I have a serious case of craving chocolate. I normally have 2 bars a day atleast !!
I realise this is unhealthy and trying a diet and cutting down . After the second day of my diet I was so hungrryyyyy so had some slimming world pasta . This did not feel like I had eaten at all I just wanted chocolate.
So I did treat myself to a small bar . However later on I'm in bed and rode the craving out for a couple of hours . But I am still craving food . I usually sit with a cup of tea and eat a full packet of biscuits . I have refrained from this and got two rich tea digestives and a slimming world yogurt . This has made my daily calorie intake over 1200 . But honestly just needed to eat I couldn't sleep .
My question is . Should I just slowly cut down or stop the bad habits of biscuits and chocolate , Or go full on cold turkey !
Thankyou X X X
Also I am a female 22 .5,6 and weigh 11.7
Any advice would be greatly appreciated .
Written by
frankishandy
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You have many options, and I would say it all depends on how you feel about each option as to which one you might want to try out:
a) You could look at reducing your intake of biscuits and chocolates - i.e. gradually reducing them down, and perhaps also look at trying alternative snacks. i.e. you enjoy the taste of biscuits, maybe look for some oat cookies and eat fewer of them, or find some very tasty chocolate, but just have a couple of pieces a day. Try other snacks, like a few nuts, some wholemeal toast with peanut butter, an apple or piece of fruit with a few nuts, some plain yoghurt (like Total yoghurt which is very low sugar content and higher in protein than a lot of other yoghurts) with some nuts and seeds or blueberries and strawberries.
b) You could try cutting them out completely, but that could be very challenging if you're used to having a lot each day. But some people find that going 'cold turkey' is the approach that they prefer - but there could be a feeling of withdrawal as a result, which might be hard to tolerate, but which would get better over time.
Either way, it would be wise to look at the types of meals you're having at other times, and try to have a balanced and sustaining meal and/or snack so that you don't feel deprived of any nutrients. Being deprived can make you end up overeating.
The NHS 12 week plan is a good structured approach, and if you want to take a look, you can read about that by clicking on the icon at the top middle of the screen, entitled 'Weight Loss NHS'. I would recommend it as a good source of advice and information.
It's a tricky one and, like Lowcal says, mostly down to personal choice. I've always preferred the cold turkey route because once i have the taste of something in my mouth it doesn't solve the craving it just reminds me that I like it and I end up wanting more of whatever it is. The problem with that is it's probably not a sustainable life-long solution. If you want to be able to eat biscuits ever again then perhaps finding the healthiest kind you can and cutting down how many you have each day/week would more sense because then it becomes a lifestyle choice rather than a restraint as part of a short term diet (the thing the NHS plan seeks to make you avoid)
Also - on the chocolate front, I've started buying chocolate chips and weighing out what i can have in a day and then leaving them in a pot on the side. I can then take a few here and there and my brain thinks I've been eating chocolate all day whereas I've actually only had a few grams. Seems to be working as a strategy so far...
Chocolate makes us release endorphins, and also causes our blood sugar to spike, so our bodies get used to that feeling. You don't feel like you have eaten anything because its a small amount of food and become hungry quickly because its carbs and sugar. It's very calorific for what it is.
Wean yourself off over a week or so. There isn't anything wrong with choc, just don't eat a whole bar at once! I found after a while I no longer crave carbs... But crave veggies!! I do have chocolate once in a while though.
Sugar promotes sugar cravings do the more you eat the more you want to. Try replacing the chocolate with melon or other fruit and drink lots of water. Also try the supplements like 5 http or chromium which are good to curb sugar cravings.
I have the same problem but about a week ago I discovered Graze boxes, they work for me because they are calorie counter and they are very sweet with dried fruit and nuts as well as choc drops, I can nibble in the evening but know exactly how many cals it is. So far it is working very well, I even went out with the family, they had cake and I had Graze flapjacks and didn't feel left out. It is real food but in smaller portions so it helps me with portion control too.
I do have chocolate now and again. I get the Lindt dark chocolat 70% cocoa and have one square as a treat.
Try the 90% cocoa first, this will put you off; then go for the 80% cocoa, still too strong; then go for the 70% which is better. The 90% get you off eating chocolate for sure. It is so strong.
I rarely now have craving for chocolate. I believe dark chocolat is good for you so a little bit now and again can still fit in you daily calories intake and it makes you happy to know you don't have to punish yourself.
I was also in the habit of eating biscuits with every cup of tea I had, and snacking on chocolate bars when out and about. I have now cut down on drinking tea - drinking more water. And my bag always has a low cal/low fat cereal bar and apple for emergencies!
Try looking at the 'change for life' swaps. I've swapped biscuits for wholemeal rice cakes with a SMEAR of nutella just to flavour it. They take ages to eat, so you feel fuller.
Somebody brought chocs into work, I had a couple and they were sickly sweet to me!
I'm filling up on home made veggie soups, so cheap, about 60p for 8 portions. I'm going to the loo more and my tum is flatter, no more bloat.
I've been losing a steady 1/2 to 1lb a week, which I'm happy with.
I agree with lyncos always have something in your bag which you can eat when everyone else is eating cake etc. I have always got satsuma they are 30 cal so ok in your calorie count. If you just cut down on biscuits you will still get the glucose spike which leads to craving. I found mine stopped because I spread the carbs out over the day always leaving a low cal yogurt for the evening. If I feel I need more I have a stick of celery 5 cal and a herbal tea. It has worked so far for me. Hard at weekend as everone was eating peanut butter cheesecake with cream ,my favourite, and drinking wine when we went for meal out. But I did it, and was the driver and today I hadn't gone up!! good luck
Remember, this is not "going on a diet " , it is a re education of how you manage your eating for the rest of your life. I was 11st 13 , and had 2 stone to lose. I have lost it all and kept it off since last April.
