when is it cheating?

I had chocolate today (a fair amount). Should i feel guilty? What do you consider cheating, or "breaking the diet" - please help, cause i am racked with guilt!

the first rule of dieting


it's not dieting.


it's a lifestyle change, it's a change of habbit.

if you eat chocolate daily, then it becomes a problem.

if you eat chocolate once a week, or once every two weeks, than your on the right track of living a good healthy life. chocolate once a week won't hurt your every day dieting, but it won't help. its neutral.

guilty feelings, no. unless you eat it tomorrow, and the next day and so on.

Cheers! Thanks!

Mmm chocolate. I'm having ice cream (healthy choice mint chocolate chip) tonight. But I don't feel guilty because I added it into my calories for the day and I'm not going over my recommended calories because of it. AND, I won't be goin' overboard and havin' it every night of the week. Sometimes you've just gotta allow that bit of chocolate or you might go completely off the wagon.

I've heard that if you consume an unusually large ammount of calories every so often (like once every 3 weeks or something) it keeps your metabolism guessing- maybe it will help?

If you don't binge every once in a while, you'll go crazy.  The best words of wisdom I've ever gotten on this website are these- "Just think about when you used to eat stuff like that all the time and not think twice about it!  You're doing fine!"

Forgive yourself and look forward.  We'd all go crazy if we cut out chocolate forever.  Keep on truckin'!

I am having a cup of hot chocolate....mixed with hot water and 2 tsp. of coffee mate.....allowed in my calorie count.....I have no guilty feelings (lol).

If I REALLY want chocolate..I eat it..like mentioned earlier I'm not really on a diet I'm on a lifestyle and I will not be misreable or deprived forever.. I log it always so its my own fault if dinner consists of 2 baby carrots and some lettuce..I use fiet hot choc by nestle 25 cals or mini kitkats for 80 cals if i have to..I havent eaten any chocolate for 2 weeks:) I have a real milkyway in the fridge who is now 14 days old..LOL..(his name is milky.His photo is on my profile!) Testing my willpower!!! Good Luck..it DOES get easier every day!!

Soxie - don't worry about the chocolate, like burks said, it's okay as long as you don't go overboard every day. I still allow myself to eat chocolate, I can't imagine going through life never eating it again! Everything is okay in moderation! Remember, it's not about falling off the wagon, it's about getting back on.

sweatsocks - you're right, it's a good way to boost your metabolism because it keeps your body guessing. I try to consume more calories every 6th day (works out being every friday or saturday)

A small amount of chocolate daily isn't even a real problem-so long as you are within your calorie allotment, and you're eating an otherwise healthy and balanced diet.

Never let yourself believe that it's all over if you go gonzo some day and eat a candy bar.  I'm a chocolate lover from waaaay back-hence the username-so I made a point of making it part of my eating plan as opposed as the enemy. That being said, I don't eat a whole candy bar at a sitting, they tend to last about a week.

It's all about moderation, and what's really important to you. I've not given up anything I really love to eat, just taken much smaller portions-or a taste- of them. I've lost 20lbs since the beginning of February, so I guess I'm still okay. lol

If you really need chocolate why not try one of thoe chocolate calcium supplements..I started with Citracal mint chocs last night..40 cals but the gave me 50% of the calcium I need..Plus 50% vit D for absorbtion. taste texture they are OK..but like diet soada and salad Ill get used to it. So If your gonna eat it make it worth something...

Don't call it cheating.  It's not.  Record the calories for the chocolate in your food log and move on.

I refuse to give up the things I love, but I know I must control these things by fitting them into my over all healthy eating plan.  Once in a while I have to have a little bit of chocolate.  So far I've been able to satisfy this craving with some sugar free chocolate pudding made with skim milk.

The real key is planning ahead.  You know what you crave, so have a healthy alternative on hand and ready.  Planning is 99% of success!

Claire

I too am eating way better than I ever have during the week- cutting way down on fast food- (I work right by a KFC, Applebee's, Sizzler, Jack in Box, Panama Bay Coffee, Togo's and Pizza Lovers-all in the same parking lot!!!) So, you can see why I used to eat a lot of fast food! I now bring my lunch to work- usually a frozen entree like South Beach- and a fruit and Inko's Hint o Mint tea- zero everything! But- I allow myself on the weekends to eat foods which I have been craving during the week- I don't go over board- just if the craving is still there on Saturday- then I will have it- I don't want to deprive myself- and food tastes sooo much better when you savor it and don't slam it down. And once you start getting into the habit of portion control and thinking before putting things in your mouth- you start to think twice about bingeing on the weekends- but I did read in Woman's World a few years ago about this woman who lost a ton of weight and she ate Big Macs every 6th day- it does surprise your metabolism into thinking ok- I guess you are giving me enough calories- so it starts to let go of some fat instead of hanging on to it- plus- add excercise and it comes off faster....

