My Diet Makes Me Eat Chocolate😜

Are you one of those people asking, how can eating chocolate be part of a healthy diet? Well, here's the secret to how I did it:

• creamed/ smoothly blended cottage cheese, preferably low calorie

• low calorie chocolate protein powder

With those 2 seemingly odd partners, the magic can begin. These form the basis for a high protein, low calorie dessert - what's not to love!

Recipe for Magic

I started with a recipe by The Best Cottage Cheese Edible Cookie Dough - Lifestyle of a Foodie

• 8 oz cottage cheese

• ⅔ cup almond flour

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoon maple syrup

• ½ cup chocolate chunks

However I made some modifications to fit with my not-a-diet but more like a concerted effort to eat-more-protein-while-in-a-caloric-deficit eating pattern (eeek that sounds like a diet but isn't for reasons I'll cover in a future post ;-). In addition to using low calorie versions of cottage cheese and protein powder, the corners I cut include:

• low calorie almond flour (more expensive but the calorie bomb of regular almond flour gave me a shock. As a side note, the author of the recipe wrote that using almond flour made it gluten free. Personally I'm curious if regular flour will work or in some combination with almond flour).

• chocolate protein powder cause it was on my shelf, whereas vanilla protein powder wasn't on the local shop's shelf plus I wasn't sure if I would like the recipe... I mean blended cottage cheese and protein powder, really?!?! But, yes, the plot twist worked wonders.

• half the amount of maple syrup and then added a splash of liquid sweetener.

The first time I made it, I gradually added the flour which turned into good opportunities for me and my teen boy to taste it 😜. And that resulted in a few discoveries:

• used less almond flour than the recipe required because we felt it was getting mealy

• in future versions, I added even less flour and it was then more like a cream filling or icing.

When I make the cookie dough version, I eat it with dark chocolate and almond chunks. It is a heavy dessert so a small portion is satisfying. With the icing version, I spread it on plain cookies like digestive biscuits.

And Like Magic, The Weight Disappeared

It's awkward but I have to confess, I'm not a big chocolate fan so in that way my not-a-diet really did make me eat this chocolate dessert everyday (and even when I needed a blog writing snack, what did I turn to...😋). The reason is I struggled to obtain my daily protein goal of 30% of my caloric intake which is ideal for the body re-composition I'm aiming for (mainly more visible muscle and less visible fat). Previously, I ate a lot of beans, almost to an extreme like making tortillas from lentils topped with pea pate, to boost my protein levels. But simultaneously that upped my carbs - not tragic but countered my objective. Then I started to eat a lot of meat, specifically chicken, but that added to my fat macros. There is no such thing as "bad" calories so I won't shame my fat macros but my goal is higher protein intake.

In comes the alchemy of blended low fat, high protein dynamic duo of cottage cheese and protein powder. I started as being "forced into" having a daily dessert, especially cause I ALWAYS thought desserts didn't align with my goals; whereas, now it is a tasty highlight of my day. And though lentil tortillas are good, they are no competition for 2 digestives with chocolate icing!!! In the weeks after I started on this not-a-diet journey, I lost just short of 2lbs/ 1kg per week... I was aiming for half that in order to also have enough caloric energy for playing tennis and all my other fitness activities.

And it's not just me - my teen loves it and I feel good that it's a healthy snack, cause to be honest the boy can eat!!! When I serve it to guests, they ask for the recipe💜. Then I have to admit it's blended cottage cheese (still weird to me but there it is).

Why You Should Consider Performing This Alchemy

When we go on a diet, we often restrict ourselves from consuming certain foods that we consider unhealthy or fattening. This depravation often leads to a psychological response known as the "forbidden fruit effect." This effect makes us crave the restricted food even more and can lead to binging when we finally indulge.

Instead, adding chocolate into your diet is a healthy choice. To quote The Harvard Gazette writing about a study of 19 postmenopausal women who either ate 100g of chocolate in the morning or at night.

• "Morning or nighttime chocolate intake did not lead to weight gain;

• Eating chocolate in the morning or in the evening can influence hunger and appetite, microbiota composition, sleep and more;

• A high intake of chocolate during the morning hours could help to burn fat and reduce blood glucose levels.

• Evening/night chocolate altered next-morning resting and exercise metabolism."

Basically, chocolate DID NOT cause weight gain and actually lead to a "reduction in hunger, appetite and the desire for sweets." Wowzers!

But there is a "but" to this...

• Plan ahead for a moderate amount and stick to it. Desserts and snacks become a problem when they are On Top Of your calorie intake (read +++). But totally ok when it's a considered integral part of your sustainable healthy eating. And switching your mindset to get away from any "all or nothing" thinking can help break the "forbidden fruit effect."

• Although dark chocolate (70+% cacao) has higher calories, it has higher overall nutritional values. Less chocolate, the more space for milk and sugar.

• Try to use chocolate protein powder in recipes whenever possible.

• Be aware that baking with chocolate in its self isn't a problem but can become calorie bombs because of the butter and sugar. So if it gives you joy yet you aim to lose weight, then cut a few extra calories from elsewhere in your diet and allow yourself a treat.

Yeah you CAN satisfy your chocolate cravings and enjoy chocolate guilt-free without sacrificing your weight loss goals🎉. What's not to love!

You Might Enjoy These Articles

• How to Eat Chocolate to Lose Weight - by LiveStrong

• You Googled, 'Can You Eat Chocolate On A Diet?" - by Women's Health

• Chocolate Diet: Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight - by FreeDieting

• Eat the chocolate, lose the weight? - by The Harvard Gazette

How Was It? Did You Add Any Special Touches To The Recipe?

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