acceptable forms of chocolate?

G

getnfit@38

Cathlete
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-17-02 AT 02:31PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Everybody :)
Okay, I know the post title must have made most of you go, "huh?", but I'm just wondering what some of you guys do when you just HAVE TO HAVE some chocolate?
It was never, ever a problem for me before, all the weight I gained originally was from food (fried, deep fried, battered and fried~you get the picture), but never, ever have I had a sweet tooth until Nov.2001.
I've heard (unofficially) that a womans body goes through a change every 7 years, and that her cycle changes, hormones, etc. Or maybe it's the onset of the "big M", but whatever it is, since November, my periods have become regular (ugh! I loved irregular cycles, once every 6 weeks was fine with me!), and one week before my period, I crave chocolate! And when I say to myself, "uuhh, NO~we are NOT going there!" I swear my body says aloud, "OOOHHHH, WE ARE GOING THERE, AND WE ARE GOING THERE NNNNOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
So, my Mom told me about Jello fat free pudding snacks, they're 100 calories/serving, 0 fat and that got me to wondering what some of you do when you just HAVE TO HAVE chocolate?
Go figure~I spend 38 years on this planet, didn't give a hoot about chocolate (not even as a child!), and now that I'm working out so hard to reach a specific goal, NOW my body/mind decides it wants chocolate!
I'd love to hear your chocolate sources, especially the low calorie/low or no fat ones :)
Donna
P.S. And Bobbi, if you're reading this, I know if ANYONE knows of a healthy/low fat/low calorie source of chocolate~it's you :)
when it comes to nutrition, you're a guru :)
 
Hi Donna,

Chocolate milk often does it for me. Hershey's chocolate syrup in skim milk--some nutritional value, no fat. --Karen
 
Well, officially a woman's hormones do change every seven years, so that may be the culprit, BUT one little candybar or brownie WILL NOT KILL YOU, I promise!! About a week before my period, I know that if I don't eat somethign rich and chocolatey (no matter how many calories) that I will in turn, eat five hundred extra calories before I finally break down and eat it!! So, I just save myself the agony and eat what I crave, then resume with my normal eating habits. Even "perfect" people that have "perfect" eating habits, have one food that breaks them every once in a while. Don't worry - just do an extra workout that day, if you are worried about the extra calories. Also, here are some "healthier" chocolate snacks to crave that chocolate monster:

Promax Double Fudge Brownie or Mint Chocolate protein bars (found at GNC or on the internet), 1 chocolate covered cherry, 1 small Milky Way Lite, or any dark chocolate - this most people don't like, but you'll get used to the strongness and it will definately crave your addiction! Another good one is:

Chocolaty Fruit Dip

8 oz. fat free cream cheese
2/3C confectioners' sugar or the
equivalent of Equal sweetener
1/4C Hershey's processed cocoa powder
1/4C skim milk
fresh strawberries, peaches, apples, or
bananas
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese in a small bowl until
fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar or Equal,
cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla extract until
smooth. Cover, refrigerate several hours or
overnight for flavors to blend. Wash, dry
and slice your fruit to desired shapes and
dip. Makes approx. 2 cups.
 
One Hershey's chocolate kiss that I let melt very slowly can be very satisfying for less than 20 calories.

Also, I buy the sugar-free hot chocolate mix a lot. If you get it really hot, you have to drink it really slowly, so it tends to last a long time. And something about the warmth is soothing, too.
 
Fat free-sugar free Jello chocolate instant pudding made with skim milk is 80 calories for 1/2 cup. That's my chocolate fix on my non-pig out days.
 
Sugar-free hot cocoa mix does it for me too. No sugar, very little calories, no fat, but very satisfying

marnie
 
Aren't they all?

Silk chocolate soy milk
hot cocoa (rather have sugar than artificial sweetener)
a few Kisses (but it's hard to draw the line)
cocoa sprinkled on a latte
Chocolate graham crackers (very satisfying)
Luna S'mores bar

And heck, nothing beats a Hershey's bar with Almonds. We're talking about an occasional indulgence aren't we?
 
Feeling much better now...

