The last few days I have done a lot of walking as I gained a few kilos whilst Thailand eating the 99 baht big breakfast's etc 

 

Today I decided to eat healthy and cooked chicken 

But...half way through I developed a sweet tooth 

I craved chocolate 🍫 

 

We have this brilliant app in Australia called Milkrun similar to Grab delivery where usually within 30 minutes they deliver "junk food" to you 

 

I got onto milkrun to arrange a delivery of Kit Kats, Snickers and Caramello bears out 

As soon as it arrives I ate the whole lot for my dinner 

 

I felt good 

The question is why did I crave it ?

 

People crave chocolate or sweets because it gives your brain a quick hit of feel-good chemicals. Sugar boosts dopamine and serotonin, so you get that little lift.

If your blood sugar’s low or you’re tired or stressed, your body wants quick energy, and sweet stuff delivers it fast. That’s why it feels so satisfying in the moment.

Hormones play a part too—stress  can ramp up the urge. And a lot of it’s just habit.

You’ve trained your brain to see chocolate as a comfort.

I don't call Snickers & co "chocolate". 

 

I do like chocolate. But then dark with more cocoa with higher flavanol. Or cocoa powder with hot milk and honey. Is of course also sugar. But better than a snickers for sure.

I only eat 70% cacao chocolate now, (ex Snickers addict) unless at a coffee shop and order a pastry with chocolate, which is rare, as I try to avoid higher sugar content desserts.

 

Once eaten, (Cacao snob) you can't go back to the crap they pass off as chocolate ...

 

 

 

@KhunLA I tend to make my own pastries and sweetmeats, as otherwise everything is laden with refined sugar and the chocolate, only chocolate coloured.

 

Usually I add only half the sugar of any recipe and use Brown sugar with molasses instead of white. More flavour and depth and still sweet. 

For chocolate fillings I use Ritter Sport 61% or similar. If I have nothing else in, I might use one of my Single Origin Ecuadorean Dark Chocolate (with 75% cacao mass) for Almond Croissant with Chocolate. This way you can taste and enjoy every ingredient, rather than the whole thing being overly sweet.

 

 

On 10/8/2025 at 2:56 AM, georgegeorgia said:

whilst Thailand eating the 99 baht big breakfast's etc 

 

99 Baht gets you a small breakfast, not a BIG one. 

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

 

99 Baht gets you a small breakfast, not a BIG one. 

Nickys 

21 hours ago, CharlieH said:

People crave chocolate or sweets because it gives your brain a quick hit of feel-good chemicals. Sugar boosts dopamine and serotonin, so you get that little lift.

If your blood sugar’s low or you’re tired or stressed, your body wants quick energy, and sweet stuff delivers it fast. That’s why it feels so satisfying in the moment.

Hormones play a part too—stress  can ramp up the urge. And a lot of it’s just habit.

You’ve trained your brain to see chocolate as a comfort.

I think I’m stuck in this cycle, is there a way to break the stress to chocolate pattern?

1 minute ago, falangUK said:

I think I’m stuck in this cycle, is there a way to break the stress to chocolate pattern?

I think Charlie is right 

It's my body's coping mechanism 

I was due to start work at 11pm that night I had no motivation or energy felling depression and I kept thinking of the poor farangs living alone in small rooms on Pattaya 

4 minutes ago, falangUK said:

I think I’m stuck in this cycle, is there a way to break the stress to chocolate pattern?

Many trade one addiction for another., especially if their will power is weak. Fruits help, as they're sweet and natural. Nothing wrong with comfort, as long as it isn't harming your health. 

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

I think Charlie is right 

It's my body's coping mechanism 

I was due to start work at 11pm that night I had no motivation or energy felling depression and I kept thinking of the poor farangs living alone in small rooms on Pattaya 

I wouldn’t worry too much about them. Imagine being stuck in Europe during a harsh winter  I’d rather be cramped in a matchbox in Pattaya any day, lol.

Just now, fredwiggy said:

Many trade one addiction for another., especially if their will power is weak. Fruits help, as they're sweet and natural. Nothing wrong with comfort, as long as it isn't harming your health. 

