Chocolate

In saying that, I have a massive sweet tooth. I can just eat sugar all day and it’ll get me through. Obviously when I’m in camp I am on a strict diet as mentioned above but I allow myself to eat junk food (chocolate) when I feel like it.

I eat about every three hrs and enjoy cheat meals more in the off-season and sparingly in season. My cheat days usually include the things I don’t usually eat like bread, cheese, and chocolate! And yes, I’m a chocoholic. In season I’ll have a spoonful of peanut butter and Nutella to curb my craving.

My diet is enjoyable and varied. Quality Meats, fruit, vegetables. Sometimes I supplement with creatine. I don’t like the phrases “cheat days / cheat meals”, it implies you are doing something you should feel guilty about. I’ll eat some ice cream, chocolate or have a fry etc when i want.

My diet is the hardest thing out of my fitness routine, I can find one slip up messes up my progress. If I smell chocolate, it goes straight to my belly. About six months out of the year, I track my food intake by weighing each meal but I find that is hard to maintain, but works the best for me.

What I love to eat is candy.. all kinds of candy, but mostly sour, licorice and chocolate. I’m such a sucker for sweets 🙂 I would say I’m eating some candy one to two days per week and that works for me. So if I’m going out to eat with friends or something I just take that day as one of my two days with eating ”unhealthier” and if I end up at that day on a high caloric surplus, I just make up for it the next day and put myself into a small caloric deficit.

I wouldn’t say I have strong “cravings” for junk food – I do LOVE treats, but because I don’t limit myself, I know I can have it any time, so if I want chocolate, I satisfy that craving and move on, instead of thinking about it all day and ending up eating a block of chocolate!

I take it in my training bag = lifter, running shoes, three knee pads, four grips, two wristbands, magnesium powder, socks, carbohydrate gel, chocolate, lifting tape, my mobility roller, deodorant, my wallet and my car document.

When you set up and keep re-setting and adjusting your metabolism year by year you don’t crave simply like that. Craving is not good, you are doing something wrong if you crave. I have my dark chocolate every night and my cheat day every week when I eat everything.

I have less cheat days, but I do have some and to cut on to these days, I try to understand what my body really needs or craves in for at that moment, sometimes It just wants a lot of fluids, sometimes it demands glucose, so instead of eating those cakes and cookies, have a tiny piece bitter chocolate or some fruits.

I don’t deny myself anything but I find I don’t often crave junk food as I know my body doesn’t feel its best afterwards. I’d prefer to have a few pieces of good quality dark chocolate rather than super sugary chocolate bars and that’s enough to satisfy any cravings.

Of course, I do have food cravings!! I am obsessed with chocolate!!! (and coffee) I allow myself quality chocolate for dessert from time to time.

When I do eat sweets, I make them healthier by only using natural sweeteners such as honey and stevia and eating pure dark chocolate.

I eat many vegetables and many proteins and never misses the chocolate. I take dietary supplements every day:

My only weakness is dark chocolate which, in small quantities, is actually very good for your mind and can help promote neuroplasticity.

I don’t do cheat days, I pretty much eat the same thing everyday— coffee and oatmeal in the morning, eggs veggies and rice for lunch and dinner, plus a couple of quarantine snacks in the afternoon (chocolate, fruit, cake, whatever is available).

If it’s possible I eat 5 times per day and there are lots of fruits, vegetables and proteins in my diet. But I’m not a saint, sometimes I crave for chocolate or sweets and sometimes I don’t say no 🙂

I don’t eat meat, dairy or gluten if I can avoid it, I do. Although I have a strong sweet tooth and my favourite chocolate is full dairy milk packed fruit & nut ☺ not the best for health but good for the soul.

For cheat days, perhaps two cheat meals or week. It would be pizza and chocolate.

Also I have debatably the worlds largest sweet tooth – especially chocolate. So if anyone told me to go no sugar I would laugh.

I don’t crave junk food as it has been removed from my diet a really long time ago. But I do crave chocolate!

I eat almost everything, from meat (no pork), fish, turkey, bio fruits and vegetables, dark chocolate, sometimes cookies, etc.

I personally did not think I had the motivation in me to make these changes. It truly has helped me to make small changes first like cutting out pop or maybe replacing milk chocolate with pieces of dark chocolate.

As I said I am not a professional athlete so I don’t have to be that strict on my nutrition. I often eat sweets (chocolate and ice cream are my biggest weaknesses).

I have never liked fastfood like McDonalds, etc. so I never go there. When I cheat, I like gluten-free cakes, much fruit – bananas, sometimes chocolate, and fat food like salami or cheese.

I am not into supplements so my pre workout is sometimes strong coffee/green tea, and a piece of 70% dark chocolate, everything has to be sustainable for me.

Stay within your numbers, eat 80% whole nutritious foods, 20% whatever you want. This stops me from craving certain things like chocolate and means that it doesn’t really feel like a diet at all.

