In 2001, British writer Sally Ann Voak created the chocolate diet for people who just couldn’t see themselves giving up chocolates to lose weight. Add to that the prospect of eating pasta and popcorn. Sounds too good to be true? Not so according to Voak, who shows you exactly how to indulge your sweetest fantasy and still come out looking slim and fit.
The diet promises to help you lose 7 pounds in ten days. But, if you thought that the diet allows you to dive into cartons of delicious chocolates, think again. For the first week of the diet, chocolates are off limits. Instead, you prepare your body for the chocolate diet. In the meanwhile, you can avail of the quizzes provided and identify the kind of chocolate addiction you have (weekend eater, binge eater, romantic, pre-menopause addict etc). Stringent meal plans are laid out for each type of addict and the crux of the chocolate diet lies in following this meal plan to a ‘t’.
After the first week, you can eat 150 calories of chocolate every day. Out goes the large bar of milk chocolate, instead, bite into small bars if you want to stick to the calorie count. Voak asks you to exercise caution while choosing your dark fantasy.
You are allowed 6 mini meals a totaling to 1,000 calories a day, including a powdered chocolate health drink that you can make at home. Keep away from like fried foods, oily foods, oily fruits (like avocados and coconuts), red meats, nuts, caffeine and carbonated drinks.
Exercises are given their due importance in the chocolate diet. See more good Saint-Tropez diet.
The chocolate diet: a review
The basic premise of the diet is to take in chocolates in limited quantities because:
A) Chocolate is loaded with antioxidants ad is good for you
B) A daily dose of chocolate arrests feelings of deprivation that dieters generally experience. By allowing a free reign, you have all the more reason to stick to this diet
No one can dispute the above facts. Chocolate, particularly the dark variety, has the power to fight blood pressure and prevent heart problems. However, the Chcolate Diet operates on severe calorie restriction. It stands to reason that if you are taking in sufficient calories through chocolates, you will have to sacrifice elsewhere in order to stick to your allowed quota of calories. To accomplish this, the chocolate diet recommends the use of powders to meet the nutritional requirements of the body and leans heavily on low calorie foods.
Pros:
- Useful for chocolate addicts
- Alleviates feelings of deprivation associated with diets
- Dark chocolate has a host of health benefits
- Includes detailed meal plans
- Emphasizes the importance of exercise
- Includes a maintenance plan
Cons:
- Highly restrictive and can lead to bingeing
- Recommends use of powders and pills
- Eating chocolates regularly might increase the craving for chocolates
- Aimed only at people who like chocolates
- Stringent meal plans
- Unhealthy weight loss target
As diets go, this seems to be one more that has been developed around the narrow needs of a population that cannot shake off unhealthy eating habits. Try it if you simply cannot do without chocolate. But, permanent results are hard to come by with such a diet plan.