Would this be an improvement on eating chocolate? Or would it be worse?

[Chocccg]

I eat so much chocolate and I know it’s so unhealthy. Aside from that I do eat generally well and I’m not overweight. But I know I eat too much sugar as I can easily eat say three Mars bars in one night or two packs of biscuits etc.

I’ve tried cutting it back and not buying it as often but find it incredibly hard. I wondered if I put a bit of sugar on fruit would that be a start to improve or is that actually more sugar than what’s in a bar of chocolate?!

A quick Google says a standard 51g Mars bar contains approximately 31g of sugar, which is roughly equivalent to 7.5 teaspoons.

You need to cut carbs and sugar, go full fat foods such as yoghurt as low fat are full of extra hidden sugar, wean yourself off cod turkey in 5 days and then if you need a sweet fix have a couple of square of dark chocolate (70%). No cakes, biscuits, crisps, sweets etc. and low carbs on your meals (carbs convert to sugars)

The craving will stop and you'll feel so much better and lose weight. Your sleep should improve too.

I followed a diet plan from the NHS for prediabetes and previously could eat and carve the huge family bars of chocolate every night.

What about Apple slices and strawberries dipped in dark chocolate?

Dates are nice. You can add peanut butter for an energy boost.

You're not going to get the same hit you're craving from fruit, even with sugar on it. Start with eating good chocolate, and wean yourself off the hyper sugary fatty chocolate bars, then reduce the choc and just eat fruit with no sugar.

I have to stop eating any after 2 pm 🤪

I swear it’s my antidepressant/ stimulant all in one

@Chocccg But how much sugar is in a bar of chocolate versus a spoonful on fruit?
Depends on the bar of chocolate an the size of the spoon.

three Mars bars in one night or two packs of biscuits
What size are the Mars bar and packs of biscuits?

Have a glass of dry white wine instead. That should kill the sugar craving.

I have chocolate every day but I cut it down by buying those Cadbury little bars, I have one a day or fun size chocolate and I have 2 a day. I don’t care about the sugar 😁

What’s the rest of your diet like? Are you eating enough at mealtimes to satisfy you or are you picking at snacks all day? Is the unhealthy snacking always in the evening? If you’re regularly eating 3 Mars Bars or 2 packets of biscuits in one go and aren’t overweight, I’d wager that you’re not eating enough at mealtimes and quite probably not getting enough nutrients since a lot of your intake is ‘empty’ calories.

A level tsp of sugar is around 5g sugar.
A little bar of cadburys or freddo is 11g sugar.

Im trying to choose different swaps. I’ve stopped craving chocolate now when it was a staple in my everyday. And like a pp when I have it I eat it slowly.

Also did the sugar on fruit. A tsp. My thinking was that it’s better sugar in the fruit plus im
getting nutrients. Then gradually reduced to not nothing. Dark chocolate didn’t work for me.

Also add protein to your sugar. Fri k a glass if milk with your chocolate. Or add nuts. Apparently it lowers the sugar spike.

What is it about the chocolate that you enjoy? The taste, that’s it’s a treat, the texture?

Try getting a milk frother and add cocoa powder - this makes gorgeous hot chocolate and honestly requires NO sugar but you could add a small amount and this could be much less than I commercial chocolate.

Also you can do hot chocolate porridge with oats in the same way. Put raspberries on the top makes a proper treat.

Mash double cream with raspberries and chocolate powder in to a paste - intense and no sugar needed.

Dark chocolate with peanut butter works for me
or Apple with peanut butter
ok it’s not perfect but also - Greek yoghurt, lemon curd, raspberries and a crushed up meringue really hits the sweet spot and you can have a decent bowl full

Bar of plain chocolate is 55% fat and good fraction of those are saturated. Yes they have lot of sugar, but also unhealthy because of sat fat.

If you cut it out completely it won't last. Your denying yourself something, and we humans don't do well on being denied even if we are the one doing it.