Throughout this time I allowed myself a small kitkat or some very dark chocolate with my evening cuppa. About 100 cals.
Learning how to manage longterm weightloss is, I believe, more about Cutting Down , not Cutting Out entirely ... although when you cut down, a degree of Cutting Out develops naturally as your tastes change.... For example I no longer ever fancy sweet drinks or pastries.
Try to think of Healthy Foods for Hunger , and Chocolate for Treats.
Ideally, we'd only ever eat preplanned well balanced meals! But sometimes we just need something NOW !! So if I am starving I make a quick two egg plain omelette, protein really satisfies. Or I make a quick shake from Whey Protein Powder (Chocolate flavour) a satisfying shake for 98cals.
Lots of great suggestions already, but I thought I would mention my strategy. I was a real sugar addict (as well as crisps) and ate a LOT of chocolate, biscuits, cakes every day. I got unwell last summer and it gave me a fright so I decided to cut out sugar entirely. I have had no processed sugar at all since then and the cravings have completely gone! (I must warn you, I was a moody b!tch for the first couple of weeks, lol)
If I want a biscuit nowadays, I have an oatcake or two, sometimes with a light smear of nut butter, but quite often on their own.
If I fancy some chocolate, I have a Nakd Bar (no sugar and delicious) - the cocoa delight flavour is very chocolatey and rich and satisfies that need for a Mars Bar. It is just 140 calories and I allow that at the end of the day.
I also find the Nakd bars great, they are very sweet from the dried fruit, but somehow for me they don't create a further craving like refined sugar would do, maybe because the nuts in them provide more satisfying good fats and protien, or maybe it's a placebo effect but it works so I don't mind either way! Also the 85% dark chocolate is good, a couple of squares melt slowly and satisfy.☀️
Fighting cravings takes energy, I can't live like that. I looked for ways to make me not want fattening foods, and for me this has worked.
As others have said, avoid refined sugar, I get my sugar from fruit. No highly processed food, look for wholemeals, low GI carbs. Don't eat Mars Bars, find the purest % cocoa chocolate you can eat - for me that's 85%, I love it now - and allow two squares to dissolve slowly in your mouth. 60 kcal, and enough chocolate to make you feel happy.
I used the Nakd fruit bars at first but now find them too sweet. Now my always-with-me snack is Weetabix Raisin and Cinnamon Breakfast Bars - they are oaty and very filling, two fingers in a pack, one finger is around 100kcal. If I am craving food, and need two fingers, I eat them - I find that it's far better to eat the extra 100kcal today than continue to fight cravings, then crumble and eat a packet of biscuits and all the difficulties that ensue.
Another snack I use is nuts, seeds and raisins if I am hungry between meals, or want something that's a treat when others are eating cake. They are calorific but they make you feel full for longer, whereas eating a biscuit or small portion of cake doesn't satisfy you and can lead to more cravings.
I ate a daily Activia yoghurt - not the reduced fat ones - when I was starting, and I think that, along with the dietary changes, helped to change my gut bacteria so that the ones that love sugar and make you crave it were phased out. Certainly I very rarely even fancy any of the sweet things I used to eat. Nowadays I have plain probiotic yoghurt and add my own fruit - if I am particularly hungry (or with people who are eating cheesecake or sticky toffee pudding!), I might crumble in half an Oatibix to bulk it up, or sprinkle some muesli on top.
I've lost 2st so far and very rarely feel hungry. In fact, I find it best to eat something if I do feel hungry, rather than to fight it. Mostly now I don't eat between meals, but if I do need something mid-afternoon, I might have half a wholemeal pitta with a smear of humous and some small sticks of celery and carrot. That will keep me going to the next meal time, no problem, and when that mealtime comes, I won't feel ravenous and dish myself up a huge portion
I have found having a cup of cocoa at night really helps with my chocolate cravings. I make it with a teaspoonful of cocoa and skimmed milk and it comes in at 140 calories and a good chocolatey hit. I've tried the various slimming hot chocolate drinks on the market but find them too sweet for me. I now find myself really looking forward to my cocoa (never thought I'd say that!) and also the milk helps me sleep too. I could easily polish off several bars of chocolate and biscuits in a day, but find the only way I can cope is not to have any in the house at all now. Good luck xx
I always get insane chocolate cravings during that 'time of the month' and a while ago found a great article about this.. can't find it now but found something else in case any one else is interested.. One thing I remember is dried dates actually produce the same effect as chocolate. I'm going to make these date balls for valentines day instead of buying a box of lindor balls!!
During your period, you may experience cravings for sugar, chocolate and other refined carbohydrates. Your cravings often result from the extra nutrients your body requires, due to an increase in hormone levels and possibly increased insulin release which can reduce your blood sugar, causing you to crave or require more sugar/carbohydrate sources. Eat healthy fats and cut down on refined carbohydrates and caffeine, which can only make you feel more tired. Sweet cravings can indicate a hormonal imbalance of greater oestrogen than progesterone levels. Vitamin B-6 may also help with premenstrual symptoms, but further study is required.
Food sources
The best food sources of iron, besides red meat, include wheat, pulses, dark green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals, dried fruit, black beans, eggs, blackstrap molasses, dates and pumpkin seeds. To increase your iron absorption, eat an orange or take a vitamin C supplement of approximately 200 to 250 milligrams with your meal. Vitamin B-12 is solely found in meat, eggs and dairy products unless you take a vitamin supplement. Folate is found in many food sources, especially meat, fish, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, legumes and lentils. To alleviate tiredness, avoid tea, alcohol or calcium with your meals, as these inhibit iron absorption.
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