Can You Eat Chocolate Everyday And Still Lose Weight?

Do you dream of chocolate? Long for it each day? Well, it's possible to eat it everyday and still lose weight!

I hope you’ve had a wonderful Valentine’s day! Most of my clients spoke “very down” about Valentines Day coming, but after some discussion, they pretty much had a new outlook towards it. I know it can be a “depressing love day” for some, and others “fear the chocolate temptations.” Some said, “it’s just another day.” I’ve felt all of those things through the years myself. I used to dislike every holiday, because I never spent them as I really wanted. I feared food and gaining weight, and I would say, “it’s just another day,” because I was so unhappy with myself and life. Now, I love the holidays, celebrating “my way,” and I don’t fear food. Instead, I enjoy the tastes, take my time eating, laughing, and sharing stories with others.

I love Valentines Day, because I’ve made it a day to remind those in my life, how much I care about them. We all like to be thought of, right? Surprised, right? It can be as simple as a small box of chocolate, a card, or a hug. It’s nice to give without expecting anything in return, which is one of the reasons why I love Halloween especially, besides all the fun I have.

Did I have chocolate yesterday? Well, yes and no. I have chocolate in some form everyday, whether it be candy, cookies, or ice cream. But, technically, I didn’t have “Valentines Day chocolate - yet.” I could have, but I didn’t. Why not? I was thinking about it, but I was craving oatmeal instead. I know(smiles), “let’s see, humm, oatmeal or chocolate?” Well, it happened, and it’s what my body was craving. I had a pack of apple cinnamon oatmeal, mixed with 1/3 cup of plain oats. I can have the chocolate anytime I want, but I choose to have what I really wanted last night. If I had company, on the other hand, I would have opened that chocolate heart shaped box staring at me instead, and I would have had 2 pieces. Either way, I would've been ok, because having it or not, I’ve learned how to eat in moderation.

A special day doesn’t mean it’s a “free pass” to go off our diets. That’s one of the things I instill in my clients. Holidays can set off long-term weight gain, if we’re not careful. “It’s just one day.” is a very dangerous way to look at weight loss. Those “just one days,” can lead to a twenty pound, fifty pound gain or more each year. A friend of mine acknowledged that she cheated on her diet yesterday, because it was “just one day.” The trouble is, having that kind of passive attitude is a red flag, a sign of addictive behavior. She does this quite often, and she definitely has some eating issues to deal with. There’s no reason to overeat and binge eat, and any type of food should fit in a weight loss plan, if it’s a sensible plan that takes your individual needs, tastes, etc., into account. No plan will ever work, if you don’t work on changing your eating behaviors.

I’m hungry for that valentines chocolate right about now, so I’m sure to have some soon as a snack. I don’t need to eat a whole box, because I know that “if I really want it,” I can have more later. I can eat what I’d like, because I don’t deprive myself anymore like I did years ago. I didn't lose weight and gain control of my eating, until I allowed myself to eat what I really wanted. Amazing, hu? I can eat chocolate everyday, because I learned how to eat! If I still continued to deprive myself today, or starve myself like I did so many times in the past, a box or two would have been empty by nights end.