I changed chocolate into supermarket own brand double chocolate icream. I have 2 scoops a day which is approx 130 cals, and I find satisfying. The chocolate density is different in ice-cream than chocolate and far more satisfying.

It's worked for me on my weight loss journey

Think of chocolate as fat and sugar, you don't need it, you can give it up for a week and see how you feel. If you want to know the calories of fruit Vs chocolate you can Google that easily. Personally I struggle to eat a little bit, I feel better when I cut all that out. Especially chocolate.

I saw a fitness person on Facebook recently say have a bit of chocolate but add it to something that's nutritious and filling so you don't snack on it so much. The example he gave was a bit of chocolate with a bowl of yoghurt and honey

Can you buy the 70% chocolate instead?

I am going to vote that you need to eat more meals. You probably aren't eating enough real food during the day and that is why you're craving sugar in the evenings. Fruit and sugar is better than chocolate but none of them are enough food. Have bigger portions of fruit/veg/protein during the day. I'm also having instant noodles/toast when I'm hungry as it's a slower form of energy and therefore better for you than sugar.

I'd actually recommend tracking your calories for a couple of days - you are probably getting very hungry hence the loss of control and the craving for sugar. I've been in the loop before so I know the feeling; was eating half a packet of cake bars and still feeling hungry despite all the calories.

But honestly, do you need sugar on fruit? My 96 year old Aunt still cuts strawberries up & sprinkles (well somewhere between sprinkles & pours🤣🤣) sugar on them and leaves them to absorb the sugar. They are Devine, but a couple of times a year at the most..

I thought that kind of thing was dying out with her generation. I can't believe someone as young as you is putting sugar on fruit

i guess at least with the fruit you are getting some vitamins..

It's not the sugar in the chocolate you are addicted to, it's the chocolate itself.

Chocolate contains theobromine - a stimulant which improves mood and has a 'feel good' effect. That is what you are craving. It also has caffeine in it.

Mars Bar Ingredients -

Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Skimmed Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Sunflower Oil, Milk Fat, Lactose and Protein from Whey (from Milk), Whey Powder (from Milk), Palm Fat, Fat Reduced Cocoa, Barley Malt Extract, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Salt, Egg White Powder, Milk Protein, Natural Vanilla Extract, Milk Chocolate contains Milk Solids 14% minimum, Milk Chocolate contains Vegetable Fats in addition to Cocoa butter

There's hardly any actual chocolate in it. It's all just heavily processed shit.

I'm also in good shape but was eating so much chocolate in the lead up to and over Christmas. Didn't help I had a baby and was using naps as treat myself time. What helped me:

• cutting it out for Lent
• making it so I can only eat it with other people (embarrass myself if I overdid it)
• really concrete rules so "no naked sugar" ie I can't have chocolate on its own, it would need to be with nuts or something, after a meal; one time a day including honey in herbal tea so pick what it's going to be; one weekly treat ie nice hot chocolate from a cafe on one specific routined day and no hot chocolate at any other time

I did notice after a while cutting it out, I didn't want it as much. I've not tried it but I've seen books like "I Quit Sugar", could be helpful.

Can you not just have the fruit?
I used to eat a lot of chocolate, I was a total addict. I cut all refined sugar out last year, but I still eat tons of fruit. Every night, when I would have had chocolate, I have a bowl of grapes in full fat Greek yogurt- sometimes with pumpkin or sunflower seeds too. The grapes give me the sweetness and the Greek yogurt gives me the creamy taste. Now I’m addicted to that! But it’s got to be better for me than a bar of choc!

My username says it all! I would need chocolate or cocoa based desserts all day long.

The only thing that helped me was the Paul Mckenna Quit Sugar book and audio. But after 5-6 weeks I forget to keep listening to the audio and slip back into my bad habits. And then the pattern repeats. Eating fruit made no difference to me (in that it didn't help with the chocolate cravings but I eat a few portions of fruit daily anyway for fibre and digestion)

Good luck xx