Why I eat chocolate as part of my lifestyle change

I'm a chocolate addict. I've been a slave to chocolate most of my life.

Cravings for chocolate cake, cookies, ice cream, and candy have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. And I was mostly unable to control them. Until recently, that is.

My desire for sweet chocolate goodies contributed to my steady weight gain over the years. Why? Because once I gave in to my cravings, it triggered a vicious circle of sugar highs and crashing lows, followed by intense cravings for more sweets or other high-carbohydrate foods.

Why include chocolate in my new lifestyle?

I believe any diet that prohibits your favorite foods will fail.

In my case, cutting chocolates and desserts out of my diet entirely is a recipe for disaster. I've tried it before, and it just doesn't work. Over time, I start to miss those foods that I really enjoy, and it seems inevitable that I will decide to 'take a break' from my weight loss diet (sometimes due to a special occasion, birthday celebration, or a minor 'emergency').

Once I went off-plan, I would have a tough time getting back on the plan. I justified this by saying: "I've gone off my diet, so I'll take a little break". Little breaks would turn into weeks and months, which meant: I'm off my diet. The weight would come back, often more than I had lost on the diet.

This cycle did two things: it made me feel like a failure, and it set me up for ever-greater weight gain.

How I defeated chocolate's influence on my appetite

How did I gain control over chocolate? Simple. I would learn to live with chocolate, by allowing myself to enjoy it, within the constraints of my diet and lifestyle change plan.

That's an important point: after decades of being overweight and out of control, I understand that my new 'diet' must be something that I can live with for the rest of my life. No more quick fixes. Once I reach my goal, I intend to stay on this plan forever. So it's critical that my diet incorporate the foods I love, though they may be perceived to be less 'healthy' than other foods.

But, how would I learn to control chocolate?

My plan: once I decided to resume the Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (CALP) diet, I planned to incorporate chocolate as one of my Reward Meal (RM) carbohydrates, as a dessert, in moderation. Most importantly, I resolved to keep a daily journal detailing what I ate, and that I would monitor my eating habits closely to ensure that I wasn't letting my portions get out of control (which has happened in the past, and contributed to previous low-carb diet failures).

How I went from Häagen-Dazs Bars to Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters

When I re-started my CALP diet almost two years ago, my choice of chocolate desserts included large Hershey's milk chocolate bars, chocolate ice cream, and even Häagen-Dazs chocolate and dark chocolate bars.

Over time, and in the interests of dietary improvement and better health, I moved to smaller portions, and moved away from the richer forms of milk chocolate. For example, I began eating milk chocolate bars with almonds rather than straight milk chocolate.

Results

The result of my efforts: I can now eat a very small amount of chocolate dessert (for example, a medium-sized, homemade dark-chocolate almond cluster) and feel completely satisfied.

For the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I am in control of my chocolate 'habit' (though I will always remain vigilant to avoid a relapse).

And, I've learned to eat healthier forms of chocolate, which I would never have enjoyed before, due to my 'sweet tooth'.

(Edited by Darling Husband)