The Sure Fire Cure For Chocoholics
Dr. Paul Lanthois
December 01, 2008
Zara was my first patient for the morning and I was trying to have a rational conversation with her about her excess sugar consumption. "But if someone offers me chocolate, I just canīt resist," she replied after having previously agreed with every logical point that had about the dangers of sugar. But it was her facial expression of absolute delight and ecstasy that convinced me that I might as well have a logical conversation with the wall.
Like many people, Zaraīs craving for sugar and chocolate in particular was more an emotional coping mechanism. Chinese medicine highlights the relationship between the pancreas (the main organ that controls your sugar levels) and the emotion of low self-esteem. So it is interesting that we commonly resort to chocolate and sugary treats when we are feeling bad about ourselves.
When I realized that logic was not going to help I decided to use Zaraīs body as an ally. I was going to use it to help create a new emotional experience around chocolate. Currently when Zara thought of chocolate she thought of comfort, pleasure and she regarded chocolate as her ideal reward. Eating chocolate was something that she could do that others were powerless to stop. As long as anyone associates these kinds of thoughts to chocolate it would be virtually impossible to change their minds logically. Thatīs where the Chocoholic Diet comes in
"Are you open to go on the Chocoholic diet, Zara?"
She looked at me suspiciously.
"What does it involve?"
"For the next three days you eat nothing but chocolate?"
"Oh I could do that easily, "she exclaimed initially. "This isnīt going to put me off chocolate is it?"
I thought for a moment of how to phrase it in a way that was accurate but it wouldnīt put off a chocoholic from participating. (Because essentially the purpose of this diet is to break their dependency on chocolate)
I carefully chose my words.
"This will help normalize your bodyīs awareness of sugar and chocolate so that you can consume chocolate at healthier levels in the future." I then held my breath in anticipation.
"Ok," she said what do I have to do.
"Firstly I need your permission to contact your workplace to let your colleagues know that you are on a chocolate only diet for the next three days and you are allowed a maximum of one glass of water a day."
Zara nodded her head in approval.
As soon as Zara left my office I got on the phone to her work colleagues and family and told them about her chocoholic diet for the next three days. Her two daughters were excited that she had taken up this challenge and enthusiastically gave me extra information that would help. They told me that her favorite type of chocolate was hazelnut chocolate and that she was also going out for dinner that night.
I returned to start my late afternoon shift when I was asked to hear a message on our answering machine
"Hi Paul, Itīs Zara here. Itīs a bit after lunch and I was calling to let you know that Iīve been following the diet but I donīt feel too good even though you probably intended that. Could you please call me?"
I very much intended for Zara to feel quite ordinary because sugar and chocolate are very dehydrating and her body would be crying out for even more water than normal on this diet. The purpose was for her to associate these feelings of sickness and lethargy with chocolate to help counteract with her previous deep love of chocolate. The more intense the bad feeling would be, the greater the long-term benefit.
When I spoke to Zara on the phone I could tell by her voice that she was only slightly inconvenienced by it all. I knew she was expecting me to let her off the hook and stop the diet. I decided to pressure her to eat more chocolate (she had been used to people telling her not to eat so much chocolate)
"Youīre feeling bad probably because you havenīt had any hazelnut chocolate yet. Make sure you go and get some hazelnut chocolate before you go home. Remember to buy a really nice chocolate tonight to take to that really nice restaurant that your daughters tell me that youīre going to."
Zara actually did break the chocoholic diet that night and ate a normal meal at the restaurant. The end result of the chocoholic diet was that Zara now has a number of uncomfortable and unpleasant associations with eating chocolate. Now, rather than consuming a couple of chocolate bars each day and finding chocolate irresistible Zara now has a more balanced appreciation and consumption of chocolate. "Before I could never say no to chocolate but now it is quite easy."
Like many people, Zaraīs craving for sugar and chocolate in particular was more an emotional coping mechanism. Chinese medicine highlights the relationship between the pancreas (the main organ that controls your sugar levels) and the emotion of low self-esteem. So it is interesting that we commonly resort to chocolate and sugary treats when we are feeling bad about ourselves.
When I realized that logic was not going to help I decided to use Zaraīs body as an ally. I was going to use it to help create a new emotional experience around chocolate. Currently when Zara thought of chocolate she thought of comfort, pleasure and she regarded chocolate as her ideal reward. Eating chocolate was something that she could do that others were powerless to stop. As long as anyone associates these kinds of thoughts to chocolate it would be virtually impossible to change their minds logically. Thatīs where the Chocoholic Diet comes in
"Are you open to go on the Chocoholic diet, Zara?"
She looked at me suspiciously.
"What does it involve?"
"For the next three days you eat nothing but chocolate?"
"Oh I could do that easily, "she exclaimed initially. "This isnīt going to put me off chocolate is it?"
I thought for a moment of how to phrase it in a way that was accurate but it wouldnīt put off a chocoholic from participating. (Because essentially the purpose of this diet is to break their dependency on chocolate)
I carefully chose my words.
"This will help normalize your bodyīs awareness of sugar and chocolate so that you can consume chocolate at healthier levels in the future." I then held my breath in anticipation.
"Ok," she said what do I have to do.
"Firstly I need your permission to contact your workplace to let your colleagues know that you are on a chocolate only diet for the next three days and you are allowed a maximum of one glass of water a day."
Zara nodded her head in approval.
As soon as Zara left my office I got on the phone to her work colleagues and family and told them about her chocoholic diet for the next three days. Her two daughters were excited that she had taken up this challenge and enthusiastically gave me extra information that would help. They told me that her favorite type of chocolate was hazelnut chocolate and that she was also going out for dinner that night.
I returned to start my late afternoon shift when I was asked to hear a message on our answering machine
"Hi Paul, Itīs Zara here. Itīs a bit after lunch and I was calling to let you know that Iīve been following the diet but I donīt feel too good even though you probably intended that. Could you please call me?"
I very much intended for Zara to feel quite ordinary because sugar and chocolate are very dehydrating and her body would be crying out for even more water than normal on this diet. The purpose was for her to associate these feelings of sickness and lethargy with chocolate to help counteract with her previous deep love of chocolate. The more intense the bad feeling would be, the greater the long-term benefit.
When I spoke to Zara on the phone I could tell by her voice that she was only slightly inconvenienced by it all. I knew she was expecting me to let her off the hook and stop the diet. I decided to pressure her to eat more chocolate (she had been used to people telling her not to eat so much chocolate)
"Youīre feeling bad probably because you havenīt had any hazelnut chocolate yet. Make sure you go and get some hazelnut chocolate before you go home. Remember to buy a really nice chocolate tonight to take to that really nice restaurant that your daughters tell me that youīre going to."
Zara actually did break the chocoholic diet that night and ate a normal meal at the restaurant. The end result of the chocoholic diet was that Zara now has a number of uncomfortable and unpleasant associations with eating chocolate. Now, rather than consuming a couple of chocolate bars each day and finding chocolate irresistible Zara now has a more balanced appreciation and consumption of chocolate. "Before I could never say no to chocolate but now it is quite easy."
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