May 12
7
How to Stop Chocolate Cravings
There are some days when you just want something sweet – you need chocolate
You get a bit like Augustus from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
You get this irresistible urge to just give in and before you know it your swimming in it.
When you get these cravings the worse thing to do is to go out and consume a high sugar and fat loaded chocolate fix.
You see that’s only going to ignite the want for MORE
If you give in you’re giving your body without realising it permission to have these cravings.
This permission creates a cycle of repeats – the more you give in the more the cycle will repeat
I have known clients, who had to have chocolate weekly, then it became daily and soon it became after every meal.
The more you give in, the more conditioned you are becoming to allow yourself to become a victim to your cravings.
Your cravings start to become an acceptable behaviour.
Once you accept you have this behaviour you start to claim it as your identity.
Your identity being the way you see yourself – a part of you – cravings is just something you have.
Once you see cravings as something that belongs to you, you kind of resist letting it go.
It’s like losing a part of you.
Once this happens it turns into a huge psychological mind game.
It’s like constantly rewarding a dog for bad behaviour with cuddles and kisses.
The dog loves the affection so why would they stop the bad behaviour
Your cravings are a bad behaviour and giving in is rewarding that behaviour.
So what should you do if you have a history of giving in to your bad behaviour (cravings) ?
If you have given in on many occasions then it’s going to be hard going cold turkey
To make the change in behaviour I have found that replacing your craving of a high sugar and fat fix with something else that’s still yummy but a lot healthier for you.
I realised this from watching my sister and her experience with helping her son William lose his pacifier – dummy- or as we call it his doh-doh.
You see mum was having trouble getting William to give up the dummy.
He was getting too big to be walking around with a dummy in his mouth and was not ready to let go.
Mum tried on many occasions to throw it out.
This was tough and not working
Will would throw a tantrum in the mall so mum bought another one to keep him quiet and calm the situation – mum gave in
It was 3am in the morning and Will was restless and crying for his dummy, Matty (12 months) was asleep in the other room and mum did not want two crying boys – mum was exhausted and after 5 mins – mum gave in
The dummy is like a craving
Its comforting
It makes us calm and relaxed
Its familiar
It gives us a few minutes of personal peace
Its easy to satisfy
The more you give in the easier it is to accept.
Once I realised that this was the same as cravings it really opened my eyes.
So what worked for William may work for you
We tried a number of things to replace his dummy (craving)
Finally we found something that made him feel extra special and deserving of more then just the comfort of a dummy.
We replaced his dummy with external rewards – swimming lessons (certificates earned– as only big non dummy sucking boys get those), toy privileges – toys that only he could play with when the baby (matty) was sleeping, stuff like that
What I realised was his dummy like cravings is a comfort feeling.
When you have something that’s more satisfying to look forward too you do not give in to your dummy
Hopefully now you get the picture
If only we could stick a dummy in our mouth –I can imagine adults walking thru the city with super sized pacifiers – so friggin funny (non Fattening) but funny
But it’s the same
So what can we replace our desire of a high sugar and fat FIX.
Well heres some recipes that I love
Protein Parfait
Here’s a great recipe to make the night before for an easy grab-n-go breakfast straight out of the fridge. It’s packed with protein, vitamins and minerals for sustained energy all morning long. And it tastes great too.
Servings: 1
Here’s what you need…
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt, plain, fat free
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 scoop high quality clean protein powder
1/4 cup fresh berries
1 Tablespoon pecan pieces, toasted
In a small bowl use a whisk to combine the yogurt, cottage cheese and protein powder. Mix until well incorporated.
Place half of the yogurt mixture into a clear cup, top with the berries and then the remaining yogurt mixture. Top with pecans.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 260 calories, 6g fat, 307mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 38g protein
Chocolate Protein Pudding
Here is a protein packed snack that the whole family will love. It’s important to enjoy snacks that are low in carbohydrates and sugar, and high in protein in order to shed body fat and develop healthy muscles. This recipe delivers on all fronts, without sacrificing flavor.
Servings: 1
Here’s what you need…
6 oz Greek Yogurt, plain, fat free
1 scoop high quality chocolate protein powder
Sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa powder
In a small bowl use a whisk to combine the yogurt and protein powder. Mix until all lumps have disappeared.
Garnish with a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 220 calories, 0g fat, 445mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, and 42g protein.
Healthy Chocolate Shake
What is better than a creamy chocolate shake? A creamy chocolate shake without the guilt! You won’t miss the fat and refined sugar as you slurp up this tasty treat.
Servings: 2
Here’s what you need:
* 2 bananas, frozen
* 1/2 cup nonfat milk
* 2 scoops high quality clean protein powder
* 2 Tablespoons raw almond butter
* Dash of ground cinnamon
* 2 cups ice
Throw everything into a high speed blender, blend until smooth and creamy.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 292 calories, 7g fat, 33g carbohydrate, 7g fibre, and 25g protein.
Chocolate Protein Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup Oat Flour
4 Egg Whites
2 scoops high quality clean protein powder
½ cup Stevia (this is for sweetening so you can skip this ingredient if you like)
½ tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Salt
240 Grams of Fresh or Frozen Berries
3 tbsp Baking Cocoa
120ml Water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients (oat flower, protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa) together in a large bowl.
Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Stevia, Berries,Water) together in a medium sized bowl.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
Spray cooking dish with a non stick butter spray and add batter to dish.
Bake 20-30 minutes in oven.
Makes 16 squares, serving size=2 bars.
Let me know what helps curb your cravings – VIX
