How to stop eating chocolate?

[Neveryours]

Hi everyone, I need a little bit of help and I am wondering if anyone can offer some advice who has cut chocolate out of their life, or at least cut down on it dramatically.

I desperately want to be healthy, and I try to be. I am not overweight, so that’s not my issue, it’s just that I want to stop eating unhealthy food. I am not bothered about any other junk food other than chocolate. I am completely addicted, I feel like I NEED it, I can’t get through a day without it. I know that sounds extreme but it’s just the way it is and I don’t want it to be like that anymore.

I know it’s easy to say just ignore the cravings, but I struggle, they are just too strong. I get cravings for other things too but I can ignore these ones. I had a craving for Chinese takeaway last Friday but told myself nope, just don’t order it, simple as that. And I didn’t. However I just can’t do this with chocolate. If I have a chocolate craving, I can’t concentrate on anything else like I will try to take my mind off it but I just can’t stop thinking about it. It gets to the point where at 10pm I’ll literally get dressed and walk 20 mins to the shop just to get a chocolate bar. And I always hate myself for it afterwards. I start every day thinking right do not eat chocolate today!! It’s not as if I’m an alcoholic or a drug addict, this should be easy! But I cave every single day. I eat a share bar of chocolate daily. Why don’t I have the willpower to stop doing this? What can I do, what can I tell myself?

You know how some people LOVE a cup of tea and they can’t wait to get home from work, get their pjs on and settle down in front of the TV with a nice brew? Or maybe it’s a glass of wine for some people. That’s me with chocolate, I don’t drink alcohol at all, for me that comfort feeling comes from chocolate. I look forward to it, it makes me happy (in the moment).

i know that this is bad for my body and I get moments of panic when I think about how unhealthy I must be. Sorry for sounding so dramatic about this, I know it’s not that deep, it’s just bloody chocolate not heroin! But I’m sick of having a constant battle with myself in my mind over it.

can anyone who managed to kick a sugar addiction help? I know that the answer is probably just to stop eating it and eventually the cravings will go away. But how do I gain this will power?!!

Chocolate isn’t actually unhealthy. High cocoa solids dark chocolate counts as a ‘plant’ in the Tim Spector advice to eat 30 a week, it has various nutrition benefits.

It’s the high fat and sugar of so much confectionary type chocolate that is the problem. Also the UPF aspect , which would put me off various versions of ‘chocolate ‘.

I make a hot drink with just cocoa powder and hot water.

I wouldn't try to go straight to 100%, IME it's an acquired taste.

Actually they've updated their advice, dark chocolate isn't included any more. But my score for the 100% stuff is 75 'enjoy freely'.

I was like this, tried lots of different things but it's the sugar not the chocolate. I bought pip and nut peanut butter cups and weirdly I haven't eaten 'normal' chocolate since I started eating them. I also dropped 10lbs in 6 weeks and I think because I know it's the sugar that makes me feel like crap I've now conditioned myself to not eat it. I spent years and a lot of money of all kinds of things to stop me craving but nothing worked long term. I anticipate I'll fall off the wagon again but until then I'll stick with my peanut cups!

I gave it up nearly 5 years ago. I was eating loads before and I mean loads. Initially I set a goal of not eating it for a month and have just kept extending it!

I now class it as a game; "I wonder how long I can go without chocolate?" and can honestly say I would be devastated if I relapsed.

I do miss it sometimes especially at Christmas but I can resist. I can also buy it for others and have it in the house and not be tempted.

The hardest part is making sure you don't substitute something else for the chocolate hit which is something I still struggle with.

@mrsjg Do you feel like if you ate a bit of chocolate you'd go mad and eat lots? I'm just asking as good quality chocolate isn't bad for you if eaten in moderation and so there is no reason to never have it if you miss it.

IMO it’s more like a coffee addiction. Which I’ve also had and the headaches from quitting were hellish.
I don’t get all the “Well I eat some every day and I’m fine” comments. OK, super, OP is not like you though and is asking for help.
It might be a long process OP, good luck.

I'm exactly the same but I'm overweight. I can't stop eating nutella from the jar. If you're not overweight then maybe a small bar. Have you seen the mini kinder bars? Although if it were me I'd eat 5 so maybe a normal bar once a day instead. Failing that hypnotherapy? I've read that helps.

Im like you OP and following this with interest. I live rurally so cannot walk but I have driven to the petrol station at 11pm to get chocolate!

I have tried several things. Im the type of person who would look at the dessert menu first in a restaurant. I dont eat cheesecakes, doughnuts, mince pies, banoffee etc. Im really fussy but I love chocolate.

