HELP ADDICTED TO HERSHEY CHOCOLATE!!!!

[mina 27]

i havent had my surgery.. i'm looking at my eating habits now to see what the potential problems... they say you can't get addicted to chocolate but i swear i am. not a physical dependency but psychological. I am not addicted to just any chocolate just hershey's plain milk chocolate (i love all chocolate but i can decline them, just not the hershey).

i can't have it in moderation, i can eat a bag of hershey milk nuggets in two days . when i'm out and about, i'm good but when it's time to go home, if i know i don't have chocolate waiting for me, i feel uncomfortable. i've quit many times but always backslide when i'm stress. i notice if i had quit for a period of time, initially the taste is not that good but the more i eat the better it taste. when i'm stress, i dont want food, just chocolate. i can't pass a cvs store or other drug store without thinking of buying it.

one surgeon suggested the gastric bypass cause it will give me negative reinforcement if i eat chocolate, but the other side effects of the bypass were too much for me. what do you do when you have an addiction for a particular unhealthy food. i'm planning on quitting before the surgery but as mention before ive quit before.I DON'T WANT TO FAIL MY SLEEVE!!!!

[grannyk 58]

i havent had my surgery.. i'm looking at my eating habits now to see what the potential problems... they say you can't get addicted to chocolate but i swear i am. not a physical dependency but psychological. I am not addicted to just any chocolate just hershey's plain milk chocolate (i love all chocolate but i can decline them, just not the hershey).

i can't have it in moderation, i can eat a bag of hershey milk nuggets in two days . when i'm out and about, i'm good but when it's time to go home, if i know i don't have chocolate waiting for me, i feel uncomfortable. i've quit many times but always backslide when i'm stress. i notice if i had quit for a period of time, initially the taste is not that good but the more i eat the better it taste. when i'm stress, i dont want food, just chocolate. i can't pass a cvs store or other drug store without thinking of buying it.

one surgeon suggested the gastric bypass cause it will give me negative reinforcement if i eat chocolate, but the other side effects of the bypass were too much for me. what do you do when you have an addiction for a particular unhealthy food. i'm planning on quitting before the surgery but as mention before ive quit before.I DON'T WANT TO FAIL MY SLEEVE!!!!

Mina, it will be OK!! You are not the only person in the world addicted to chocolate, trust me. Both my daughter and i are also "addicted" and we have both been sleeved. She has lost almost 100 lbs over the last 10 months at a very steady rate and I was sleeved 4-14-11 and have lost about 20 lbs. Once you have been sleeved, gone through all the post-op diet regimen and begin adding in regular foods as you tolerate, you will be able to occasionally a piece or two of Hershey's without irreparable damage. There are probably some on this site that will have fits if they read this, but it is OK. Don't despair or beat yourself up. This is all about taking the journey together and learning how to live a whole new life. It's all good!!! Kathe

[Lila21 36]

Mina, have you been sleeved already? I found that right after sleeving, my taste for chocolate went away. It lasted for almost 3 months. Recently I tried chocolate and found that I liked it again, but I think if it's such a problem food for you, you might take the opportunity to stay away from it altogether. If you find you can't, there are other ways to make rules around trigger foods that make them easier to handle. For example, if I want a chocolate, I'll buy a single bite sized piece (like one of those ghiradelli chocolate squares), so that I'm not tempted to eat the whole bag. Other people I know keep their sweets at work or freeze them so they aren't as accessible. Hope that helps!

[mina 27]

I will be sleeve in june and stressing about failing it. this is the first time i'm having surgery so i really want this to work forever not just a few years. I've been evaluating my eating habits to see where i need to improve, there are many areas that needs it but this is my biggest challenge frankly.

Mina, have you been sleeved already? I found that right after sleeving, my taste for chocolate went away. It lasted for almost 3 months. Recently I tried chocolate and found that I liked it again, but I think if it's such a problem food for you, you might take the opportunity to stay away from it altogether. If you find you can't, there are other ways to make rules around trigger foods that make them easier to handle. For example, if I want a chocolate, I'll buy a single bite sized piece (like one of those ghiradelli chocolate squares), so that I'm not tempted to eat the whole bag. Other people I know keep their sweets at work or freeze them so they aren't as accessible. Hope that helps!

[MegInNOLA 531]

Mina, Hershey's makes a sugar-free chocolate Syrup that tastes EXACTLY like the regular chocolate syrup (and tastes like a Hershey bar). I put some in some milk and enjoy the tar out of it! Worst-case scenario, you can have a bit to lick off a spoon--no harm, no foul. sugar-free deliciousness!!

If your store doesn't carry it, perhaps they will order it for you, or you can mail order.

Cheers!

Meg

[cwalker 12]

i havent had my surgery.. i'm looking at my eating habits now to see what the potential problems... they say you can't get addicted to chocolate but i swear i am. not a physical dependency but psychological. I am not addicted to just any chocolate just hershey's plain milk chocolate (i love all chocolate but i can decline them, just not the hershey).

i can't have it in moderation, i can eat a bag of hershey milk nuggets in two days . when i'm out and about, i'm good but when it's time to go home, if i know i don't have chocolate waiting for me, i feel uncomfortable. i've quit many times but always backslide when i'm stress. i notice if i had quit for a period of time, initially the taste is not that good but the more i eat the better it taste. when i'm stress, i dont want food, just chocolate. i can't pass a cvs store or other drug store without thinking of buying it.

one surgeon suggested the gastric bypass cause it will give me negative reinforcement if i eat chocolate, but the other side effects of the bypass were too much for me. what do you do when you have an addiction for a particular unhealthy food. i'm planning on quitting before the surgery but as mention before ive quit before.I DON'T WANT TO FAIL MY SLEEVE!!!!

