Will power chocolate

[AustralMoonBear]

Ok, time for a new experiment.

I'm struggling with snacking at my desk (again), it's mostly boredom, not hunger, so I'm going to try tricking my brain.

I now have a Chocolate Freddo (mmmmmmm freddo) sitting on my desk, taunting me if you will. This is the next piece of chocolate I will eat. No other piece will replace it.

My challenge is not to eat this particular piece of chocolate.

I'm making this public (also telling some co-workers) to make it more embarrassing if I eat it. If anyone wants to suggest a "bad thing" that happens if I eat it I'm open to suggestions. I'll post in this thread if I eventually crumble and eat it.

[Sambalina]

Regular freddo, or special one? Jelly or caramel filled, or plain chocolate? These details matter

Good on you for coming up with a plan! If it's boredom getting to you, is there anything you can do to be not so bored?

Hmmm, punishment if you eat it, huh? I feel that as you've chosen a freddo bar, and freddo is a frog, the punishment should be frog related. Some suggestions off the top of my head:

If you eat him, you'll have to:

- Only answer your co-workers in croaks for an hour.

- Paint your face like a frog at your next work get together.

- Change your ringtone to the most annoying thing ever - a crazyfrog song.

- Have to move around the office only by jumping.

How long do you have to resist freddo? Forever?

[Pat G]

Freddo... one of those big fundraiser ones? mmmmmm

If it was, and you eat it, you have to purchase one for each person in your office.

[Kewilson]

Get willpower from eating chocolate? Boy am I on board! Oh... that's now what this thread is about. How sad.

If you eat Freddo, you must stage a mock funeral for the frog at your workplace... in front of your co-workers.

More long-run, ditch the frog and buy some dark chocolate if you can't go without chocolate at all (goodness knows I can't for more than a couple of weeks at a time). Even at 70% cocoa, the sugar content is relatively low (I aim for 90% cocoa, personally). Want some chocolate? Break off one square/stick/whatever from the bar and eat is slowly. It's more filling (to me, at least) and doesn't seem to generate additional cravings in the same way that milk chocolate does. It also costs more (making you less likely to buy it in the first place).

[Sambalina]

This has been bothering me a bit, and I just realised why. After watching this video, I'm worried that you're just setting yourself up to fail. If Dr Lustig is right, then you're fighting a losing battle by trying to rely on your willpower.

Or, if it's ll just for fun and you're not going to be horribly emotionally scarred when you eventually chew off Freddo's head in a sugar craving frenzy, carry on

[Kewilson]

This has been bothering me a bit, and I just realised why. After watching this video, I'm worried that you're just setting yourself up to fail. If Dr Lustig is right, then you're fighting a losing battle by trying to rely on your willpower.

Or, if it's ll just for fun and you're not going to be horribly emotionally scarred when you eventually chew off Freddo's head in a sugar craving frenzy, carry on

This is correct. Willpower is a finite resource in the same way that physical endurance is. Sure, you can deadlift 155lbs (or whatever) a dozen reps; you can even do more. But at some point you're going to reach a number of consecutive reps where you just can't go any further due to muscle exhaustion. In the same way, it's possible to effectively exhaust one's self-control (called ego depletion). By having the chocolate frog in front of you all day (forever?) you're basically saying, "I'm going to do infinite reps of 'not eating the frog'". Well, infinite is a lot of reps.

Maybe give the frog to someone else (or trash it), and replace it with some fruits, vegetables, or even dark chocolate as I mentioned earlier. That way, if (when) you can't do infinite reps of 'not eating the frog', the consequences are relatively benign (or even beneficial).

Finally, my research consulting/professional nerdism has bled successfully into my online postings. My life is now complete.

[AustralMoonBear]

Thanks for the advice everyone - I especially love the idea of a frog funeral!

For the record it is one of the giant fund-raising freddo's, plain milk chocolate (which is my preference).

In terms of setting myself up for failure, I should probably clarify a bit:

I don't expect this frog to last forever, but when I do crack and eat it I will thoroughly enjoy it and pause for a moment to say “hey, I went X days without unplanned naughtiness. Go me.” I’ll then replace it with another one and hey look, my competitive streak gets a number to make bigger.

I still have my healthy snacks available for when I'm actually hungry/know I need to eat before a workout and the rest of my diet is still pretty good. Idle eating at my desk is just a particular bug-bear for me.

