Yes You Can Eat Chocolate And Lose Weight!

The average person in the United States devours around ten pounds of chocolate a year. It is on the tip of most women’s tongue when asked what their favorite food is.

Given that chocolate is so desired, is it any wonder that diets that ask women to give up this pleasure even for the short term ultimately fail? Yet many folks feel they have to give up chocolate or they won’t lose weight because the combination of fat and sugar is sure to pack on the pounds. The truth of the matter is, chocolate can be eaten every single day as part of a healthy lifestyle and YES you can lose weight eating chocolate!

Most true chocoholics, the ones who eat the really fine chocolate are of a normal weight. The secret? They eat good chocolate. Poor quality chocolate is usually very high sugar and will make you crave even more! Sadly, I experienced this first hand, sometime ago, when I tried to lose a few pounds with a popular shake and diet bar plan that was recommended by a respected “diet doctor”. Frankly I was delighted to be able to drink chocolate shakes and eat chocolate candy bars and lose weight. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. There was a “slight” problem though, I was starving after eating these items, wanted more of the bars and shakes and wasn’t losing weight because I rebounded by stuffing myself in the evening! My enthusiasm evaporated also when I truly paid attention to the labels. The first ingredient was sugar, and they were choc o’bloc with other additives. Not a good choice for a healthy lifestyle or permanent weight loss. But chocolate is one of my favorite pleasures and I did not want to give it up. Fortunately, I discovered if I ate high quality chocolate I would be satisfied with a small amount and thus could still lose weight.

Quality chocolate is chocolate with a high cocoa content that lingers in your mouth after you have eaten it. The texture will be silky not grainy. Low quality chocolate will dissolve in your mouth quickly and the flavor will disappear almost right away. Thus if you eat a fine quality chocolate you will be satisfied with a small amount. If you eat a poor quality chocolate you will reach for one bon-bon after another.

Picking good chocolate is like selecting a fine wine. You will want to taste and test. YUM! The best chocolate starts with fine ingredients….real vanilla, a higher cocoa content and quality cocoa beans. Take a look at your average American candy bar. Sugar is usually the first ingredient. The bar has a low cocoa content. Usually synthetic vanillin is used instead of the pricier and tastier vanilla. If nuts are included, even the quality of nuts will vary from one brand to the next. And don’t forget to look at the shelf life of a chocolate. Though some chocolates are stamped with sell by dates, these can be misleading. Some makers use dates that are so far off in the future the taste has long left the candy. Experience with different brands will help you choose the companies that date their chocolates honestly. Some of the best chocolate you will find is hand-dipped and puts its boxed cousins to shame.

Once you have selected a chocolate, examine the finish it should be bright not mottled or uneven. Are you ready to take a bite? After a tiny inhale, bite off a small piece of the chocolate. The biting action will release the flavors in your mouth. Then slowly suck on the chocolate. When it is gone a delicious, lingering taste should remain with you. Note the bouquet of the chocolate, the nuances, tartness, sweetness. Once you become acclimated to the higher cocoa content of good chocolate it will be hard to go back to the sugary candy you used to eat.

When you select a good chocolate and eat it slowly, savoring it, you will not need to thrust handfuls of goobers down. You will enjoy the pleasure. And that’s how you WILL eat fine chocolate and still wear size S or M!

Chocolate Cognac Truffles

Makes about 40

Ingredients:

2 TBS honey
2/3 cup heavy cream
9 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 TBS cognac, rum or brandy (optional)
Sifted Cocoa powder
Finely chopped hazelnuts or pecans

Directions:

In sauce pan over low heat bring cream and honey to a boil. Add chocolate to boiling mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in liquor if desired. Pour into a bowl and cool. Cover and chill for about 6 hours or until set.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Using a melon baller or two teaspoons, mold the mixture into 40 balls. Place on the wax paper. Chill for 1-2 hours.

Roll truffles in sifted cocoa powder. Then roll in the nuts.
Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Or freeze for up to 2 months

Or treat yourself to some fine chocolates…Yum.

In a previous post, I wrote “Drink Up but Drink Right”.  This post shares how calories from sodas add up and artificial sodas can cause cravings. As I mentioned in the article, one of the best ways to drink up, is to drink lots of water.  Drinking water can really increase your chances of weight loss success. Here are some tips on how to drink water for weight loss and achieve your goals.

