Fruit not chocolate

[frankishandy]

Hi everyone 

Day three of my diet ! 

I normally eat a lot of chocolate and this evening been craving so I am eating a couple of pairs instead . 

Some Poole say fruit is bad for you though ? 

Shouk I just try and not have anything ? 

[Determinedchick22]

Fruit is good well done for making the healthy swap I know how hard it is to give up chocolate I'm on day two!

[MW50]

Whole fruit is good, it is fruit juice that is getting a bad press as the concentrated natural sugars are digested differently when seperated from the fibre found in whole fruit.

[ScarletMissCharlotte]

You need to eat, depriving yourself is not going to get you anywhere. 

I personally don't like fruit and don't eat it but it's each to their own. It's all about balance and there is no reason you can't have chocolate! You just can't live on it.

Write yourself a meal plan and go shopping. Get rid of biscuits and temptation and you will be well on your way in no time

My daily treat at the moment is a Magnum Double Choc ice cream when I get home from work and I maintain a weightloss. 

Goof Luck

[suepowell1]

I also love chocolate and can't stop once I've started! Yesterday had overwhelming craving for something sweet and ate 1/2 pack frozen raspberries - bit like sweets, absolutely delicious, low calorie, and got rid of craving. 

[miopus in reply to suepowell1]

What a brilliant alternative - must try this !!

[Seuzan]

Yes, I think the trick is to get rid of the craving. I would either just have one or two small squares of chocolate (if I know it is to satisfy the desire for something sweet rather than to satisfy proper hunger) or satisfy the urge for something sweet with a low cal jelly or a banana. I tried making the bran cake recipe that was on this site the other day, it is really delicious and is only 100 cals per slice. That seems to be working well for me at the moment as the bran gives you a 'full' feeling. Very tasty!

[mello33 3lbs]

I've been having options hot chocolate in the evening. Its low calorie and especially nice on a cold evening.

[Redx1995 in reply to mello33]

I did the same the other night whilst having a leisurely soak in the bath with a good book. Great way to unwind, ready for bed

[Venusflytrap]

Anything that gets you through, really.  The pears sound great.  

I would suggest you vary your fruit.  I used to eat a great deal of fruit when I first started losing weight as it was my go to snack at every point.  I just tried to make sure that I didn't binge on one type.  So it was 1 banana, 1 apple, 1 or 2 oranges, if they were the little ones, and so on.  I also ate fruit canned in juice drained and frozen.  They make great standbys.  It does feel luxurious and a treat to have some nice blueberries on your porridge or raspberries in your yogurt.   

It is worth sticking to portions, around 80g for most fruits.  I don't mean cut the end off a large banana, but try to learn what a weighed portion looks like.  5 stone later, I am now deliberately having no more than 40g per days of berries, as I am trying to reduce the fruit in my diet to get back down to my goal.  It is interesting that as I lost the weight, my fruit eating did reduce without me thinking about it.  I just found myself eating less.  

If you are going to have to have some chocolate, and it will happen at some point, decide what your absolute perfect chocolate treat would be and maybe where you would get it from, if you can't trust yourself to keep it in the house.  If you can make it a single small wrapped portion, so much the better.  I am really proud of the fact that in the pudding bag at the absolute bottom of the chest freezer, very well wrapped and labelled, is one portion of my 2014 Christmas Cake and another of Christmas pudding.  And I can have it any time I want to get it out.  Late at night, when I think of it, the thought of having to empty the whole freezer to get at them, keeps me in check.  And I can have potato crisps any time I want too.  I just have to go down to one of the 24 hour shops, buy the potatoes, put the oven on get the mandolin out and make them.  None since before Christmas 2015.  But if I told myself I couldn't have them, I would be down the garage or the corner shop so fast.  By telling myself I can have them, but making it difficult, I have just built in enough wait time to save myself most days.  

[greeny4 in reply to Venusflytrap]

Amazing success..well done you

[miopus in reply to Venusflytrap]

Clever !!!

[holiday100]

Hi chocolate is an addiction you can't have a small amount less you will always have the craving think of something else sweet to eat it dosent always have to be fruit. Good luck it gets easier.

[susiepet]

I think the idea of a wait time is really good venusflytrap!

I live miles from a shop - bar the local post office - and tell myself that if I want a glass of wine or chocolate I can go get it if I can be bothered to drive 7 miles....needless to say I don't often go because I'm too lazy!

[Venusflytrap in reply to susiepet]

Me too.  Who knew our laziness would give us a helping hand with losing weight?

[Cockneyblue 2lbs Restart Jan 2024]

Meringue nests are good, only around 41 calories, I know a lot of sugar but very satisfying. 

[pamelamarie]

As I am so greedy I have cut chocolate out altogether as one piece is not enough once I start.   When I am craving something sweet I have a rice cake with jam or marmalade on - they are quite filling.   My health trainer has said it is a mistake to let yourself get hungry so I have also started eating sunflower seeds as a snack - they are quite high in calories but are good for you.   WHY DID YOU HAVE TWO PEARS AND NOT ONE?   I BET YOU WERE SICK OF EATING THEM HALFWAY THROUGH THE SECOND.   I also swear by having breakfast cerial first thing in the morning-I take it to work and have it there as I was never a breakfast person.   I sometimes even have it for lunch with a couple of dried apricots and seeds on it.   Good luck x

[DartmoorDumpling Restart Feb 2024]

A small bag of dried pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries used to keep me from eating chocolate at work.  Evenings, I rely on cup-a-soup or hot chocolate, hartleys 10cal jellies or a banana if I get nibbly.  I have also made low-fat, low sugar chocolate cake to keep in the fridge at 115cals a slice - sometimes, you just got to have cake!

[Hidden]

A hot drink, without sugar of course can help stave off hunger and cravings.  Even a glass of water helps.  If you can't do without chocolate, you could try very small quantities of the highest quality chocolate.  The taste is so intense that you won't need much and it's so expensive that you won't want to buy it too often.  It tastes even better if you reserve it as an occasional treat. 

Beware of over-indulging in fruit.  The natural sugars in them can be a bad thing if you eat too much.  How much is too much? That varies from person to person.

[Redx1995]

Some one told me to clean my teeth! The thought being that once you'd cleaned your teeth you wouldn't be bothered about eating due to the minty taste and you teeth feeling lovely and clean.

It does work to a degree, but there are times when chocolate is a must....

[kathyl2]

I find that what ever it is, if it isn't in the house then you cannot eat it