Do you struggle with multiple chocolate cravings every day? Maybe it is more likely to occur in the evening for you? Or between meals? Chocolate cravings are very common and there are ways that you can beat them too.
It can be so easy to grab a chocolate bar when the cravings sneak up on you, especially if you have it to hand. If you get cravings throughout the day, it’s also just as easy to grab a chocolate bar at work or on the go.
However, there are things you can do to reduce the amount that this happens. It might not seem like it, but you can stop chocolate cravings and stop them easily. We are going to look at 7 ways to stop chocolate cravings, but first, let’s take a look at what the causes of these cravings could be.
What Causes Chocolate Cravings?
There are quite a few reasons why people might experience cravings for chocolate. The reason can be different for everyone but there are some common causes of chocolate cravings that most people can experience.
These causes include:
- Magnesium in chocolate. - You could be lacking in magnesium if you are craving chocolate. This can be fixed by changing the chocolate for a natural magnesium supplement.
- Serotonin. - Chocolate can increase the serotonin in the brain, which helps with better mood and reduction of anxiety. You may be craving chocolate as it helps you to feel good.
- Blood sugar levels. - Sometimes, your blood sugar level might be quite low, which means you are more likely to crave chocolate to get more sugar into your system.
- Habit or Stress. - If you are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed, it’s easier to grab something to eat that makes you feel better.
These are just some of the causes of chocolate cravings, and they are the most common. Maybe you feel that all of these causes resonate with you, or maybe just one or two. Whatever the causes might be for you, there is still a way to stop your chocolate cravings.
How To Stop Craving Chocolate
Chocolate cravings are quite common, especially in women, but there are changes that you can make to your life that can help to stop your chocolate cravings from occurring. These changes can be made straight away and are easy to implement.
Here are 7 ways to stop craving chocolate.
1. Write It Down
One thing you can do that can help you to stop your chocolate cravings is to write down everything you eat throughout the day. This can help you to reflect on your eating habits throughout the day and maybe find any possible reason as to why you are now craving chocolate.
If you write down everything you ate during the day, then when you start craving chocolate, you can look back at the journal and see if there have been any changes in your diet or day that could cause these cravings.
Having a food diary can also help you to see if you are eating too much or too little - which could be another factor to consider.
2. Try To Keep Chocolate Out Of The House
It’s harder to eat something when you don’t have it, right? Well, that’s why making sure you don’t have chocolate in your house, or workplace is an incredibly easy way to make sure you can’t eat it.
You could instead, replace chocolate with healthier snacks and when you next feel a craving you will have the choice of a healthy option, rather than snacking on chocolate. If you are at work, or at home, and you have a bar of chocolate next to you then it’s going to be incredibly easy to grab it when you start craving it.
So, if it’s not there, that’s a big part of the problem gone - although it won’t stop the feelings of the craving (which we will talk about later), it will get rid of the possibility for you to eat chocolate.
3. Eat Regularly
When it comes to eating during the day, eating regularly can prove more beneficial than just eating fewer but bigger meals. If you eat big meals with nothing between them, it can cause you to feel more hungry than if you ate smaller amounts, more times a day.
If you eat more regularly through your day, such as a small breakfast at 8 am followed by a yogurt as a mid-morning snack, it can really help to curb your cravings. This can also help to stop you reaching for a quick and unhealthy snack when your chocolate cravings appear.
If you plan your snacks and meals throughout the day it can really help to curb your cravings and make it easier to choose healthier options.
4. Get Support
Everyone is different but some people might be craving chocolate and other certain foods due to stress or anxiety. When we feel stressed, we can crave certain foods that make us feel better (which chocolate can do) and this is why it’s important to have people who can support you with your stress.
Eating because of stress or anxiety can sometimes be referred to as ‘emotional eating’, and that’s why having people you can talk to about your emotions can stop this from happening as frequently.
If you can face the root of the problem (your emotions) then you should start to be able to see that the cravings are not the only solution. Having a support system can help you to work through your emotions and have people to talk to instead of just relying on food.
5. Reward Yourself
It doesn’t matter if the rewards are big or small as long as you have a reward to look forward to. This can give you the motivation you need to work on curbing your cravings. If you have gone a week without giving in to your cravings or eaten healthier food instead, you can give yourself a little reward.
This should help you to feel more positive, knowing that you can earn a reward for not giving up. Instead of seeing the chocolate as the reward, which is what we often do, you can focus on the real reward you can get if you keep trying.
The important thing is to not be too hard on yourself and try not to put yourself down if you make a mistake - you can’t be perfect all of the time.
6. Change Your Beliefs
One of the most powerful tools you can use to help stop chocolate cravings is your mind. When you have certain negative beliefs in your subconscious it can create problems with how you feel emotionally and also the actions you take.
You might crave chocolate because you are feeling down and think chocolate will cheer you up - this is where your subconscious beliefs come in. Your mind could even be the main thing that is holding you back from stopping the cravings.
Self-hypnosis can help you change your limiting or negative beliefs and replace them with positive and motivating ones. This can be great for trying to fight those chocolate cravings. Our ‘Curb Chocolate Craving’ hypnosis track aims to work directly on the subconscious to help rewire and replace any beliefs that could be holding you back from succeeding.
7. Get Up And Do Something
If you feel that you are struggling to stop your cravings or they suddenly appear from nowhere, try and change your environment/scenery as soon as you can. Even just getting up and going for a walk in the fresh air can help to curb your cravings.
Doing something like taking a walk or going for a run can help to distract you from your cravings and might even help you to realize why you are craving chocolate - maybe something is on your mind?
If you can try and do something different when you feel a craving for chocolate, it can help you to focus on something else and hopefully feel more positive too.
Curb Chocolate Cravings With Self-hypnosis
So, next time you are craving chocolate, hopefully, you can use one of these techniques to help you curb it. One of the most important things to look at first if your emotions and belief system. Do you think that you will only feel good if you eat chocolate? Maybe you think you need chocolate to get you through a stressful day?
These limiting beliefs could seriously be holding you back from stopping your chocolate cravings. Self-hypnosis can help to replace those beliefs with more positive ones and help you get back on track by stopping the chocolate cravings.