~ 9 cups for women and 13 cups for men is the recommendation of the Institute of Medicine. Another guideline is 8 eight oz. glasses. Add more if you are pregnant, overweight or exercising.

~ Ice. Suck on ice chips or cubes to give you oral satisfaction. Be careful not to chew and hurt your teeth. BTW if you crave ice, you may have anemia. Check with your doctor about your health and iron levels.

~ Have plenty of fresh, water available. Use a filter on your sink to improve taste. Consider a water cooler.

~ Fill a large pitcher each day and make sure you drink all of it.

~ Drink water before each meal and during the meal to help flush toxins, curb cravings and ease appetite.

~ Use lemons, limes and oranges to perk up the taste of plain water.

~ Eat lots of water rich foods, fruits and veggies.

~ Always carry a water bottle with you and drink from it!

~ MyLilBlackDress.com

We buy 5 bags of Halloween candy and only 15 trick or treaters show up so we nibble on the left-over candy constantly. A friend drops a cake off – we eat a slice and then find it is so good we eat another and another. We go to a buffet, eat too much and continue overeating when we get home. Once the cycle begins we have trouble stopping.

We eat too much and feel like we are out of control. We have done so much damage – we may as well continue eating. We tell ourselves its hopeless and keep eating. In reality we need to stop, think of what we are doing and take back control.

A recent article I read compared this to having a flat tire. Let’s say you have a flat tire. Are you going to slash the other tires on your car because one tire is flat. Of course not.
You will repair the damaged tire and make the car “whole” again. So you have overeaten, does that mean you should give up and continue this behavior?

When you recognize you have overstepped your healthy eating plan. Stop and step back. Don’t continue the unhealthy behavior. Don’t give up. Take action. First eliminate the food that is giving you a problem. Take that candy and give it to your local shelter or food bank. Throw the cake in the trash or give it away. Remove the problem.

Then instead of chastising yourself for your overeating, talk nice to yourself. Ok, I blew it, but I am back in control now. I am back to eating well and back on course. Take a walk, eat well and feel good again!

~ MyLilBlackDress.com

This is an example of not treating yourself well, not respecting your body the way it is – not loving yourself. If Alice were to invest in a few nice pieces of clothing she would feel better about herself, most likely treat herself with more care and make greater progress towards her goals. Even if she did not lose weight, greater self acceptance would help her feel so much better!

Though every woman is different going up or down from one size to another is usually about 10 or 15 pounds. Clothing sizes smaller than a 12 are generally separated by 1 inch. About 2 inches separate larger sizes. As you progress in your weight loss journey you should buy clothes that make you feel good on your “weigh” down.

Some ideas you may want to consider are good looking fabrics with stretch that will fit you as your shape changes. Chicos’ a woman’s clothing store carries items in sizes 1, 2 or 3. These are mix and match pieces with flair that will look good in a variety of settings. Talbot’s has a nice line of denim jeans with stretch that are very forgiving in the stomach, hips and thigh region. Ann Taylor has lovely silk tops that can be dressed up or down at a very reasonable price point. Casual, clothing that doesn’t make you feel frumpy can be picked up at a variety of stores.

Consider investing in a pair of classic black elastic waist slacks. DKNY makes good ones as does Chicos. These slacks will carry you from boardroom to playground. Dress them up with a silk top for work. Dress them down with a casual white blouse or oversized sweater for play. You will get a lot of mileage from this one pair of slacks. Add a few tops, making sure to buy ones that you can fit into now, not 10 pounds from now. Consider buying a jacket that can be dressed up or down. If you buy the right material you can wear it oversized when you are smaller and slightly fitter when you are larger. Pick up a pair of denim jeans with stretch in the size you are now. Though you may only wear them a few weeks. You will be able to wear them often and will get your value from them. Consider buying some simple accessories like the popular oversized silver circle necklaces that are so hot right now or chandelier earrings.

Whatever you do, respect your body and dress it so you are comfortable and feel good!
Don’t be like Alice who I have heard turns down social events because she is waiting till she loses weight and has the right clothes! Dress yourself so you can participate in life!

~ MyLilBlackDress.com

My Lil Black Dress is all about fitting into your lil black dress, the one you have gathering dust in your closet or the one you will buying in the future. My Lil Black Dress is about losing weight, looking great and feeling terrific!  This site will cover weight loss technniques, dieting trends, tips and tricks, what works, what doesn’t, diet book reviews and more.

Welcome to My Lil Black Dress!

~ MyLilBlackDress.com