If I had to tell someone my worst habit, it would definitely be chocolate. I have a sweet tooth problem and decided to quit cold turkey to see if I could break the habit.
During the Christmas break, I started to realise I was eating chocolate every single day. Even before the holidays, I would always have a chocolatey biscuit with a cup of tea while working.
My birthday is about a month before Christmas, so my kitchen cupboard was also stuffed with all my favourite goodies. It was too tempting and I decided I needed to make a change to my diet.
It has now been over four weeks, and actually closer to five weeks, since I ate chocolate, and I have been really surprised by the results.
One of the biggest changes I have noticed is that I no longer crave junk food. I have mostly cut fizzy drinks and crisps out of my diet too, even though I only intended to stop eating chocolate.
My favourite crisps are the paprika-popped tortillas and I bought them for myself as a reward one day as a weekend treat.
It was now been over two weeks and I have not wanted to eat them. My favourite fizzy drink is Irn Bru, and I have also not been tempted to buy a can for the whole of January.
The second thing I have noticed is that my skin is much clearer. I have had no spot breakouts since Christmas and I believe it is due to cutting out chocolate.
I was someone who definitely had a problem with eating too much chocolate, and I truly believe that if I can break the habit then anybody can.
How I broke the habit and stopped eating chocolate
The very first few days of not eating chocolate were difficult. I found myself more irritable than I usually was and by the second evening, I was tempted to reach for a packet of jaffa cakes.
However, I think the key to cutting out snacks is to make sure you first have a healthier alternative to nibble on.
Peeling an orange or cutting up an apple takes seconds, but when I am working I am more likely to reach for a convenient snack which is often a chocolate biscuit.
I decided to buy berries; so grapes, blueberries or strawberries are now my go-to snack. All I have to do is take them out of the fridge so no preparation is needed.
You also do not have to completely cut out all snacks. During the first few days of cutting out sugar, I would eat a packet of crisps and it definitely helped even though it was not a healthy alternative.
It may seem obvious, but make sure you do not have any chocolate at home. I ended up giving away all the chocolate I got for Christmas and my birthday so I would have no temptations whatsoever.
I would also reward myself once a week for cutting out chocolate. Treat yourself to a nice meal, alternative snack or another way to celebrate the achievement.
For me, a reward is going to the bookshop and treating myself or going to the cinema but you can do anything you want.
If you are someone who struggles to cut out chocolate I think it could be helpful to start small and aim to only eat chocolate once a week, then take it from there.
Just make sure to be kind to yourself and take it slow at first, then I guarantee how easy it is to break the habit completely.