normal amount of chocolate?

[Horsemad1]

Sorry for keep posting but I feel like I really need this one answering, I haven't really ate chocolate in a year and a half as I feel it's bad, but since I'm trying to push my self I want hat to be my first challenge to eat normal amounts of chocolate. We have tons ( and I mean tubs and tubs) of mini chocolates from Christmas, celebrations, heros, roises, you name it we probably have it! I just want to be able to start with those, so I'm wondering what people would class as a normal amount of those? It doesn't help I know how many calorie are In 1 chocolate so I'm worried I'll go over board and eat way to many! I want to be in control of it. I'm scared of binging.

Thanks..

[SarahLondon]

Maybe try a bar a day (4-5), also try having a couple of days off and then maybe a treat day where you have a couple more. I am exactly the same with cereal (my main binge food) I always have to watch what other people have. Good luck!

[SarahLondon in reply to SarahLondon]

By 4-5 I meant the equivalent of 4 little ones (roses etc)

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I would go along with Sarah's advice. Allow yourself a few (4 I think) at specific times of the day e.g. treat yourself to a chocolate after a meal or as part of your snacks. It may help to choose them at a time you aren't hungry and put them in a special pot or container. When you decide to have one take the chocolate out of the container and put the rest out of easy reach. Then take the next cvhocolate out of your special pot at the time you have predetermined.

Good luck. It sounds that you are making progress on the recovery road.

[Hidden]

HI Horsemad1. Thanks for your post - please don't apologise for it, as your quandary is a really important one. 'Normal eaters' tend to eat between 1-3 portions of treat foods a day, so it is entirely possible and healthy to eat chocolate (and other treat foods), so long as it does not replace other nutritionally important foods (such as starchy carbohydrates, proteins, milk or equivalents, fruit or veg, or healthy fats such as olive oil). I think learning how to eat these foods as part of your everyday diet is a vital part of recovery, so well done for trying.

Chocolate and other treat foods can be eaten as a snack, but if you fear overeating/bingeing on them, you might find it better to keep them at mealtimes, say as a form of dessert.

In terms of portion size of the small chocolates you mentioned, I would say 3-4 is calorifically equivalent to something like a cereal bar (another suitable form of snack). Having them as equivalent to a traditional dessert (i.e. crumble and custard) or a normal sized chocolate bar would take the portion size up to 4-6, which might feel like quite a lot to have in one go, I think. But you have to decide what feels right for you, in terms of how much to have and when. I always advise to start small and develop confidence before moving to larger portions.

I also think that the posts from Anniephys and SarahLondon are bang on track as well.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

[Horsemad1]

Thankyou all so much for your help, I've started adding 2 chocolates ( along with a biscuit) at night with my cuppa at night which so far so good! Right now, I'm craving all different snack foods, I'm on my period and I want to keep in control of what I eat (might be an anorexic thing idk), so as my snacks in the day I'm eating baby carrots,apples, oranges. I'm finding it still so hard as I'm still waiting to see a dietitian etc..