I’ve tried using willpower,  it’s never worked for me. I rely on a completely different approach that doesn’t involve willpower at all. It’s more about building simple but effective habits. That’s how I quit smoking over 20 years ago and gave up alcohol 10 years ago. I even quit sugar for a year, though it’s crept back in a bit. I don’t binge anymore, but I still have a couple of chocolate éclairs with a Belgian chocolate fondant on top every other day. Still, it’s frustrating not being able to completely cut sugar out.
 

3 minutes ago, falangUK said:

I’ve tried using willpower,  it’s never worked for me. I rely on a completely different approach that doesn’t involve willpower at all. It’s more about building simple but effective habits. That’s how I quit smoking over 20 years ago and gave up alcohol 10 years ago. I even quit sugar for a year, though it’s crept back in a bit. I don’t binge anymore, but I still have a couple of chocolate éclairs with a Belgian chocolate fondant on top every other day. Still, it’s frustrating not being able to completely cut sugar out.
 

When I started I listened to the champ bodybuilders and their books, what I should and shouldn't eat. I liked sweets but gave them almost completely up. I wanted to stay lean as possible and i did for 50 years sticking to that. I'll grab a piece of good chocolate now and then, eat pizza occasionally and cheeseburgers, but no fried foods or junk. I got into the habit early for a reason and it's been easy all along. Many don't have will power so they have to adjust like you did. Never smoked besides weed occasionally and drink very little, although I was into wine all the years. The less you eat, the less you'll crave. Going cold turkey works for some, but doing it gradually works for others, and you don't feel like you're depriving yourself. 

Here's 2 ways to help you avoid the crap and temptations.

... eat a full meal before shopping, never shop when hungry

... do NOT go down the candy/chocolate aisle, or the processed junk food aisle

 

If you don't buy it, and not in the house, you can't snack on it.

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I only eat 70% cacao chocolate now, (ex Snickers addict) unless at a coffee shop and order a pastry with chocolate, which is rare, as I try to avoid higher sugar content desserts.

 

Once eaten, (Cacao snob) you can't go back to the crap they pass off as chocolate ...

 

 

 

Interesting, I bought a bag of this Bestmate 70 Dark to make chocolate chip cookies but I have yet to make them. So, do you like them?

Just now, Keep Right said:

Interesting, I bought a bag of this Bestmate 70 Dark to make chocolate chip cookies but I have yet to make them. So, do you like them?

I eat them right out of the bag, as I would any chocolate bar or snack.   Actually, I weight out 65 grams a day in the morning, and eat them throughout the day, as my sweet tooth snack, about 5 days at a time.  Polished off a bag this week, and got 3 more in the fridge.

 

Then give it a break for a few days, as not the cheapest chocolate.   Today my sweet tooth break is pineapple & papaya, and also fairly healthy choices.

 

Reason being (for cacao), 40-50gr of cacao daily simulates stem cell growth by about 2X, which hopefully does a bit of cell repair during the day and or during my overnight fast.  Hopefully healthy benefits, along with satisfying my sweet tooth, and definitely a healthier choice than something with higher sugar content.  And they're damn tasty.

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I only eat 70% cacao chocolate now, (ex Snickers addict) unless at a coffee shop and order a pastry with chocolate, which is rare, as I try to avoid higher sugar content desserts.

 

Once eaten, (Cacao snob) you can't go back to the crap they pass off as chocolate ...

 

 

 

 

How do you eat them? Straight or baked into something?

10 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

How do you eat them? Straight or baked into something?

Just straight.  Always think about making brownies, but then that's just added carbs & sugar, and the chocolate pieces alone satisfy my sweet tooth.   Besides, I can't walk past brownies when I make them, and they don't last a day or so.  So I talk myself out of making brownies kind of easy, same with cookies.

 

I bake a cheesecake every now & then, way less carbs & sugar, and limit myself to a nice slice per day, and that lasts a week usually.  12 slices for wife & myself, and much healthier than a plate of brownies, lasting a day or so.

 

All takes a bit of will power, but having healthier snacks makes it easier to avoid the unhealthier ones.  Fats & protein last longer than carbs & sugar, less peak & crashing, only to hit the sugar again.

 

My last meal, snack of the day, usually bowl of corn flakes w/blueberries, while watching torrents, before 8 pm, and a better option than that tube of Pringles.   That starts my overnight fast, till breakfast, near noon the next day.

On 10/8/2025 at 2:30 PM, CharlieH said:

People crave chocolate or sweets because it gives your brain a quick hit of feel-good chemicals. Sugar boosts dopamine and serotonin, so you get that little lift.

