It has taken me a while to post this up to my blog, I bet you all were thinking that I caved and gave up on the challenge after Week 1 – thanks for having faith in me!

But no, I’m surprised even in myself to say that I didn’t give in. Yes, It’s been hard, as someone who loves chocolate to go a week without it is a test within itself, then to continue and go two weeks without it; I’m just as surprised as all of you are.

I was asked this question once; would I give up chocolate for a million dollars… I answered ‘Keep your million dollars and give me the chocolate’ I figured that my priorities were out of whack to choose chocolate over being a millionaire and live comfortably for life!

After deciding that there had to be another reason (apart from tasting so good) why I love chocolate so much, I headed over to the ‘Chocoholics Anonymous’ website to do their test to dig further into this want for chocolate.

Eleven questions are going to determine how bad my love for chocolate really is… Do you eat chocolate to feel better (YES), to avoid dealing with issues (YES), to avoid intimacy (cough, YES), when stressed (YES), do you love chocolate more than yourself (laughed at that one, but YES), to deal with your emotions (YES), do you crave chocolate (YES), use during time of the month (YES), get a rush eating chocolate and then feel sick (YES and YES), eat chocolate in good and bad times (YES), secretly eat chocolate (umm YES!)

The results are in; if I answered YES to at least six of these questions, “These are just a few of the signs that you might be a chocoholic and should seek our help immediately!!”

Hi, my name is Ange, and I’m a chocoholic.


WEEK 2…

Day 8
The headaches have stopped, I’m assuming my body is done rejecting the need for its typical chocolate daily hit. After seven days of shaking my way out of the shock of giving up chocolate, it has calmed down a bit now. That doesn’t mean I am in the clear, I’m still having my cravings and it’s difficult to see others eating chocolate; I stare at them with jealousy, and thoughts of ‘I’d kill for that chocolate right now!’

Day 9
I’ve been keeping myself busy, working and studying. It’s putting my mind onto other things which helps. I must stop watching TV, because the chocolate ads are tormenting me and there definitely wasn’t this many ads for chocolate when I was eating chocolate! They even brought out new kinds now, they waited until I started this challenge to announce it, of course.

Day 10
I have made it through to ten days: I’m proud of myself. I think most people I know are laughing at me, trying to attempt this test. They know me well and I’m scared that they know me better than myself… I feel them looking and pointing at me waiting until I open that cupboard door and dig out the chocolates! I’ve received text messages by friends to challenge my will power, telling me they’re eating a chocolate right now (so mean) But, I didn’t cave!

Day 11
If I bury my head into some vintage books to read and spend my time invested in my studies and work; I won’t think about it. My tummy misses the sugar, my brain misses the sugar, my body is tired and misses the sugar. I reach for the large packet of snakes, grabbing out four at a time, each time I walk past the kitchen drawer… I make excuses to go into the kitchen for no reason at all, just to pull out another four more snakes, repeating this again throughout the day, and night. Sugar, I need sugar!

Day 12
I just want to go back to January and wish I never came up with this stupid idea of the ‘Chocolate Challenge’ what kind of dumb idea was it to give up chocolates for a month. Who would do this, why would anyone do this to themselves? I’m struggling today, my mood is low, and my brain has absorbed so much in design work and writing course and if I could just have one little piece of chocolate it would help. I’m missing my beloved chocolate – now it’s really hitting me. 

Day 13
I’m aware that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I’ve been excited about it. Not because I have a partner to buy me chocolate but because It’s going to be the first Valentine’s Day ever in my life that I won’t be spoiling myself with chocolates. I know the day is coming and that is going to be the ultimate test. Will I get overwhelmed in the supermarket and end up buying some V Day items, teddy bear and a selection of my favourite chocolates. Will I cave, will I be tempered by the lure of the Valentine’s Day hype?

Day 14
Well, today is Valentine’s Day… usually I would have made the excuse to go out and stock up on my favourite chocolates and celebrate this day of love and show chocolate how much I love it – I Love You, Chocolate. But I’m happy to announce that I didn’t do it this time. Even my supportive eleven-year-old daughter said we shouldn’t get chocolate this time. We gave hugs instead and that was beautiful. We decided to order takeaway food instead to go with the hugs! That was an excellent idea I thought, haha

I have almost used all my Dine vouchers on junk food this month. Yes, I’ve not eaten any chocolate, however, I have failed the ‘eating better’ goal by replacing chocolate with KFC Tenders and Maccas Cheeseburgers – Fail, fail, fail.

Look out for the next blog for Week 3 “The Worry.”