Question – I am Eating Too Much Chocolate, What Should I do?
Watch the Video for advice on this problem or read below.
This problem is part an parcel of almost everyone’s challenges of getting into shape. There are two main parts to the answer –
Short Term Solution – The simplest and fastest thing you can do is stop eating the “worst” version of your troublesome food and replace immediately with the best option that you are open to trying. For example, if dairy milk chocolate is your worst food and once bitten you will be on a rampage then this needs to be replaced by something else….anything else! If you are really de-motivated then this may simply be a different brand of chocolate, one that doesn’t quite have the same bite so to speak. Maybe though you could replace it with your favourite fruit.
Binges are exacerbated by certain thoughts and certain biochemical states. You can help yourself by eating a good portion or two of protein and drinking a fair bit of water. Protein curtails hunger, especially if you have been overeating carbs (most people do when eating badly). Dehydration is often interpreted as hunger so this can also help.
The thought I will never eat this (do this) again is counter productive. The human mind hates infinite things so the thought of you not doing this ever again will often be enough to ensure you have a heck of a lot of it before you start this lifelong famine (which ends up being only about 48 hours). In reality, stop kidding yourself and speak the truth, say “I will have this again later”, then leave it at that and choose the other option.
Longer Term Solution – The longer term approach would deal with breaking your connections to the food, you can recondition your mind-body so that when you are around the trouble food you do not get the same emotional drives to eat it. This allows for a more normal sense of consumption to be obtained.
It is also important to look at what your goal intake levels are, are you trying to eliminate it forever? why? Often our troublesome food has become symbolic for something else, e.g. a test of willpower, a sign of guilt etc.
Regardless of whether you are trying to cut it out forever or not you must consider the issue of providing taste into your diet.
You should also be considering the bicohemical impact of your normal day to day eating. You would be surprised how many persistent food cravings are a predictable results from following an inadequate eating plan in day to day life (often a “healthy diet”).
Finally, issues of stress and happiness need to be added into the equation for many people. this links into the area of providing taste as well and also the often seemingly unrelated area of breathing technique.
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Food cravings are not a simple task. Most people understand and give patience to an addicted smoker trying to give up their habit. Your troublesome food is usually the same thing. Food is harder and easier to fight than cigarettes. It is harder as you have to eat food while there is no reason to smoke though it is easier as you can easily shift to alternative forms of eating while with smoking not so much.