I Am Giving Up Chocolate for Lent

Find out what happens when Margaret Gartlgruber changes her approach to Lent.

What Are You Giving Up for Lent?

"I am giving up chocolate for Lent!”

It all starts with good intentions ... until opportunities to make this an actual sacrifice begin!

Attending a birthday party, where a yummy chocolate cake is being served, you say to yourself, “Giving up all chocolate might be too much … maybe just chocolate candy bars.”

Until someone offers you a piece of irresistible Swiss chocolate, and you think, “Okay, fine, I will just give up Snickers — which is, after all, the most difficult.”

As you approach the weekend, you remember Sundays are feast days! “Don’t people say how they are allowed their given-up treat on feast days? Phew: I can eat those Snickers on feast days!” And then to celebrate your Lenten discipline, you buy a bag of fun-size Snickers — just for Sundays, of course.

But then a thought creeps in, “If Saturday evening Mass counts as Sunday, then technically … I can have one on Saturday night too!”

Come Monday, those fun-size-feast-day-only Snickers are staring at you, whispering, “Eat me!” Giving in, you decide, “Ok, I will allow those and only give up the king-size Snickers. That’s still a sacrifice, right?”

Before you know it, your Lenten sacrifice has evolved into giving up king-size Snickers on Mondays and Wednesdays, but only if you are wearing a red sweater.

Does any of this sound familiar? If so, what do we do?

Changing Our Approach

A few years ago, I changed my approach with some surprising results! Winter was taking its toll, as it usually does when Ash Wednesday arrives. Isolation and human hibernation were in full force. My prayer life was almost non-existent, being replaced by my escape into books, Netflix, or puzzles. Something needed to change. Instead of giving up a favorite food, I focused on improving my relationship with God. I did two things differently:

1. I left my house each day for God. I committed to leave my house each day to serve God in some way for 1 hour.
2. I changed it up daily. Each day I would do something different. By allowing myself flexibility to change things up each day, I was able to embrace the idea of Lenten sacrifice in a different way.

This year, instead of chocolate, I gave up my tendency toward laziness.

My week might look like this:

• Sunday: Mass
• Monday: Pray a Rosary or attend daily Mass
• Tuesday: Lenten retreat/parish activity
• Wednesday: Bible study
• Thursday: Adoration
• Friday: Stations of the Cross
• Saturday: Volunteer

The results? My life has completely turned around. Years later, I am still practicing many of the things I “tried” back then. I am more active and effective in my home, in my parish and in my relationships with others and especially with God.

Are you ready to change your approach this Lent?

Here are some practical suggestions:

Start small and get good!

Take something you know you want in your life and dedicate yourself to it this Lent. If morning prayers are a struggle, dedicate yourself getting them done no matter what or when- even if is bedtime.

Add a new prayer practice.

If you are already good at morning prayers, add a gospel reflection, a decade or more of the rosary, or the Divine Office. Listening to audio version is my favorite way to begin a new practice.

Allow for variety.

If you are like me and want something different- make a list of things you could do this Lent and try a different one each day. It doesn’t need to be time-consuming. Small acts like stopping by a church for a quick prayer or dropping off food at a pantry count. You can even cut them into slips, put them in a jar, and surprise yourself (and your kids!) with a daily challenge.

Be OK With “Failing”

I once heard it said that if the Bible could be summed up in one sentence, it would be: “It is a book of people’s failures and the triumph of God.” Through our failures God can triumph! If we were already perfect, we would not need Him, would we? So, if you commit to do morning prayers each day and you miss a day, your failure is not a reason to give up on that commitment or dumb it down in order to make it easier. It simply means, through God, you can do it again the next day.

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Copyright 2026 Margaret Gartlgruber
Images: (top, bottom) Canva; (center) copyright 2026 Margaret Gartlgruber, all rights reserved.