Clearly the saying, "misery loves company" is true because I'm feeling not so bad about the cravings now :) Something about not being alone is soooooo comforting :)
You guys have given me some really good ideas, and I have a feeling that dip will never make it to the fruit before it makes it to a spoon or straight off the spatula, but I'll try it, plus I can get my fruit in at the same time! Afterall, how bad could anything be that has fruit with it :)
Thanks again for all the great ideas and support.
Donna
 
Hi Getinfit. I too was never much of a sweet eater. I always prefered carbs pasta, pizza, breads etc. But about two years I started following the Body For Life Program and had to seriously cut my carb consumption. That is when the cravings for sweets (mostly chocolate) started. I am really disciplined and have good willpower so I mostly can ignore the cravings, but when I can't I allow myself one Lindt Chocolate truffle. They are balls of chocolate that I let slowly let melt in my mouth and this seems to work for me. I know that one piece has 75 calories and approx. 6 grams of fat and I always keep that in mind so I don't over do it.
 
If I know I'll be wanting chocolate (PMS), I'll get a bag of snack size Milky Way light candy bars. They taste fine (they're also a bit smaller than the regular ones, but whatever). I also like snack size bags of M&Ms- basically anything snack sized- just don't eat twice as much!!
 
RE: Crunchy M&M's

One 1.5 oz. bag has about 40 fewer calories than the regular M&M's; not a huge savings, but you get chocolate rather than some lame impostor masquerading as chocolate.

If God hadn't meant for us to have chocolate He wouldn't have invented Godiva.

Annette
 
Hi!

Major sweetaholic here (but you can just call me Major)!

Every night after I've put dinner on I make myself a hot chocolate. I use real cocoa, not the prefab kind, but the Cocoa powder used for baking. It makes a great, dark, rich, hot chocolate that's really good for you.

Makes 1 mug of hot chocolate:
2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
1 teaspoon Timothy's Hazelnut Cocoa (it has added sugar and fat -- that's why I'm very stingy with it)(optional)
Sweetener to taste - (Splenda's the best!)
Pour in half-cup of boiling water stirring constantly to dissolve the powder, etc. (or you can make it just hot skim milk)
Fill 'er up with skim milk, stirring constantly, and nuke it until steaming (nuke it a bit, stir it a bit, then nuke it again to avoid boiling over).
Light some scented candles, put on your silliest, warmest animal-motif slippers, sit yourself down on the couch (hey! mind the cat!), and watch a delightful re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond" -- hey, it's all in the presentation!

Honestly, I don't miss chocolate (bars) at all!

Patricia (but you can call me Major)
 
Hot Chocolate: Put a cup or skim milk in a mug and microwave it until it is scalding hot. Mix a teaspoon of really wonderful, expensive cocoa until dissolved and add sweetener ( I use Equal). Stir in a drop of vanilla. Break up a marshmallow and let it melt on top. Be sure you use the best cocoa you can find.:9

"Fudgicle" type bar from the grocer's freezer :9

One "Pastilles alla Ghirardelli" from Trader Joe's :9

One Mint Wafer from Trader Joe's:9

Ten chocolate chips (eat slowly and enjoy each one) I like the regular chocolate chips from Trader Joe's as well as their white chocolate ones. :9

One chocolate Tootsie Roll Pop :9

Canfield's Chocolate or Cherry Chocolate Soda :9

Chocolate Graham Crackers with a thin, thin, thin layer of nutello (chocolate and hazelnut cream spread) :9

Chocolate Angel Food Cake: Prepare 1 angel food cake mix according to directions. Mix in 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder which has been sifted. Continue with directions on package. :9

Hope this helps!

Rhonda
 
Helps? I feel like one of your little smilie faces right now :)
Thanks for all the wonderful ideas, and clearly I've been missing something not being a cocoa drinker!
NOTE TO SELF: EXPLORE THE HOT COCOA IDEAS
Donna :)
 
Try the m&m Kudzo bars - in granola section of supermarket - they have only 90 calories and 200 mg of calcium. The snicker Kudzo are good too - they have 100 calories.

Also, better to satisfy the craving with a normal portion of chocolate than avoid the craving, eat around it and then binge.
 
Oops! I meant 2 heaping TEASPOONS(not tablespoons!) of cocoa (unless you want "Death by Chocolate" -- but then again, can you imagine a better way to die?).

Sorry about that!

Patricia
 
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