamine in my brain. I would love any thoughts.

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,943 Member
    Hmm.. are you eating too little during the day? How many calories do you eat? That you feel the need to punish yourself for eating too much does sound like you have a very unhealthy relationship with food, btw.

    So consider eating more
    Leave some 200 calories each day for a dessert or snack and enjoy it some time after dinner
    If it's really chocolate have you tried posh artisan chocolate? Then there's also a financial reason to not buy too many. Eat one or two slowly and enjoy them.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    I would maybe not keep it at home. I don't mean eliminate it from your diet, but possibly buy just a single serving at a time while out (maybe as a reward post- run/walk/etc..which makes it all the tastier). (Note: this is only my advice if you are doing something like polishing off an entire bag of it in one go - if you are capable of stopping after a reasonable portion, then all's good...it sounds worth it to you, so just plan ahead to fit those calories in).
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    If you can develop a taste for dark chocolate--at least 72%, that can help you eat less. It's still fantastic, but not as sweet. I agree that you should try prepackaging your portion and enjoy it everyday. As long as it fits in your calories, it's all good. Don't start with guilt and shame, it's a recipe for disaster. Remember that you may have to try different things to find what works for you. This is all normal, and you are not strange. You just have to learn how to control how much you eat. It'll come.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Practice moderation. Notice I said practice. Nobody's going to be perfect all the time. It's not just perfect people who lose weight.

    Try different strategies and find one you can stick to long term. Moderation isn't something that automatically comes easy when you get to goal. I save my "treat" calories for the end of the day. For me, I found that single serve packs are helpful.
  • fatcatdogbog
    fatcatdogbog Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you so much you guys!! This was super helpful.
  • allycs85
    allycs85 Posts: 40 Member
    Why don't you buy some lower calorie small chocolate bars, like Cadburys fudge or little delights. Cut them in to thin/small pieces and pop them into the freezer. You make a bar last you all day. As others have said though no reason why you can't make chocolate fit into your day. If you really are struggling maybe try a low cal hot chocolate drink such as options in the evening
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    fatcatdogbog wrote: »
    I am just desperate for some help on this. I can stick to my eating plan with literally no problem until about 8:00 at night. And at that point it is like some impulse takes over that I dont have any other time of the day and I crave and I mean crave chocolate and sweets. I sabotage all my efforts during the day. I dont know if its emotional eating or just a habit but I do know it's some kind of high that I get from the chocolate. And nothing else can give me that same feeling. Has anybody found anything that replaces the taste of chocolate? Thats probably a dumb question. But its almost like a drinking binge. I wake up with guilt and shame the next morning but start it all over again the next night,. And then I punish myself with 2 hours on the stairclimber. I just feel like its such a lack of discipline and control and its so impulsive. I wake up everyday determined that I wont do this again. Its almost like I can feel it feeding the dopamine in my brain. I would love any thoughts.

    Your not "addicted" to chocolate. You have a "craving" for chocolate. Here is a lecture on where cravings come from. Might be a little analytical, but I liked it.
    https://youtu.be/RPc-zI9Yx3g
  • OmarVinden
    OmarVinden Posts: 6 Member
    I would recommend to stop eating chocolate entirely since you're abnormally stressed out and stuck in a cycle of overeating and overcompensating. Giving in to unhealthy cravings will only make them come back stronger. It isn't something you can control just by wishing it away. It's a maladaptive pattern that is reinforced every time it's repeated.

    The way I see it, you don't treat a drug or alcohol addiction by using regularly. The same holds for many addictions. Most people won't take this one as seriously just because food isn't dangerous. But an addiction is an addiction and should be treated as such.
  • pinkgurl456
    pinkgurl456 Posts: 64 Member
    Maybe try making your morning breakfast sweeter with a healthy ingredient like cacao nibs to get the chocolate taste , hazelnut smoothies are good too. I also believe there are healthy chocolate blackbean muffin recipes out there. Make it a routine, so your body stops the habit of wanting it at night and can look forward to waking up to have your healthy breakfast. Also maybe try delaying dinner so it’s later , perhaps your body is just simply hungry later at night, another thing to do is try a chocolate dessert flavored tea or maybe chocolate milk. There are also protein bars that have that chocolate like taste too.
  • B3sha
    B3sha Posts: 15 Member
    gallicinvasion wrote: »
    I am a HUGE proponent of Pre-portioning. Immediately when I get back from the grocery store, any snacky foods that are easy to overeat get portioned out. I get out a box of ziploc bags and a food scale, and create small portions that will fit into my day (whether it’s 100-cal packs, 200 cal packs, etc). The portions go in a snack bowl of Tupperware, out of sight. Then, each morning I log one or two of those snacks into my food diary, and I can build the rest of my day of food knowing that I will have room for awesome treats at the end of the day.

    This is such a great idea! I do great all day but at night I turn into a Hoover and gobble up all the treats. I try not to bring many into the house but I also don’t want to deprive myself. Next time I will do the portions! Thanks!
  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 443 Member
    i have tried so many different way to 'get over' chocolate. I've gone an entire month without it. I've done three months without it! I've tried having one chocolate day a week (where I can pick anything I feel like!) I have tried buying two small chocolate bars just for the weekends. I've tried zero chocolate bars, but choco desserts at the weekend are ok. I've tried every variation of limitation in between. None of them worked. Recently I found freddo chocolate bars are 100 cals. I buy a six pack so I can have one nearly every day of the week providing I've had two bits of fruit first- I've been doing this for a month now. It seems to be working. (Apart from the week I was hormonal and ate three of them in one go ha!) I have recently started snapping them in half so I can get a little fix in the day. I'm sure I'll eventually fail and need another plan but it seems that I need to make sure that I don't have too many sweet things to feed the sugar monster - the more I have the more I want:smile:
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Lots of great ideas already! I second the idea to preplanned for a sweet treat at night - all or nothing doesn’t work for me. I bought some mini snickers bars (80cal each) and have them in the freezer - they last longer when frozen :D and peanut M&Ms are a weak spot as well. They are roughly 10cal each so I keep track of them that way.
  • B3sha
    B3sha Posts: 15 Member
    Another great idea! I know people who don’t like sweets(chocolate) at all and I just don’t get them 🤣

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