Chocolate Withdrawal

[MissyNatalie]

I eat (ate?) waaaay too much chocolate, a big bar every day at least :( I feel lost if I don't eat one. I feel so bland in my tummy and mouth!
Yet I do eat a home cooked meal with veg every day, fresh fruit for breakfast and a healthy salad lunch!
So, I've cut out chocolate 100% now and its been 3 days but I am really struggling. I'm lightheaded, headachey a bit, faint, dizzy (!) I keep snapping at my partner, have fits where my hands are shaking and tbh it is really scary.
I've tried snacking on fruits between meals but it just isn't satisfying me!
Please, any hints and help on how to overcome this are very welcome!!

You probably needed to cut down gradually rather than cold turkey. If you kept up that level of sugar consumption for a long time you'll get withdrawal just like a drug.

try small amounts of dark chocolate to slowly wean yourself off. That's my plan anyway!

I went off chocolate last year for lent and vowed never to do it again. I did eat other sweet stuff through lent (biscuits etc) so lack of sugar wasn't a problem. But it has left me like a chocolate monster. I crave chocolate waaay more than I ever did. So this year I think I'll go off something else. Facebook maybe.

It could partly be a reaction to caffeine withdrawal too?

the key is balancing blood sugar whilst enjoying sweet(ish) foods whilst caffiene withdrawal in progress

i make low sugar muffins with oats in and sugar free cakes to give me that "treat" feeling

for some gradual withdrawal works(not me)
if this the case a bowl fruit salad and a little grated dark chocolate on top gives sweet "hit"

exercise gets rid stressy feelings

1week in i start to feel better
by end 2nd week my body as adjusted
4weeks without and you taste buds adjust to life without

hope things go well.good luck.x

Agree - do it gradually. I am a chocolate fiend too - with a very similar diet to yours - generally healthy, but neeeeed chocolate. I cut down/give up, but then it gradually creeps up again. I am due to cut down again now. I'll join you.

You could cut down to half a bar a day for a month (or a kitkat crunchy, if you can't keep half a bar in the house), and then a quarter bar, or something smaller (a freddy frog?) for the next month. Try to cycle or walk somewhere to get it too, so build up gradually on exercise.

When the craving gets really bad, I find that 2 jaffa cakes give a reasonable sugar burst and are much better than ordinary biscuits. (And Sainsbury's basics are good value!)

Best of luck - and thank you for posting. You've nudged me into action too.

Another way to eke a little chocolate out but still get a nice chocolatey hit is to melt a square of dark chocolate on a plate in the microwave - just takes a few moments.

Then dip in bits of fruits - strawberries, grapes, lychees, slices of orange, peach etc etc.

You get the sugar from the fruit but a little of the chocolate goes a long way as you don't need much for each bit of fruit, especially if the chocolate bit goes on your tongue first!

You're experiencing classic withdrawal sypmtoms. Day 4 is usually the worst.

You could be more sensitive to sugar than the average person. There's a gradual approach to cutting out sugar here if you're interested. It works by balancing your blood sugar / serotonin levels / endorphins ('happy hormones') before you try to cut out caffeine or sugar.

AngelDog that looks really good. Have ordered the book . . . .

Wow, thankyou all so much!
Spent all night sweating, tossing and turning and occasionally going to the bathroom thinking I was going to be sick!
It's really scary but today I am going to get a freddo or a fudge or something :)

Longtallsally, I'm doing the programme myself - I'm only on step 1 (out of 7) but it has made a HUGE difference to my enery levels so far. :)

Ooh good. Just reading/posting about it has helped me today. If anyone fancies turning this into a support thread, it would be great to be able to compare notes as the days/weeks go on . . . .

Was reading on here recently about a family who were slightly overweight and wondering how they could change their diet. They seemed to only eat salads/healthy veg and to "have a treat like a flapjack once every six weeks or so!" I felt soooo guilty! Looking forward to getting down to something more reasonable - but not that reasonable!!