I want to lose weight from round my middle and generally tone up. I've been doing couch to 5k for a few months and am now on week 8 (I had to repeat some weeks as I was very unfit!!) and yesterday I did day 1 of the 30 day shred.
I have cut out fizzy drinks, cake and crisps completely. I'm not giving up chocolate (because I enjoy it too much), but want to cut down on the amount I eat and not feel like I have to eat it everyday.
I start off each day super motivated and keen to eat healthily. So I manage a healthy breakfast and lunch, but in between lunch and dinner, usually between 3 and 5, when i start to get sleepy at my desk or am beginning my commute home, I get really bad cravings for chocolate, and most of the time I give in.
I've tried not keeping any at my desk, but often find myself nipping out to get some.
What can I do to keep my chocolate cravings in check?
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Nemi
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Try a hot chocolate instead, keeps your hands busy for longer and still tastes great!
Or, you could try keeping some other snacks with you so you don't have to get up to go to and get chocolate.
I tend to turn to food if its quiet at work, but I now take with me all the food I need, so generally my snack late afternoon is a banana. Bananas are a good source of energy and make you feel full, and are a great boost at the end of the day.
Try low cal. hot chocolate or breakfast bars, some have chocolate in them. I eat chocolate pretzels, I weigh out 25g and put the rest away. You need discipline to lose weight, if you eat chocolate every day only eat small amounts. I love chocolate and we have lots in the fridge, I try to resist, mostly I can. Hope you get good results soon.
My sister used to crave chocolate the way you describe. Her solution is to place one top quality chocolate on her pillow and she knows all day it is there waiting for her. She can really savour that - assuming she has been 'good' all day. It works for her. Really good chocolate with high cocoa solid content is low GI and therefore acceptable in small quantities. (even I can have that as a diabetic - but not huge amounts!)
Try raisins, they help me curb my chocolate cravings. Having said that my daily treat at the moment is a tunnocks tea cake I usually have milk chocolate but find a small piece of dark chocolate although bitter, does the trick too!
Dates are natures candy - you will see on the American sites. They work for some people.
Also do try the high cocoa solid chocolates. They (though generally being more expensive) have lower fat and sugar quantities but high amount of the chemical goodies that give you the buzz.
Hi Nemi,
Well, I've managed to pretty much kick the chocolate habit - which considering the amount I used to eat is pretty incredible really.
One trick - that may or may not work for you - is to up your vitamin B intake with things like Marmite, perhaps on crispbread with some low fat cheese. There are other good sources of vit B, so if you just hate that idea ....
Bascially, some people's "craving" for chocolate is actually them seeking B vitamins.
Or try having your chocolate in a different way. I went for soft fruit (raspberries, blueberries or whatever) with fat-free yoghurt and just a smidgen of chocolate grated over it.. You rather notice the chocolatey taste doing that and a small bar of chocolate will last for ages.
Now, six months along the journey, I've just kind of lost my taste for it.
Stir low fat drinking chocolate into a small pot of porridge works for me, good luck I think chocolate is the hardest habit to kick because lets face it, its delicious
I second Beek on a very good quality chocolate you would slowly eat as a treat. Since I've been paying more attention to the quality of the food I buy (hardly no processed ones anymore) and changed the way I eat (no TV, concentrating on the smell, texture and taste of my food and eating slowly). All of these made me love what I put into my mouth so I eat less AND I never feel frustrated because I didn't cut on what I love the most - chocolate! Lol.
Hey there....we all know about that time in the afternoon when that chocolate-craving hits! Mainly I think that it helps to eat food that releases energy slowly throughout the day, eg porridge-oats in the morning with a boiled egg on the side - just an example. But there are other things you can also do...I have the last couple of months started taking a protein shake in the afternoon - it keeps me going and satisfied until dinner :). Of course, you can have a little bit of chocolate once in a while - but I have too many times used it to get out of that slump and to wake up - and that is not really that healthy - you dip down again, and then you need more! My shakes taste great, and for the first time in a long time my body feels balanced and happy! (Im actually getting them for free). I can point you in the right direction if you want to read up on them. This has really worked for me! Also make sure you get enough water (filtered if you can). Good luck!
Hi cadburys hilight hot chocolate sachets taste lovely and only 40 calories a sachet. Also how bout breaking a chocolate bar in say half and freezing it. I haven't tried this yet but I will very soon. That way it will last much longer. Just suck away lol. Also you could try a high protein lowfat chocolate bar from holland and barrat as proteijn is very filling. Good luck
I found in the beginning that having a small dairy milk in my handbag worked, I knew it was there, I knew I could eat it if I wanted to, but I eventually CHOSE not to.
Now I bring a huge tub of fruit, strawberries, mango, raspberries, blueberries, any fruit and every fruit really. And during that energy dip I snack on those, no its not the same but I now find I am turning down chocolate when offered to me.
Failing that - go for something like Maltesers or the smaller treat size bars and limit yourself to one, take it with you from home rather than go to the shop to buy it, that way you aren't tempted to buy other things at the same time.
Yoghurt, especially Muller Light, they have so many varieties and the Turkish Delight one really IS like eating a Frys Turkish Delight bar!!
Have a support network... crazy as it sounds but a colleague who you ring/email/go and see when you get that craving, the craving will pass because you are doing something else and not thinking I really want chocolate. Or text/call a family member (that's my SOS line)
Its not easy - but with a little faith in yourself you CAN do it.
I buy one bar of 85% cocoa solids chocolate and keep in my desk at work. I eat one square of it after lunch each day with green tea. It's quite bitter so difficult to eat in large quantities but since cutting out sugar from my diet i find normal chocolate too sweet.
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I usually have milk chocolate but find a small piece of dark chocolate although bitter, does the trick too!
Why do I eat it!!!!
Thoughtful eating
How to stop cravings and succeed in your weight loss plan
Not eating enough... unless it's sugar