I ate a sackful of chocolate last weekend - the first to pass my lips since christmas. Guilty - not at all. I deserved it and know that, if I'm a good boy for another period I can have some again....or maybe cake. My point is I'm not dieting to punish myself and the only goals that are set are my own. So what if you stacked away a few chocs...so long as the overall trend is where you want to be. I bet you wouldn't beat up yourself if you were a few calories UNDER your target! Just get back on the programme and don't worry....we all get cravings....so long as its not everyday.....

For me, there is no such thing as cheating.
It doesn't exist.

I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want to.

The thing is, I don't want to over-eat so much that I don't like who I am.  And I don't want to "treat" myself so often that I can only eat a stalk of celery and glass of water for dinner. So I find a balance.

If I really want something, I eat a small amount of it - say, 1/3 of a donut or cookie - savor, and log it.  No guilt. And I'm totally satisfied.

And sometimes I am not tempted at all.  For example, I recently passed up a brownie saying, "I know what brownies taste like." That brownie didn't have anything to offer me at the moment. I wasn't having a chocolate craving, so I passed it up.

Even if I had a really high calorie day, I wouldn't call it cheating.  It was just a high calorie day and I need to compensate for it by eating less and working out more the next day.

It's only cheating, if you get caught...just kidding

Speaking of chocolate cravings, I recently discovered Santa Fe Farms Fat Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. I was skeptical, but they're really good! Just 80 calories for 4 reasonably sized cookies (28g total), no fat, low sodium, and 3g of fiber. They have many other varieties of both fat-free and sugar-free cookies as well, though I haven't tried those yet.

http://www.josephscookies.com/

Chocolate is good for you! Well, at least, the kind that's high in natural cocoa is good for you. It's rich in anti-oxidants and flavinoids.  Good for your heart, good for your mood. Check this out: http://www.chocolate.org/health/antioxidants. html
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarti cle.cfm/ID/3464/

Stay away from milk chocolate. It's full of added sugar. Personally, I find milk chocolate cloyingly sweet. However, if you're a fan of milk chocolate, you may need to acquire a taste for the dark stuff.

I buy organic chocolate with at least 71% cocoa content. And of course, as others have said, eat it sparingly.

oh yeah zeppocat!  i'm right there with you on that one.. lindt makes 70% dark chocolate in 30 calorie squares.. i eat one each day and it totally takes away the chocolate cravings and tastes awesome!  dark chocolate is the best.. milk chocolate tastes really bad to me now.. :)  

OMG I am so glad I found this post, Iv been on my calarie counting (non diet) I call it taking control of my eating habbits and getting healthy!!!
 I have lost 12 so far as of today and being tomorrow Sunday is my weekly weight in I hope to have lost more but when I read this about cheating on the "diet" I knew exactly how you felt, I pick 1 day a week to "cheat" but this week I had sushi and to add it to my food log isnt easy, It has taken me a long time to try to find the right product to add to get the calaries I "THINK" I ate, but not being sure put me into a GUILT beyond belief, I keep thinking My God Iv worked hard at keeping on track and now I go and blow it...
Is sushi really that bad for you??? Im totally confused with this, I also dont think I will be doing it again soon because I noticed I actually felt weighed down slow and lazy after eating it...is it becaus eof the rice?? I really dont touch high carb food, sugar foods, my salt on the other hand ugh...thats not easy to keep low its in everything we eat almost ugh!!!
PLEASE HELP any input is better then none!!!
thanks Heather

As long as you are not eating an obsene amount and you are working it into your daily calories then there is certainly no harm in eating a bit of chocolate. Denying yourself things like chocolate only leads to binge so keep going and you will be fine!!

Heather,

I think most people here are here because they have some issue or another with food. We all, including you, lose weight and do great things getting there because we get food under control, not the other way round. Crikey, I don't know how you can say, after losing so much weight, that you've 'blown it'. Look at my post about chocolate earlier - it still didn't stop me losing more weight. Don't fall in to older habits of emotion & guilt about food take control again. Eat it, love it, control it. It sounds to me that you are doing just fine. Hey, I'd be saying this even if you'd packed away a 16oz ribeye with chocolate fudge sauce.....As for worrying about sushi - about as healthy and low fat as anything I know. Sounds like the best 'binge' food I've ever heard of!

Oh, and weight loss is a rolller coaster. It can go up and down, but so long as the right behaviours are there for theend game, not the short term, then you will get there.  Andy