Weight Loss: Do I Have to Give Up Chocolate?

Most people trying to lose weight, think that they have to cut out all the foods they love in order to achieve their goal. This is a terrible way to go about it, because it makes the whole experience unpleasant and so you are less likely to stick to it.

The main question you should really ask yourself is: What do you want to achieve?

For most of the people I see, the answer is ultimately not weight loss. It's confidence, feeling better, feeling healthier, feeling more attractive and feeling in control of their body. The way they achieve this is by managing their weight.

If you need to lose weight, then your aim should be to do it in the safest and most effective way possible. And from that point of view, there is nothing to say that chocolate needs to be banned from your diet. When you choose to achieve a particular weight loss goal, here are some things you should consider

1. You want to make changes that you can maintain long term. Denying yourself of all the foods you love is (perhaps) tolerable for a few weeks, but you don't want to live your life that way.

2. Eating is enjoyable and if you deny yourself enjoyment from things that you enjoy, what's the point?

3. On the other hand, if you eat mountains of chocolate then you are not going to reach your goal, and you will have to put up with the consequences of being overweight (and possibly gaining more weight)

4. As one of my clients said: "I have realised that I can have whatever I want, as long as I am sensible with how much". This is the middle ground and the ideal solution.

5. It's better to have a small piece of chocolate tha
"chase the craving" by eating lots of other higher calorie foods instead. An example is eating 3 granola bars to satisfy the craving that one small piece of chocolate would have satisfied.

6. There are no hard and fast rules. The eventual answer that is right for you, will only be revealed by experimenting with different solutions. You will be able to find a way that takes into account your food desires and your health.

7. Don't feel guilty for eating chocolate. As I read somewhere recently: "Food is morally neutral".

8. If you are going to eat something you like, always make sure you enjoy every last bite.