British diet author and editor Sally Ann Voak promises dieters that they can follow “The Chocolate Diet” and lose 7 pounds in two weeks.
The basic assumption of the diet is that it is unrealistic and potentially detrimental to attempt to eliminate chocolate completely from the diet. When chocolate is regarded as a food to strictly avoid during a diet this creates an increased desire for chocolate. When dieters eventually give in to their cravings they may overindulge which leads to guilt and this often results in giving up the diet completely.
Diet Basics
Voak created ‘The Chocolate Diet’ to enable dieters to break their addiction to chocolate and learn how to include chocolate in the daily diet without compromising weight loss.
Voak divide chocolate addicts into six categories and through a series of quizzes dieters can determine which category they belong to. Each category has a designated calorie controlled diet plan to follow that also includes specific dietary strategies and exercise recommendations.
The six categories of chocoholics include:
Secret Bingers
Eat chocolate in secret or hide it in unusual places.
Romantics
Often single people who use chocolate as a substitute for physical and emotional affection.
Comfort Eaters
Eat chocolate when they are feeling tired or stressed. This is the most common type.
Weekend Indulgers
Use weekends or celebrations as an excuse to overindulge in chocolate.
Sugar Addicts
Obtain most of their daily calories from carbohydrates and may eat chocolate as an energy booster when feeling tired.
Premenstrual Cravers
Women who overindulge in chocolate only at certain times during their monthly cycle.
All of the diet plans begin with a complete elimination of chocolate for one week. Voak claims that this allows dieters to control their cravings for chocolate. Following this initial week dieters are provided with a daily chocolate allowance.
Recommended Foods
Low calorie vegetables are permitted in unlimited amounts. The list of these ‘free vegetables’ includes asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, tomato and watercress.
Dieters are also suggests to drink skim milk every day and to replace coffee with herbal tea.
Different nutritional supplements are also recommended for each of the six types.
Sample Diet Plan
The meal plans provide 1000 calories per day in week one and 1200-1300 per day for week two and beyond. Men can have an extra 300 calories per day.
The plans vary for each category but in general include a 250-calorie breakfast, one or two small meals of around 300 calories, and one main meal of around 400 calories.
After the first week there is also a chocolate allowance between 50-300 calories per day.
Exercise Recommendations
The recommendations vary depending on what type of chocoholic you are.
Secret bingers, sugar addicts and premenstrual cravers are advised to walk briskly for at least 20 minutes every day in addition to being involved in a relaxing exercise such as swimming or yoga a couple of times a week.
Romantics and comfort eaters are advised to swim or do yoga several times a week.
Weekend indulgers are provided with the strategy to take up a sport such as golf or tennis and to do it often and especially on weekends.
Costs and Expenses
The cost of the book is $20.
Pros
Alleviates deprivation that is often experienced while dieting and this may increase the ability to stick to the diet plan.
Especially good for dieters who don’t want to give up chocolate or crave it every day.
If good quality dark chocolate is selected can provide a source of antioxidants in the diet.
Has an exercise component.
Promotes intake of vegetables.
Detailed maintenance plan.
Cons
Calorie allowances are too low for most dieters especially those who are very physically active.
Most dieters will feel hungry on this plan.
Some dieters may find that chocolate even in small amounts increases their cravings.
Lacking specific guidelines of how to select appropriate foods and plan meals.
Seven pounds of weight loss in one week is an unrealistic and unhealthy goal.
May not be helpful for dieters who do not crave chocolate.
Conclusions
If you are hoping to find a diet that allows you to eat chocolate all day and still lose weight you will be disappointed with this diet plan. This is basically a low calorie, low fat diet plan with small amounts of chocolate allowed daily.
Dieters will probably lose weight on this plan initially due to the combination of low calories and exercise however the long-term success of this style of diet plan has been shown to be unreliable for the majority of dieters.
