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Why chocolates aren’t always a girl’s best friend

After all that hard work trying to eat healthily, it’s time to drop some serious hints about calorie-free gifts for birthdays and special occasions from your friends and family.

Most women love chocolate, but the sight of receiving a large box of them as a gift can evoke two immediate and opposing emotions:

“Oh, how lovely!”

Quickly followed by:

“Oh no, I’ll eat the lot and hate myself in the morning.”

And to be honest, if you receive any of the 10 popular chocolate gifts listed below, there’s every reason to be worried.

With calories ranging from a minimum of 660 to over 2,000, they’re a double-edged Valentine’s sword.

But what are the alternatives that will still score your friends and family major brownie points, yet ensure that your hips, tum and bum are in the same shape this time next week?

We think we’ve found the perfect solution. Simply direct your them towards the carefully chosen selection of calorie-free gifts we’ve found below.

And if you still want chocolate, ask them to add one of the beautifully packaged, gorgeous little 35g bars of Ador chocolate to your Valentines gift. Made from the finest Swiss chocolate, not only do they contain just 179 calories a bar, but they also have the benefit of the addition of pine nut oil extract, which helps to keep you feeling full. 

Now that’s what you call a win-win situation.

10 calorie-free gift ideas
1. Incredible underwear by La Senza www.lasenza.co.uk

2. Terrific trinkets like a pink leather Tiffany heart-shaped luggage tag with the promise of a holiday to follow. Tag: £45. Holiday: £Your choice. www.uktiffany.com

3. The Organic Pharmacy Party Girl gift box. Complete with ultra glossy lip pump gloss, crystal skin sparkle and eye gel. £65 from www.theorganicpharmacy.com

4. Laurent Perrier Rose Champagne. A fabulous rosé champagne to put a sparkle in your day. £59 per bottle.

5. Thierry Mugler Angle eau de parfum. Notes of honey, chocolate and fresh citrus. A beautiful daytime perfume you’ll love. £26.80

6. With great deals across the UK www.spabreaks.co.uk is the perfect place to book a relaxing break.

7. Create your own three-part message on the Tripletz website by choosing a set of custom-designed postcards. Each card has a word or phrase with an illustration, for instance: I, Love, and You. Your recipient will receive one card each day, anonymously if you so choose (great for those secret admirer types), with the third card completing your message and revealing your identity, along with any other sentiments you’d like to include. www.Tripletz.com

8. Wight and Teague jewellery treasures. www.wrightandteague.com

9. My Last Rolo Silver Love Token. A life-size solid sterling silver Rolo. Do you love anyone enough to give them your last one? £39.95, www.prezzybox.com

10. Eco Flying Lantern. Light a lantern together, make a wish and let it go. Completely biogradable, these gentle alternatives to fireworks are 70cm by 35cm. Chinese tradition holds that wishes written on these lanterns would rise to the heavens and come true. £12.95 for five lanterns, www.needapresent.com

Chocolate Box Calorie Massacre
Counting the calories of the big sellers…

Hotel Chocolat Love Selection Box
30 chocolates 1,500 calories 

Green & Black’s Organic Luxury Assortment
200g 970 calories

Cadbury’s Roses Box
220g 660 calories

Milk Tray Chocolate Box
400g 1,940 calories

Nestle Dairy Box
100g 543 calories

Thornton’s Moments
250g 1,018 calories

Guylian Belgian Seashells
250g 1,365 calories

Black Magic Box
188g 863 calories

Cadbury’s Koko Truffles
200g 1,160 calories

Celebration’s Box
420g 2,184 calories