Help...I want Chocolate

[Guest_1055]

Hello everyone.....

Right at this moment the desire and craving to drive to Woolworths and buy chocolate is huge. But I don't want to give in. The reason I am writing this post is because I want victory in this area in my life. And I am hoping the strong cravings will cease, as I write here. And I want to know if anyone else struggles with this particular issue. Any advice would also be very welcomed.

I think a lot of people say chocolate is OK. But I tend to differ. For many years I have turned to it for comfort, a high or some other good feeling. But for me it is short lived. Even as I am writing this, I am visualising chocolate Easter bunnies in my head. As they are in the supermarkets now. Some people may think this is a funny situation. But for more it is not. It is a real hindrance in my life, and I want to be cut loose from the chains.

I normally eat a whole block in one go, that is a huge amount. About 200grams of the stuff. 

I am beginning to believe it is like someone turning to alcohol, drugs or whatever. Using this stuff to escape, hide or feel better, or something for a short time. I use chocolate as a coping mechanism., (so I think at the time of eating it)

 Consuming it every day also affects my emotional and mental health in a non beneficial way.  I also become more gloomy, foggy headed, irritable, angry, my heart beats faster, lethargic, headachy and fat. It is not a good use of our money either.

Anyway does anyone else have similar issues? I haven't had it for three days now. And my body is craving it big time.​

OK, thank you

Shelley xx

[Guest_1055]

Hey Rob.......

Thanks so much for your advice, that is mighty kind of you! 

And thank you for being you.

Shell xx

[White_Rose]

Hello Shelley

I can see you are really struggling with the chocolate addiction. I wish I could tell you, and anyone else, why I suddenly stopped needing chocolate. Yes I went through the withdrawal period and it is the same for any sugars, but I really have lost the craving. I am beginning to seriously believe it is because my current diet satisfies me enough not to want extras.

Other possible reasons. Recently started a completely different antidepressant which is working well. I am more satisfied with my life, not so angry, tired, despondent, more able to tap into my coping mechanisms. Is this the AD or the diet? Combination of both? I don't know. But because I feel better I am less likely to get upset, feel deprived and want something to soothe me. Sometimes I wonder if I eat the wrong things to punish myself. The argument goes like this. I'm upset because of... I can't calm myself. I need to be nice to myself. I will have some 'forbidden fruits' i.e.sweet stuff. I know this is bad for me because... I don't care, I want it. Why shouldn't I have something nice. And anyway, who cares if I get fat and ugly.

So maybe I'm starting to care for myself. Why? Because I have discovered I have some value in the world. The places I do volunteer work are happy with my services, my family must care about me because in the past couple of months I have had two lots of surgery and they take and collect me from hospital. OK that's a simplified version and certainly not as easy as it sounds. But you get the idea?

So instead of fighting the battle on the chocolate front, have a go at the other end. Why do I need comfort food and how can I feel sufficiently worthwhile to not need something that does me no good. We reward ourselves with sugar which in turn gives us a high. This goes fairly quickly and we need more sugar to feel good again, and so it continues. So next time you 'need' sugar/choccy, have a conversation with yourself on why you 'need' it.

Another alternative was suggested to me by my daughter. I am a bit of a coffee addict but I also like tea, lots of different types. So instead of sweet rewards, I make a cup of tea, one that is particularly delicious. I really dislike Early Grey tea but there is a French Earl Grey that is fantastic. I also like lemon and ginger, chamomile, Irish breakfast and many of the T2 fruit and herbal teas. If you like tea, treat yourself to some thing different and see how it works.

Mary

[Gruffudd]

Well, I managed to succumb to my version of the chocolate trap, deep fried food. I enjoyed the food and hated me in equal measure I think. It is super complicated this one isn't it. I think the thing I need to do in response is to stop the following and go for a walk.

[Guest_5218]

Hi Shell, and all others who love chocolate.

I dont even want to think about chocolate any more today.

I have just spent the morning cleaning up after hubby had a choc coated icecream last night.  He didnt realise he had dropped some of the choc coating.  Actually it must have been a sizable chunk because it ended up melted all over his shirt, shorts and all over the lounge!  And I didnt realise until this morning when I looked.