I feel your pain!!!!!! I love chocolate too and have grandkids that want it so I have to put it away from site in a cabinet with their names on the ziplock baggie. I won't eat it that way. Good Luck!

[Saved By The Sleeve 22]

Oh don't worry about it. I have been a chocolate lover since a child and an addict! LOL No matter what any of us say or tell you .....you will just have to see for yourself after surgery and laugh about it later.......but you will be so full most of the time that everything will be ok with your chocolate addiction. Before surgery I was one of the greediest women on the planet (seriously!). i am still greedy right now "in my head", but my stomach just won't allow it!!! However, my head cravings/greediness is getting a lot better. I don't bother too much with the SF chocolate type stuff because it gives me bathroom issues if you know what I mean. Plus it hasn't been necessary honestly.....after I have finished my meal and if my tummy feels okay, I "do" eat a couple of hershey's minatures or a reese's pb cup and KAZAAM I am full as a tic plus my craving is satisfied and gone. I had the regular/normal stall around my 3rd or 4th week, but other than that my weight loss has been pretty steady, fast and good without giving up chocolate all together. I think that the lack of good moderation and larger portions we were eating of it was the problem, but overeating is no longer a problem!

Good Luck

[meggiep 57]

I think after the sleeve if you always make sure to do as she does and eat your Protein first, you can;t hurt yourself with a wee bit of chockie! The way you will fail with it is to eat it alone as it will probably go down easily and as it dissolves to liquid in your mouth you will be able to hurt your progress with it.

[lsereno 2,525]

I am also worried about falling back into old habits once the honeymoon period is over. One way I deal with my problem foods pre-surgery is to not let them in the house. You will probably have a few months "grace period" post-surgery to come up with ways to deal with it. I would seriously consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to learn new ways to deal with stress.

My insurer (Kaiser Nor Cal) offers CBT classes at a discounted rate for members. I attended to learn some new ways to deal with depression. One of the first things I learned was to really listen to myself and how often I told myself negative things, things I would never say to another person. That simple lesson was worth the class, but we got a lot more besides that. I think CBT can be really helpful with eating disorders, although not helpful enough to prevent me needed surgery to get to a normal weight But for specific things like a serious Hershey jonesing, I think you might learn some techniques for dealing with it other than pulling into the nearest CVS.

You can learn more about CBT at the National Alliance on Mental Illness: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Treatments_and_Supports&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7952

And Meggie, I can't believe your date is already here! I will be sending healing thoughts your way tomorrow!

Lynda

[Margaret 4]

wishing you all good thoughts for your journey beginning tomorrow!

I think after the sleeve if you always make sure to do as she does and eat your Protein first, you can;t hurt yourself with a wee bit of chockie! The way you will fail with it is to eat it alone as it will probably go down easily and as it dissolves to liquid in your mouth you will be able to hurt your progress with it.

[ybnormal 21]

Mina, it will be OK!! You are not the only person in the world addicted to chocolate, trust me. Both my daughter and i are also "addicted" and we have both been sleeved. She has lost almost 100 lbs over the last 10 months at a very steady rate and I was sleeved 4-14-11 and have lost about 20 lbs. Once you have been sleeved, gone through all the post-op diet regimen and begin adding in regular foods as you tolerate, you will be able to occasionally a piece or two of Hershey's without irreparable damage. There are probably some on this site that will have fits if they read this, but it is OK. Don't despair or beat yourself up. This is all about taking the journey together and learning how to live a whole new life. It's all good!!! Kathe

I really wish my son could have the surgery with me, it would be a dream come true really! With that being said I'm SO glad you're both doing well!!!

About the addiction to chocolate, keep in mind that many of our tastes change and you may not want it at all after the surgery. Many people find things that are really sweet almost offending to the taste buds and especially early out.

There's also a theory that if you have cravings it's your body trying to tell you something, that you're lacking something. I would say Protein and a dose of healthy fat, in which case a spoonful of Peanut Butter eaten slowly might just curb that craving.

hope this helps

Renee`

[Becca 108]

You may be surprised at how your tastes change after sleeve surgery. I don't really like anything sweet anymore. I "think" I want it, but I can only have a bite or two of sweet stuff, including chocolate. You can drink the diet (sugar free) hot chocolate after surgery to help any cravings you have on the liquid post-op. Plus so many of the Protein Shakes and Protein Bars are chocolate flavored, so I don't think you will have a chance to miss it too much! LOL Good luck!

[Disney 20]

You may be surprised at how your tastes change after sleeve surgery. I don't really like anything sweet anymore. I "think" I want it, but I can only have a bite or two of sweet stuff, including chocolate. You can drink the diet (sugar free) hot chocolate after surgery to help any cravings you have on the liquid post-op. Plus so many of the Protein shakes and Protein bars are chocolate flavored, so I don't think you will have a chance to miss it too much! LOL Good luck!

I agree! One or two bites of something sweet and I just feel almost sick. I thought I would miss the sweets, but it doesn't even phase me now to leave them alone.

[fern 195]

Yup. Everything these guys have said. Allow it AFTER a meal that you've eaten all ur Protein and such. You'll only be able to get one or two in anyway. I go to a chocolate shop and buy ONE really good chocolate piece. Then there's no left over for me to chow down on even if I wanted to. You'll be fine. Your just stressing about the surgery ; )

[mina 27]

thanks guys for your support. i am hoping after surgery i won't care too much for it. i have stopped eating it (feels like forever but it has only been a few days ). i have to learn not to buy a bag of chocolate just because it's on sale, etc. i have to be hypervigilante cause i am determine not to fail.