I do have a sweet tooth and I am a big fan of chocolate so I give myself the liberty of having chocolate at least a few times a week. I just make sure I don’t go overboard.

My breakfast is generally greek yoghurt with protein powder and some fruit on top. If I get bored of that, I have two whole eggs with four egg whites. Then I get a snack before lunch, which is either a can of tuna or 15 grams of mixed nuts with one square of black chocolate (75%+).

Of course, eating whole foods, an adequate amount of fiber are always the best options and I try to stick to those, but when my monthly shark week arrives (menstrual cycle), I tend to either crave chocolate or something salty.

And when it’s a cheat day, pizza, fried chicken, crawfish, and anything chocolate are on the menu! Call me country, I know.

This prep itself has been incredibly breezy. I get to enjoy good tasty food and not struggle with hunger. My only small cravings have been for chocolate because… duh, it’s chocolate! I have the biggest sweet tooth so that’s the only thing I occasionally crave on prep. To combat that I take a chromium supplement which seems to really help!

I normally use Whey Protein only for my supplements. It helps me with my growth. As for junk food, I normally eat clean. I will have an occasional chocolate bar (a href=””>Mr.Big,/a>) or a nice pastry once or twice a month. 🙂

There are days when I feel I’ll rather be at home watching movies with my family, especially when it’s rainy, what it’s like 80% of days in Ireland, or I have chocolate cravings, which is my favorite sweet.

I don’t crave much junk food, because I enjoy the freedom my diet allows me, even in competition prep. I never “ban” myself from anything. I either count it into my day (if I’m tracking) or allocate myself a “free day”. I limit these days to once a week. I love chocolate so much that I am actually able to include sugar free vegan chocolate even into my strict competition dieting!

If I am going to “treat” myself, I love dark chocolate or French fries.

Usually it’s something sweet for me so I’ll have a piece of dark chocolate or flavored gum. I carry a lot of different flavored gums during my prep season.

I have never wanted to veer off macros because if I want chocolate or cake, I can have it provided it fits! There’s no cheat days or binging. I don’t crave them.

I allow myself a treat (about 1 square dark chocolate) in moderation. I do not drink alcohol but love my morning cup of coffee. I drink herbal tea for medicinal purposes and at night.

When I try to lose fat, I eat a lot of volume food to trick my mind and fill up my plate. I’m trying to gain muscles at the moment, so I focus on a sufficient intake of complex carbs and proteins, and of course never forgetting to add a food rich in healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, dark chocolate, etc. which is super essential, especially for us women due to hormone production processes. That is probably everything I do.

I keep snacks simple; like rice cakes with nut butter, or homemade, lower fat, lower sugar, vegan donuts, breads, or cookies. I always keep fair trade vegan dark chocolate bars in my pantry, along with things like granolas, dried apples, and plantain chips.

Not wanting to eat chocolate for every meal is another story. LOL!! I love sweets and indulge during the holiday season and on cheat meals, without QUESTION!

I’m currently on a mini fat loss phase (2 weeks) after a heavy Xmas of chocolate, cakes, and too many high-calorie foods! Then after my stomach and body fat have returned to a healthy level (15% body fat) – I’ll then start to slowly increase my calories to gain muscle without gaining fat.

Often times you’ll find me eating Dough It Well cinnamon rolls or donuts, seitan (alternative vegan meat), vegetables, nuts, fruits and cereal. Oh and how can I forget!… Chocolate!

It all starts in store, when you buy a chocolate, you will eat this. Buy good food, so you will eat good.

I don’t do cheat days. That’s just doesn’t make sense. In the winter season, my calorie budget is bigger so I can have a chocolate or something on top of my regular food.

If I want some chocolate, I’ll have some chocolate and move on with my life. But chocolate is definitely easy to overeat if you don’t watch it, which is why self-management is so important. Being present with food is a great thing as it keeps you aware. Take a couple of Hershey’s kisses out of the bag and put the rest away instead of bringing the bag to the couch while watching TV, which leads to mindless eating.

However, I am known for having a big sweet tooth, so I will allow myself the occasional chocolate bar or tub of ice cream of an evening, but if I find I’m having a particular craving I tend to listen to my body and try to figure out if its just something I think I want or something my body is telling me I need.

I’ve also noticed an elevated heart rate (tracked via my Apple watch and AutoSleep App) during sleep after consuming simple carbohydrates (during off-season – my favorites being Vegan dark chocolate, granola and desserts).

After every show I do, I always have a full week of shooting a lot of content. While other competitors hit the burgers and chocolates immediately post show, I stay as tight as possible to get in as much quality video and image content as possible, for myself and my sponsors in the seven days that follow – trust me I hit the burgers and chocolate after that. LOL

If I’m hungry or feel a lack of energy, I take sugar free dark chocolate. I helps a lot with the hunger. I also eat vegetables when hungry or feeling a lack of energy.