Championing the chocolate challenge

Nutrition Team

It seems that Christmas only happened yesterday. All the ‘New Year New You’ efforts you have been making to lose weight have barely begun. The body is still aching a little from new exercise regimes, the supermarket trip is still a challenge and here we are already facing into a sea of chocolate Easter eggs that even Moses couldn’t part. It’s enough to make your good intentions, well… melt away...

So if the aisles of your supermarket have turned temporarily into a Willy Wonka style river of chocolate, how exactly are you going to cope with the temptation? As usual we have the answers!

Prepare your friends and family.
Giving chocolate at Easter time is a tradition. Unless you tell people not to buy for you, they will. Ask your friends and family not to give you chocolate presents this year, but don’t be afraid to ask them to get you something else instead! (You don’t want to deprive yourself completely).

Get motivated.
You know this challenge is coming. Get ready for it. Be armed with reminders as to why and how much weight you want to lose. Pin them to your fridge, hang them at your desk at work and keep them right to the fore of your mind.

Want it.
You may think you want chocolate but lets compare how much you want chocolate with how much you want to lose those excess pounds and to reach your personal goal. Want this more.

Visualise.
Think yourself thin. You should have a mental image of how you will look at your ideal weight. Every time you eat foods that are off the plan or miss an exercise session you are further away from this goal. Imagine yourself moving forward all the time until this is no longer a mental image but a reality.

Believe.
Sticking to your diet and exercise plan is a daily challenge you face and face successfully. What’s so different about Easter? You can do it now – why wouldn’t you be able to do it then. It’s just another day. Your resolve is more difficult to crack than an Easter egg.

Keep your energy level high.
When there are so many temptations around, be careful not to let your blood sugar drop dangerously low. If this happens, you will become weak and hungry and your desire to eat will be very strong. If there is chocolate around you may be tempted to reach for it instead of a healthier snack. Eat small meals frequently and never starve yourself for long periods of time in preparation for a big meal. It will backfire in the long run.

Arm yourself.
Buy in a good supply of chocolate alternatives. For example, low fat chocolate yoghurt, low fat hot chocolate mix, chocolate flavoured breakfast cereals or try the recipes in our Healthy Bytes section. That way you can get your fix without facing the consequences.

Take the approach of minimising harm.
Do not deny yourself completely - the chances are you will do more harm than good. Buy yourself a couple of bite-sized chocolate bars and allow yourself to have one each day over the holiday weekend. You can either replace your snack with this or accept that you will lose weight a little more slowly.

Make room.
If you know you want to join in on the chocolate munching sessions with friends or family and are not willing to withstand the temptation – make room. You can do this by incorporating extra exercise sessions for the Easter weekend. Be warned however, for every square of chocolate you eat, you would need to walk at a moderate pace for 10-15 minutes.

Have a speedy recovery.
If you do slip up at this difficult time make sure you get back on the wagon ASAP. Don’t leave it till tomorrow or Monday. Do it now. Accept that you have made a mistake, examine where and how you went wrong, learn from it and move on. It happened. It’s not the end of the world. Be gentle with yourself but resolve to have a really good week to compensate. You can do it!