One time I watched the Jamie Oliver programme on Sugar and it put me off. I cut out all sugar and lost 7 pounds in a week.

Now what I do is I buy "nice" fruits, so its still sweet but its healthier- pomegranate tubs, melon, cherries, berries. Its costing a lot but I think my health is worth it. Im always worriedthat when I do a blood test its going to be pre diabetic. Thats enough of a scare for me and the dentist. Good luck OP and all of the other chocaholics.

OP I see you drink water but do you also drink diet sodas, I ditched my daily diet fanta in the summer and this did wonders for my sugar cravings?

@thehoot100 If I ate some chocolate now I'd feel as if I'd let myself down/failed somehow. I honestly think a little bit wouldn't be enough. Scrap that I know a little bit wouldn't be enough.

I never ate the good quality stuff either.

However I do enjoy the challenge now, I do want to see how long I can go without it. Maybe it's a control thing - there's not much in life I can control but with this I can.

@mrsjg Well I guess that doesn't sound particularly healthy but I can understand how you feel and if you enjoy the challenge of it and otherwise eat well then I think if you prefer to keep going with not eating it then that's fine, not that it matters what I think of course.

I feel like I need a small treat to look forward to at the end of the day or I'd go mad and eat all the crappy chocolate, biscuits and what not. I can restrain myself because I know I have something nice to snaffle later!

For me what works is tiny steps, because cold turkey is too sad. Eg, start by allowing yourself chocolate every day, but only a normal size bar. Hold off until the end of the day and make sure you have to go out every time and buy it (never, ever have it in the house!) If you have a corner shop you always go to you could ask them not to sell you more than a certain amount.

Once you’ve done that you could make the amount smaller or try alternate days only. Make sure you have something else to replace the craving if you’re finding it really hard to resist (eg mints, fruit).

Phase into better quality chocolates that have more cocoa and less gunk like palm oil.

I keep a stock of Aldi's Moser Roth mint dark chocolate in for when I want a sweet fix. A small bar of it hits the spot whereas Dairy Milk type chocolates will have me reaching for more. I'm finding that I can resist the post-Christmas supplies still loitering around the house because I'm not starting on them and I'm filling the gap with better options that don't have me clearing out the cupboard.

Have a look at the Glucose Goddess for reducing sugar peaks and cravings. There are ways to better manage blood sugars without having to cut out completely.

I have the same issue, but I am overweight and trying to deal with it. I just cannot have it in the house, because if I do then it gets eaten.

I used to be exactly like that and now only ever eat it on Sundays. Tastes so much better this way. Is that Something u could build up to?

A small piece of chocolate every other day is fine - really - just get a good percentage one say 75% - honestly life is too short to deny your little treat!

Might have already been suggested but how about having hot chocolate instead of straight chocolate, that's what try and do. As a way of breaking the slab chocolate habit, then work on the hot choc habit another day

Sorry I haven’t read all of the replies yet but I found making a cacao drink gives a lovely healthy chocolate kick. You can get cacao (not cocoa) powder in H and Barrat and some supermarkets. At first it might taste a little bitter but made with milk it is creamy satisfying and very chocolaty because that is exactly what it is.

How about you make it a rule that for every square of a chocolate bar that you eat from now on (or for every bite, if it's something like a Mars Bar) you must do a mini workout immediately afterwards before you can have the next square or bite?

I'm thinking, for each square you could pledge to do 20 squats, 10 press-ups, 20 jumping jacks (star jumps) and a 30-second plank.

With this method you need not deny yourself chocolate. In fact, you can eat as much of it as you want to, but you MUST stick to the pledge and do the required routine religiously!

Worth a try?

Ha yes I tried doing this with the mini kinder bars but just ended up eating the whole packet

The place where I work has a chocolate wholesalers on another floor (or something like that, I can’t quite remember what it is and why there’s so much chocolate but I’ve heard the word wholesalers a few times so think it’s that) but they only do dark chocolate and white chocolate. I’m only in the office two days a week but they bring it down and give boxes full to people in the office or just leave them out ok the desks. I’m never ever tempted because it isn’t milk chocolate. I can resist everything other than milk chocolate. But I might take a few bars of the dark chocolate and use it to wean myself off the milk stuff. It’s not good quality though so I would eventually have to get that but I don’t think I could suddenly just switch to 100% because I actually hate the taste of dark chocolate. I’m going to have to try and learn to love it

No I literally only drink water and nothing else. No juice, no tea or coffee etc

I have the same issue and I figure that as it's my only unhealthy treat then it's OK (in moderation)
A share bar isn't really that much these days with everything shrinking! I sometimes have a hot chocolate instead but most of the time ill have both 😆
Sorry but I'm not much help lol 😅