Why Protein Bars Are Better Than Chocolate

Ok, so in reality, nothing beats chocolate. Chocolate has been sold to us as a rich and satisfying comfort food to rival none. It has been afforded an exotic sensuality by advertisers through the ages and we have even been assured that we can be "chocoholics" and therefore abandon all responsibility for our chocolate cravings. Clever marketing.

Chocolate is one of those foods that has assumed the mantle of guilty pleasure; a bribe, a reward, a gift, a treat, a necessary luxury.

This "chocolate is the best thing in my life" relationship has to change for you if you are to succeed in your weight control diet for life. Chocolate can no longer be your cosy fireside best mate. Chocolate is going to have to become either a distant friend whose company you enjoy rarely or a nodding acquaintance who has no real place in your life.

It is the high fat and sugar content of chocolate that makes it so delicious and moreish. The texture, the smell and the taste of chocolate are all highly attractive.

Protein bars may seem like a poor substitute for chocolate at first bite, but be assured, you will get used to the slightly different taste and learn to appreciate the flavour. Give your tastebuds time and a period of crossover from one product to the other and believe me, you will enjoy a protein bar, especially after your daily walk or workout.

If you are a person who eats a chocolate bar as a pick me up in the afternoon to give you an energy boost (did you skip lunch again?) have second thoughts. Unless you are lost on a snow covered peak waiting to be rescued by Sven the blonde ski instructor or Big Hans the slobbery dog with the brandy barrel (depending on your fantasy) you should not consider chocolate as an energy food. Sure, the sugar will give you an instant energy hit, but the saturated fat will more than negate the positive effects. Reach for a protein bar instead.

Protein bars will give you the satisfaction of eating a little treat without the guilt feelings that follow soon after a sweet, plump chocolate (or three) has slid smoothly down your gaping throat.

Apart from the lack of guilt, protein bars also lack a lot of calories, fat and sugar, which is after all what we are looking for on a weight control diet. Protein bars have very limited amounts of carbs and as the name implies are a terrific source of protein, which is great for muscles and fitness and building immunity to illnesses.

Unlike chocolate, (the more your eat, the more you want) protein bars will make you feel full. Not that familiar "I couldn't eat another thing, not even a wafer thin after dinner mint" bloated and bulging type full, but pleasantly full. Full but able to do some more work or play or exercise type full. As with any food you eat, you do need to give your stomach about 20 minutes to realise that it has indeed been fed before it stops demanding attention.

If you eat chocolate every day, but really want to lose weight, then the daily chocolate fix has to go. Consider the humble protein bar as an alternative. When I started my weight control diet, I could not imagine life without chocolate (or alcohol, but that's another story). It took me about 6 weeks to wean myself off an ever decreasing daily chocolate portion. It took around 6 months before I stopped craving the chocolate that I knew lay in wait on the bottom shelf of the pantry. Cravings can be beaten.

Nowadays, I rarely eat chocolate, I rarely think about chocolate and I can walk past a table groaning with all manner of chocy treats and not have my stomach leap hopefully at the table like a ravenous Labrador. I may eat a small amount of chocolate once or twice a week at most and when I do, I counter the calorie effects by doing a bit more exercise.

I eat one to two protein bars a day. I don't crave them, but I do enjoy them and I can feel them doing me good. If you are prepared to cut down or give up chocolate, your weight control diet will be much easier and more achievable. It's really not that big a sacrifice for the reward of a slim body and a healthy lifestyle.