Chocolate Cravings - ALL THE TIME

Missgoggles

Help needed!!!

So I am 5ft 9 and a solid 71kgs. I am toned and exercise 4-5 times weekly. I am not overweight but fear I may start to get there if this problem doesnt stop!!!

I follow the Paleo diet, which allows me to eat only fruit, veg and lean meats - I am following this diet as it is said it helps reduce asthma, as I suffer badly!
Im fine with most of this diet, I love fruit,veg and meat, but after a huge meal of these foods, I always crave chocolate. Always! There is not a time that I dont. If I wake up in the morning, the first thing I think about is chocolate. If I have a large meal of turkey and veg, I will want something chocolatey after! Even if I try to replace this with fruit, the feeling doesnt go away until I indulge.
Before I tried this diet, I hardly ate chocolate, and only on the rare occasion, my cravings were mainly for crisps, and now have been replaced by chocolate.

I really want to stick to this diet as I have seen a huge improvement in my asthma, but this chocolate craving is getting out of hand....can someone please let me know how to cure these cravings, without giving in to the good stuff!!:P

Any help would be great!!!Believe me I've tried hard to say NO!!

metamorphosis

Missgoggles wrote: »

Help needed!!!

So I am 5ft 9 and a solid 71kgs. I am toned and exercise 4-5 times weekly. I am not overweight but fear I may start to get there if this problem doesnt stop!!!

I follow the Paleo diet, which allows me to eat only fruit, veg and lean meats - I am following this diet as it is said it helps reduce asthma, as I suffer badly!
Im fine with most of this diet, I love fruit,veg and meat, but after a huge meal of these foods, I always crave chocolate. Always! There is not a time that I dont. If I wake up in the morning, the first thing I think about is chocolate. If I have a large meal of turkey and veg, I will want something chocolatey after! Even if I try to replace this with fruit, the feeling doesnt go away until I indulge.
Before I tried this diet, I hardly ate chocolate, and only on the rare occasion, my cravings were mainly for crisps, and now have been replaced by chocolate.

I really want to stick to this diet as I have seen a huge improvement in my asthma, but this chocolate craving is getting out of hand....can someone please let me know how to cure these cravings, without giving in to the good stuff!!:P

Any help would be great!!!Believe me I've tried hard to say NO!!

What about cocoa - 70% up? That wa you're avoiding the veg.fat and sugar laden milk chocolate

EileenG

Yep, stock up on the very dark chocolate. If you eat milk chocolate, go for the 70% stuff. If you already eat that, try some 85% or 90%. I just bought a 50g bar of 99% chocolate, and I know it will last me a week.

El_Dangeroso

Smacks of magnesium deficiency, which dark chocolate is a good source of. Other good sources are macadamia nuts, spinach and salmon. I supplement with 500mg of mag citrate per day as unless I meticulously arrange my diet, it's hard to get enough.

Also, I'd not go for particularly lean mean (unless the meat is of dubious origin, then pick the lean and add some butter for fat - butter is dairy but has most of the offending items removed, lactose and casein) the fat helps keep you satisfied for much longer on the paleo diet.

Transform

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Smacks of magnesium deficiency, which dark chocolate is a good source of. Other good sources are macadamia nuts, spinach and salmon. I supplement with 500mg of mag citrate per day as unless I meticulously arrange my diet, it's hard to get enough.

Also, I'd not go for particularly lean mean (unless the meat is of dubious origin, then pick the lean and add some butter for fat - butter is dairy but has most of the offending items removed, lactose and casein) the fat helps keep you satisfied for much longer on the paleo diet.

agreed and plenty of dark choc

Missgoggles

Thanks guys for all the help. Forgot to mention, this is a craving for all chocolate...dark chocolate 70% - 85% included and I would have a 100g bar gone in a day and a half. I'll give you a breakdown of what I ate yesterday...

9am:Breakfast - Grapefruit, Banana, Orange
11am: 2 dark Choc digestives, plum
12.30pm: Lunch - 3 slices cooked turkey, large salad & 2 dark choc digestives
3pm: snack size kit kat, plum, banana
5pm: Dinner - 2 grilled pork chops, Swede & carrot mash, roast parsnip, 4 asparagus
5.15pm: 2 dark chocolate rice cakes, 3 squares of dark chocolate 70%
8pm: (gave in to a bag of crisps - large pack!) 3 more squares of dark choc, haribo jellies!

All the underlined is what I'm not allowed on the paleo diet. And apart from the crisps this would be a typical day. I could go through a bag of peanut m&ms right after eating a 3 course meal.

Im not a big fan of butter but I'll give it a go. I eat loads of spinach and salmon at least once a week. I will also try the macadamia nuts!

If I could just give up the bad snacking, this diet would be really simple. I dont miss bread/pastas etc or the dairy but there must be something going wrong if Im always wanting/thinking of chocolate and Im getting down because I cant say NO!

