Chocolate Fix

I won't go so far as to say it's a non-negotiable, but I love sweets, and in particular, chocolate. Even thought I've always known the "moderation is key" mantra, my actions have not been in concert with this, as noted in my numerous all-or-nothing weight loss attempts. Some of them more successful than others, yet I wind up back here. Now chocolate isn't my only vice, but I find a sense of normalcy...a "ahh, I can do this" moment if I'm able to have a bit every now and then. And that's just me. Maybe for you it's different. I'm not here to judge anyone, I have friends whose thing is having a few brews. And that's cool too. You do YOU. That's what we all gotta do to win at this game.

So anyway, I still wanted to make sure that what I eat is fairly responsible, and of course, logged in my fitbit app and all. Here are my latest go-to chocolaty treats that seem to do the trick and don't end up having me rummaging through the cupboards or refrigerator late at night looking for something sweet, and the girls saying "heyyyy, who ate my -insert afterschool bus snack here-, they were just here yesterday!!"

Nothing fancy here, but here goes. And you might notice this list isn't filled with all-natural items. These are just simple off-the-shelf candies that won't break the calorie bank, should you choose to indulge on common, grocery store chocolates. Well...one of them isn't so common but whatevs

Hershey's Take 5 Candy Bar:







Now I'm the first one to dog out all these candy companies and their new-fangled items and flavors, however, the first time I noticed this on the shelf maybe about 10 years ago (?not sure?) I knew this one was a keeper. Chocolate/caramel/pretzels? What's not to love. There are two little bars in a pack (think 100 Grand bar style), so it feels like something extra. The sweet-n-salty combo hits the spot for me.




The damage? Just 200 calories. Dignity restored. (If you somehow have the ability to eat just 1 at a time, well then you've knocked it down to 100.)

Toffifay:

If you spent anytime aware of chocolate treats in the 70's, you might recall these treats. Hazelnut, nougat, caramel and chocolate? Sure, why not.




I think these come from Germany and they're not as easy to find anymore. Strange the world market has made it such that other foreign candies (ie Toblerone) are found just about anywhere. Anyway, the chewy outside, the firmness of the hazelnut and the mixture of caramel and chocolate do it for me.






Each rectangular box includes 4 of these, and even if you eat your sweets hella quick like me, this is not something you just shove down.

What will these 4 pieces set you back? A mere 170 calories. That'll work!

Pretzel M&Ms:





Sometime around the same time I noticed the Take 5 pretzel-infused glory, along came Pretzel M&Ms. Always a fan of M&Ms (and they NEVER should have stopped making the light brown M&Ms), I've NOT been so affectionate to the spinoffs. A purist at heart, I don't even get down with the Peanut M&Ms. Then came the almond...mint...coconut...dark chocolate...and holy crap a few seasons ago, the CANDY CORN M&Ms which are horrendous. And I'm one of those weird people in society that LOVES candy corn. But these disastrous M&Ms taste like engineered glucose. (I don't know what that would taste like exactly, but it can't be good.) Anyhoo...Let me divulge something. For years I've been attempting to make the perfect M&M/pretzel bit cookie at home and I've never quite gotten the right mix together to my liking. (I'm picky when it comes to creating recipes. And plus I'm hardpressed to call a candy cookie an actual recipe...a concoction maybe...but I digress.) When I saw these hit the shelves I smiled. Why? Because clearly my taste combo was on to something. Something that the candy companies had even deemed legit. I'm DEAD SERIOUS that I think I could come up with taste combinations and various menu items for some companies. It would be a dream job, quite frankly.




Anyway, these little suckers are NOTHING like M&Ms, so you can get that thought outta your head. The consistency is vaguely similar to that of a Whopper candy, except a bit smaller. What I love most about this? Big taste of chocolate even though hardly any of it is actually chocolate.

Another lovable fact? Grab a bag of these and you'll clock out with a mere 150 calories. That right, ladies and gents. Just 150 calories and your chocolate fix is good!

Last but not least, I have an oldie but a goodie for you.


Did somebody say fudgesicles?!

The no sugar added ones will run you 40 calories a piece. (No sugar added is NOT the same as sugar free, so don't make that face.) Some other fudgesicles are around 60. Yes, that's right friends. You can stop buying the "weight loss brand" ice cream treats for chocolatiness that cost like $5 for 4 servings, because these little babies you used to eat when you were kids weren't actually that bad in the calorie department. So with 40 calories a piece, if binge-eating sweets is your thing, you aren't hurting anybody by eating 4 or 5 of them. Ok ok ok, you MIGHT wanna get a handle on that, but I'm just saying. If accidentally you woke up in the morning and saw 4 wrappers next to you, it was still less than a Take 5 candy bar. IJS. Not encouraging it, IJS. But really, while I'm not in to preaching here, that's something you probably/may wanna address. :)

Anyway, if you think a little chocolate might keep you from going ballistic some night, maybe one of these treats will do the trick. Or search out others, I'm sure there are more. These are just the ones I've found.

Do you have any favorites that you indulge on that help you keep your insanity as you move your way down the scale?

Alrighty...goodnight!