Yuk............ Oh well, the couch is now cleaned up as best I can get it, and his clothes de-stained, washed, and now on the line.   And I didnt even have any chocolate myself last night .........    Grrrr

Sherie xx

[CraftyDivaz]

Hi Sherie & friends,

Maybe all people(me included) need to clean choc from furniture n clothes more often to try to turn us off. (Eh it's good to feel low, irritable & able to try to be funny at same time)

On the more serious side, I think it could be the sugar levels plus also the caffeine in chic that helps us need/crave it? Similar to coffee addiction maybe? Like most of you noted, sugar & caffeine affects mood, we think it helped bring mood up/better, therefore we crave more. I think it also has to do with level of sugars in the body versus everything else we eat as well as the choc?

I find it extremely interesting that many of you seem to associate choc with low or negative symptoms like headache. I noticed it does seem to affect mood but didn't realise it could be in bad ways or cause headache. I do totally agree that reducing amount of choc & other sweets dies seem to at least reduce pain attacks. 

I'll be reading to see any more info given on this topic as it's very interesting. I read somewhere online that wear we eat has a very high affect in our moods & possibly create/induce certain symptoms directly (sorry can't remember where I read it). 

CraftyDivaz

[Lost_Girl]

My house is full of Easter Chocolate and my inner conscience is naughty. I eat it even when I know I will regret it. I think don't do it and do it anyway. How do people get strong enough to actually not do it?

Putting myself in the naughty corner....

[CraftyDivaz]

Hi, 

I didn't mean to sound like it's oh so easy...   🙂

Otherwise it wouldn't be called an addiction, I too am naughty enough to be able to eat while large block of Cadbury diary choc if I allowed myself to. 

Sometimes I "accidentally" eat half in only a few hrs cause I say it helps me feel good n I desperately need to feel good as opposed to depressed. I'm still working on it too as its too much like an addiction n I'm conscious it's bad for weight.

Now I have extra reason, I hadn't realised panic attacks etc had reduced maybe "because" of less choc. That in itself will help me further reduce of maybe hopefully completely stop eating choc. If it really increases symptoms n anxiety I'll gladly wig it out with distractions n alternative food until I completely stop craving it. Though for me it's "sugar" my body seems to crave in time of month as well as emotional reasons, so females keep in mind for alternative foods during that time also. 

But, a good reminder that if it actually makes us worse rather then better by causing headaches etc, maybe we can learn to reduce or stop? So one extra thing to try is to remember how bad/low you can get n think if choc helps to create more dressed state, better to avoid it.

CraftyDivaz

[CraftyDivaz]

Hi, 

I didn't mean to sound like it's oh so easy...   🙂

Otherwise it wouldn't be called an addiction, I too am naughty enough to be able to eat while large block of Cadbury diary choc if I allowed myself to. 

Sometimes I "accidentally" eat half in only a few hrs cause I say it helps me feel good n I desperately need to feel good as opposed to depressed.

I'm still working on it too as its too much like an addiction n I'm conscious it's bad for weight. Now I have extra reason, I hadn't realised panic attacks etc had reduced maybe "because" of less choc.

That in itself will help me further reduce of maybe hopefully completely stop eating choc. If it really increases symptoms n anxiety I'll gladly wig it out with distractions n alternative food until I completely stop craving it.

Though for me it's "sugar" my body seems to crave in time of month as well as emotional reasons, so females keep in mind for alternative foods during that time also. 

But, a good reminder that if it actually makes us worse rather then better by causing headaches etc, maybe we can learn to reduce or stop? So one extra thing to try is to remember how bad/low you can get n think if choc helps to create more drepressed state, better to avoid it.

(Sorry lotsa typos on iPhone) 

CraftyDivaz

[Lost_Girl]

Hi CraftyDivaz,

What types of alternate food do you eat? I'd love some ideas.  

Cheers,

Carol

[CraftyDivaz]

Hi Carol,

To be honest, I'm still working on finding alternatives! Lol

But mainly I simply ignore cravings as much as I can. Alrhough I sometimes do allow myself one small bar, I try to avoid buying the big packs blocks. I think one post said to keep hands busy to reduce snacking, that's pretty much what I do, keep mind n hands busy. Also I hate to say it but you have to decide what other foods you like. 

I try fruit yogurt, actual fresh fruit & mainly I try to decide if I'm hungry & eat other salty or healthy food instead. So I'd eat left overs from dinner to ensure I'm really full as opposed to having a snack. Make sure if you're female & if that time I make sure especially that I eat fuller meals rather then sandwich etc. If desperate for sweet snack I try apples, banana, dry apricots, sugarless lollies like the sugarless snakes you can get at supermarket. 

What you eat will of course depend 
On whether you feel you're trying to lose or watch your weight.

Hope it does help, CraftyDivaz