LeahK

Im the exact same. I gave up smoking about 1.5 years and ago and in return gained a massive sweet tooth. Not all sweet things, Just chocolate really.

I also think about it all the time! Im on a low carb diet too and try not to eat sugar. I didnt eat the chocolate all last week and ended up binging on a massive bar of fruit and nut...:rolleyes::o its like a vicious circle. Ive tried eating 80% chocolate but end up eating the whole bar. Its a disaster.

Fruit is the only thing that helps me, like the really sweet stuff like peaches and pineapple. Dont know whether your allowed them on your diet but it certainly helps me.

Hope you get over your addiction soon!

EileenG

Missgoggles wrote: »

9am:Breakfast - Grapefruit, Banana, Orange
11am: 2 dark Choc digestives, plum
12.30pm: Lunch - 3 slices cooked turkey, large salad & 2 dark choc digestives
3pm: snack size kit kat, plum, banana
5pm: Dinner - 2 grilled pork chops, Swede & carrot mash, roast parsnip, 4 asparagus
5.15pm: 2 dark chocolate rice cakes, 3 squares of dark chocolate 70%
8pm: (gave in to a bag of crisps - large pack!) 3 more squares of dark choc, haribo jellies!

You're not even eating that much chocolate. For God's sake, if you are craving chocolate, eat a couple of squares of good dark chocolate, chocolate digestives. There's a lot more wrong with those than with pure chocolate.

I'd suggest you eat a better breakfast. Try some eggs, or cottage cheese or something a bit more substantial than just fruit. Then you'll be less tempted by the biccies two hours later.

Try including some nuts in your diet.

lillykay

Hi,

how about adding some cocoa powder to things?

cook some sliced apple, sprinkle with cocoa and sweetener / honey / sugar

add to porridge with sweetener

or mix with low fat soy milk for a chocolatey drink!!

cocoa powder is 330 cals/ 100g, you only need one spoons worth.
it is also 23 per cent protein!!

Maybe that would satisfy the cravings??!

EileenG

A ridiculously easy and low cal chocolate sauce is just some hot leftover coffee mixed with enough cocoa powder to make a smooth paste, and sweetened to taste. Make it fairly runny, it will thicken when it gets cold. You can add to yogurt or cottage cheese, or use it anywhere you would use chocolate sauce. You can even fold it into some whipped egg white and freeze it for a really low cal chocolate dessert.

El_Dangeroso

EileenG wrote: »

A ridiculously easy and low cal chocolate sauce is just some hot leftover coffee mixed with enough cocoa powder to make a smooth paste, and sweetened to taste. Make it fairly runny, it will thicken when it gets cold. You can add to yogurt or cottage cheese, or use it anywhere you would use chocolate sauce. You can even fold it into some whipped egg white and freeze it for a really low cal chocolate dessert.

Eileen you are the Delia Smith of low carb cooks, you always have such handy little tips!

EileenG

I'm just cheap! I want the goodies, but am not willing to spend loads on exotic ingredients.

applesock

Missgoggles wrote: »

Help needed!!!
, but after a huge meal of these foods, I always crave chocolate. Always!

I get this aswell,i read if you brush your teeth after your meal you wont want the chocolate. Ive been doing this for a while now & seems to be working

Transform

EileenG wrote: »

You're not even eating that much chocolate. For God's sake, if you are craving chocolate, eat a couple of squares of good dark chocolate, chocolate digestives. There's a lot more wrong with those than with pure chocolate.

I'd suggest you eat a better breakfast. Try some eggs, or cottage cheese or something a bit more substantial than just fruit. Then you'll be less tempted by the biccies two hours later.

Try including some nuts in your diet.

totally agree - its not chocolate its sugar cravings

Babooshka

I was reading a food article in psychologies magazine last week which stated that fruit eaten on it's own can spike your blood sugar levels and do all sorts of funny things to it and is best eaten with some protein. Recommended to eat with it were a handful of nuts or some milled flaxseed. It is just a thought but by the looks of your breakfasts you may not be setting yourself up for the day but acually counter balancing your blood sugar levels, hence the craving...just a thought!

lynnsback

I have eaten low carb for about eight years and used to crave chocolate like crazy whenever I went below 100 carbs per day.

Recently, I have added back more STARCH to my diet in the form of gluten free bread (I am coeliac) and potatoes and the choc cravings have quitened down. The main reason Paelo diets work so well for asthma is that they eliminate dairy, reduce gluten and get rid of processed stuff. You could eat a very healthy GF DF moderate carb diet that includes some starch and I bet you would feel a lot better. Fruit, veg and meat only just did not cut it for me. I have met quite a few people like me on the LC boards over the years, so it is not just me.

You might also need more good fat in your diet, but get it from healthy sources like coconut oil or butter and avoid polyunsaturated fats as much as you can.