I see the box of charity chocolates, I start thinking about them and within a day or so I've bought one. One becomes two, becomes three... I get down about being unhealthy etc. etc. etc.

Having the chocolate on my desk prompts a very particular response to this cycle (for me in particular)

1. I start thinking about chocolate

2. I look at my “will power chocolate”

3. I get stubborn about it

4. I go back to work and eventually forget about chocolate

I'm ok with the fact that I'll eventually eat it, but if it buys me a month or a day or a week then I call that a successful experiment. Maybe the next step is to replace the chocolate with “will-power protein bar” or something like that.

[Sambalina]

While we're on the subject of chocolate cravings, if anyone's interested I'm reading this book 'The End of Overeating' by Dr. David Kessler. It is really interesting and has a lot of info about the food industry and how they makes these foods (Freddo included!) that make us want to eat them sooooo badly. It's an easy read, if that's what floats your boat.

I'm assuming Freddo is still intact? So, day 1 complete!

[AustralMoonBear]

Freddo is still there, and since it's a long weekend in Australia he'll deffinatley make it to Tuesday. Unless the cleaners eat him :-/

[LRB]

if anyone's interested I'm reading this book 'The End of Overeating' by Dr. David Kessler.

I had to take the dustjacket off that book, because the picture on the cover became a trigger. And then I'd sit down to read it late in the evening (a low-willpower time for me), and just wind up craving the stuff he was discussing. Although I was interested in the content, I had to put the book down about half way through because I was spending all my energy resisting getting up to go get something in the kitchen every time I read it.

[pixieopower]

ok this will sound weird but it works for me.... Personalize it. Humanize it. PLAY with it. Make it do a little dance when you finish a task. Make it hop across the desk. Make it leap from monitor to stapler. Just play with it like a toy. It is a toy. and then you are doing something with it while not eating it and eventually you will not even want to eat it I have a chocolate orange thingie that i couldnt imagine eating now cuz it turned into a desk toy. I fiddle with it constantly cuz I can

[Benjsec]

I wish I had to play with anthropomorphic chocolate to not want to eat it. I have a selection of lindt bunnies going back a number of years, and a 1kg lindt reindeer. I used to even have a full bunny farm with 3 generations (sizes) and a lindt chocolate carrot for them all to eat!

Although my waist line is probably somewhat better for it.

[Sambalina]

I had to take the dustjacket off that book, because the picture on the cover became a trigger. And then I'd sit down to read it late in the evening (a low-willpower time for me), and just wind up craving the stuff he was discussing. Although I was interested in the content, I had to put the book down about half way through because I was spending all my energy resisting getting up to go get something in the kitchen every time I read it.

This is so true. I thought it was just me! I have decided to only read it on a full stomach, and have to avoid reading it entirely in the late afternoon. There's a whole section on 'Cinnabon' (which I had never heard of) and his descriptions were so compelling I went on Google to find out if they have a store in SK. Turns out they do.... uh oh.

So, while it is an interesting read - beware.

[KAllen]

What is a "Freddo" ?

[morethanjustamom]

What is a "Freddo" ?

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Chocolate frog made by Cadbury. Strictly an overseas thing.

[KAllen]

Cadbury... love me some cream eggs.

Why is a chocolate frog an overseas thing? Why not here? Oh yeah, just Chocolate Frog legs, I am in Louisiana!!! That would be interesting, Chocolate Frog legs. Eat about a dozen or so real frog legs, then the chocolate ones for desert....man that would be livin'!!!

[AustralMoonBear]

One week and Freddo is still there. He's developed a habit of wandering around my desk overnight and appearing in a different spot each morning....

[leadchipmunk]

For a punishment, I suggest 100 pushups (burpees, pistols, something bw but challenging for you) to be finished before the work day is through. If you don't do it before the day is over, then you must do a full 100 the next day. You cannot replace Freddo until it has been completed.

Cadbury... love me some cream eggs.

Why is a chocolate frog an overseas thing? Why not here? Oh yeah, just Chocolate Frog legs, I am in Louisiana!!! That would be interesting, Chocolate Frog legs. Eat about a dozen or so real frog legs, then the chocolate ones for desert....man that would be livin'!!!

I love me some frog legs... Now I wanna make some with 90% dark chocolate on them, similar to what people do with bacon...