If your blood sugar’s low or you’re tired or stressed, your body wants quick energy, and sweet stuff delivers it fast. That’s why it feels so satisfying in the moment.

Hormones play a part too—stress  can ramp up the urge. And a lot of it’s just habit.

You’ve trained your brain to see chocolate as a comfort.

Partly right.

If it would be only the chocolate what your body is asking for, then it would be easy to buy chocolate with more than 80% cacao. However, that's not satisfying. The trick of the food companies is not only to add sugar. This would give a not good taste. So they chose FAT as a carrier. And this, sugar plus fat gives the combination to get used to the product and gaining weight. 

If you buy products with less "sugar" but Fructose, you should know, that the name doesn't have anything to to with Healthiness (fruits), because it's just half of Glucose. 

I would eat a green apple. Lot of liquid, good for digestion (don't peel) and a hint of sweetness. It's not easy to gain weight by eating green apples.

4 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

When I started I listened to the champ bodybuilders and their books, what I should and shouldn't eat. I liked sweets but gave them almost completely up. I wanted to stay lean as possible and i did for 50 years sticking to that. I'll grab a piece of good chocolate now and then, eat pizza occasionally and cheeseburgers, but no fried foods or junk. I got into the habit early for a reason and it's been easy all along. Many don't have will power so they have to adjust like you did. Never smoked besides weed occasionally and drink very little, although I was into wine all the years. The less you eat, the less you'll crave. Going cold turkey works for some, but doing it gradually works for others, and you don't feel like you're depriving yourself. 

That’s a solid mindset and impressive discipline over the years. You’re right, once you build those habits early, it really does get easier to maintain. I’m the same with sweets , I used to love them, but now I don’t even crave them much. I think balance is key, like you said, having the occasional treat without going overboard. 

4 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Here's 2 ways to help you avoid the crap and temptations.

... eat a full meal before shopping, never shop when hungry

... do NOT go down the candy/chocolate aisle, or the processed junk food aisle

 

If you don't buy it, and not in the house, you can't snack on it.

Thanks, that’s really practical advice. I’ve found the same thing shopping on a full stomach makes a huge difference. Avoiding those aisles is such a simple but effective trick too. Definitely going to stick with this

49 minutes ago, falangUK said:

Thanks, that’s really practical advice. I’ve found the same thing shopping on a full stomach makes a huge difference. Avoiding those aisles is such a simple but effective trick too. Definitely going to stick with this

 

 

I think those aisles should be roped off outside school hours.......the sort of reverse of the restrictions on alcohol.

 

 

I think zero tolerance is the only way; I never look at the confectionary, cereal, bread or alcohol aisles.

On 10/8/2025 at 1:56 PM, georgegeorgia said:

The last few days I have done a lot of walking as I gained a few kilos whilst Thailand eating the 99 baht big breakfast's etc 

 

Today I decided to eat healthy and cooked chicken 

But...half way through I developed a sweet tooth 

I craved chocolate 🍫 

 

We have this brilliant app in Australia called Milkrun similar to Grab delivery where usually within 30 minutes they deliver "junk food" to you 

 

I got onto milkrun to arrange a delivery of Kit Kats, Snickers and Caramello bears out 

As soon as it arrives I ate the whole lot for my dinner 

 

I felt good 

The question is why did I crave it ?

 

You are pregnant

The grim reaper of diabetes will come calling for sure ,leg shortening follows 

Troll post & reply removed 

@Bday Prang

On 10/8/2025 at 1:56 PM, georgegeorgia said:

Kit Kats, Snickers and Caramello bears out 

As soon as it arrives I ate the whole lot for my dinner 

I ate half a packet of Tim Tam's the other day 😂

On 10/9/2025 at 12:29 PM, JakeC said:

For chocolate fillings I use Ritter Sport 61% or similar.

Last year in Lotus it was 89 or sometimes 79 for a 100gm block. Bht 129 this week.

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I ate half a packet of Tim Tam's the other day 😂

Can't find these in Thailand 

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

Can't find these in Thailand 

Villa Market 

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Po31uX9gdEQEoEeJA

 

 

Well, they won't be on Soi 6, maybe 7-11 on Walking St, if one over there.  I never have a problem finding, but then, I leave the house once in a while