The bio on my Twitter account reads “diary of a chocoholic” because, ever since I can remember, I have had a ridiculous addiction to chocolate. It’s never really bothered me – it’s my only real vice. I work out, eat relatively well and I’m not a party animal, so eating my body weight in chocolate always seemed OK to me.
Another little thing you should know about me is that I am competitive. I want to win and be the best at everything. So when The Boy said there was no way I would give up chocolate for Lent, I felt challenged and determined to prove everyone wrong.
Every single year since the age of about five or six, Pancake Day would come around – one of my favourite days of the year. I was pancake queen at uni, complete with my 3am Curly Wurly pancakes – and I would stuff my face with pancakes and melted chocolate.
I would wake up on Ash Wednesday and, if I was lucky, remember my Lenten promise and not eat chocolate. The longest I ever managed was when I was about 16 and I gave it up for around 10 days.
I had plenty of exceptions to my “chocolate” exclusion though, and somehow believed chocolate cake and other non-“chocolate bar” forms of chocolate were acceptable. So, in reality, I didn’t even give it up for 10 days because I was still munching away on brownies.
Fast forward to 2026 and something just clicked. I woke up the morning after Pancake Day and simply gave up chocolate.
The first week was difficult because there was still loads of it at home and at work. I got pretty snappy, although mainly at myself, much to the amusement of my housemates, and I felt a bit aggressive – mentally speaking, lol.
But once I got through the first week, it wasn’t too bad. Every time I turned to chocolate, I would question whether that particular piece was really worth breaking my promise for. The answer was usually no.
I just couldn’t wait for my big Easter egg on Easter Sunday and wanted to enjoy every piece of it. You know when you put a piece of chocolate on your tongue and just let your saliva glands go cray cray.
As the weeks rolled on, I didn’t even think about chocolate. Yes, I know I just substituted chocolate for custard creams, but seriously – this was a big deal for me.
The night before Easter Sunday, I was home alone. I waited up until midnight so Lent was officially over and then opened my first egg.
I ate half of it and felt like crap afterwards.
Firstly, the taste wasn’t the same. It didn’t bring me the same enjoyment and just left me feeling a bit underwhelmed.
Secondly, I genuinely felt rotten afterwards. I was amazed.
Lent had been over for two weeks, and I had become so blasé about chocolate. I hadn’t even opened my second Easter egg, whereas in the past I would have demolished not only mine but everyone else’s too.
It’s incredible how little we sometimes realise what we are doing to our bodies until we make a change. The NHS explains that foods such as chocolate, biscuits and cakes can be significant sources of free sugars, while its advice on cutting sugar includes choosing smaller portions and lower-sugar alternatives.
A part of me is a little sad because, like I said, it was my one real vice – so now what?
Regardless, it seemed all I really needed was a challenge to mentally get over chocolate and prove that I could do it.
I’m thinking of cutting down on custard creams now in a bid to make this change a positive one. The Government’s Eatwell Guide also recommends having foods high in fat, salt and sugar less often and in smaller amounts.
Next step – total sugar wipe-out???