How to Lose Weight and Still Eat Chocolate

lots of chocolateDo you have a sweet tooth like me?

Do you want to lose some weight, but hate to give up your beloved chocolate?

Well guess what, if you are careful you don’t have to! That is the magic word, CAREFUL.

I’m going to show you how to lose weight and still eat chocolate.

You will have to limit your chocolate to dark chocolate ONLY and use it as a treat and not a diet centered around chocolate. Be sensible and limit your amount to 1 or 2 squares per serving. And limit servings to a few times a week.

Dark chocolate has many health benefits including potassium, magnesium and calcium. So don’t put it on the no-no list.

Some of the benefits of dark chocolate may surprise you.

  1. Lower risk of diabetes
  2. Help reduce high-pressure
  3. Increase brain power
  4. It’s energizing
  5. Helps control blood sugar
  6. Great source of antioxidants

So if you want to eat chocolate, do so, but just make sure it’s the dark kind and not semi-sweet or milk chocolate variety or you will be just adding calories and no benefits.

Calories in calories out

If you want to indulge in chocolate make sure you pick the right kind. It needs to be dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has the highest cocoa content. It should be 60% cocoa, no added sugar and made with cocoa butter. Dark chocolate has the best nutritional value and the most antioxidants of any chocolate. It has the fewest calories and fat, less cholesterol.

Dark chocolate is like a fine wine. It should be savored and not inhaled. Eat slowly and enjoy like you would sip a fine wine.  Enjoy 1-2 squares at a serving a few times a week.how to lose weight and still eat chocolate

Also, check out chocolate drinks. There are many chocolate drinks that contain zero calories and they can satisfy your craving for something chocolate.  Read the labels, but as a precaution if it is mixed with milk, milk contains a lot of sugar, so take that into consideration.

Don’t Drink your calories

If you enjoy soda, pop, or tonic as it’s called in different regions of the country, that’s a big no-no if you want to lose weight.

It might seem innocent enough because it is less filling than food, but watch out,  there are a lot of hidden calories in these drinks. Something like 271 calories in a 8-10 ounce glass. Made from pure sugar, the calories will settle on your hips immediately.

Another no-no is juice, suppose to be the healthy alternative to cola, it has a very high sugar content with very little health benefits.

If you usually drink lots of soda and juice and give it up entirely, you could probably lose 3 to 5 pounds a month. Wouldn’t that be great.

Fiber is Your Friend

Start now indulging in more fresh vegetables and fruit. They are loaded with nutrients, they fill you up and are great for your digestive system. Once you get used to eating more fruit and vegetables, you will fill up quicker and stay full longer, not like junk food , which has no staying power.

Know when you are full

If you ever noticed most heavy people tend to eat very fast. Unfortunately they end up eating too much, because the stomach has not had time to signaled the brain that it is full.

It take some time for the brain to know that you are full, but if you eat fast, you can consume too many calories before the signal reaches the brain.

Some tricks to use that could help slow you down.

  1. Take small bites
  2. Chew completely before swallowing
  3. Use a smaller plate
  4. Put your fork down in between bites

Hopefully, these can help. Eating fast can be a hard habit to break, but it can be done. Remember a habit takes 3 weeks to make it second nature and 3 weeks to break a bad habit. But it is certainly worth the work.

Eat fewer times a day

The U.S. department of Agriculture recommends eating small meals throughout the day, but do we need to be constantly eating. Sometimes you need to give your digestive tract a rest.

That’s where intermittent fasting can be beneficial. If you can condition yourself to eating only once or twice a day it will definitely give you a big boost in the weight loss department.

Whenever we are eating we are putting out digestive system to work and if you eat many times a day you are putting a strain on your body. Our bodies don’t need to digest food all day long.

If you fast, even part of the day, you are giving your digestive system a rest. And as you continue to fast you will need less and less food to satisfy you.

Exercise

We all need to exercise, skinny or overweight. Exercise does not mean going to the gym and working out until you are exhausted. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and it’s great for the heart. Just 20 minutes a day does wonders for you, also, swimming which is gentler on the joints if a pool is available. So get off the sofa or couch and get moving and you will be surprised how much stronger you will be.

If this article was any help to you please comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible, Thanks, Deanna

 

 

 

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