So it’s the new year and you have vowed to keep your resolution and stick with your weight loss diet program of choice. Of course, this usually means you are not allowed all the lovely food that you know tastes so good. Instead you are enduring your first few weeks of non-stop vegetable and fruit gorging in the hopes of feeling full because, of course, the plan means you have to be on a strict no carb diet! Of course, the first few weeks are going to be the hardest and inevitably at this point you spend all day long dreaming about chocolate and the million ways you could be indulging in it right now.

But wait….before you reach for that bar of smooth, velvety goodness (or badness if were being totally honest with ourselves this new year) maybe you should try admiring these awesome chocolate creations to get you safely through. Just admire and don’t devour is the new new motto ladies! Fingers crossed it will stop you reaching four a bar.……or four!

Thornton’s 12ft Chocolate Eiffel Tower

Surprisingly, this sculpture nearly looks too good to eat! A 12ft-high model of the Eiffel Tower made entirely out of chocolate gave busy commuters a glimpse – but not a taste – of Paris. The mouthwatering version of the famous landmark attracted hungry-looking glances when it appeared at St Pancras railway station, from which the Eurostar departs for the French capital. But passers-by hoping for a taste were out of luck as the tower was constructed to mark the launch of a new range of Thorntons European city-chic inspired chocolates and toured stores throughout the country over the coming weeks.

Godiva Decadence Suite in New York.

An all-chocolate room was unveiled in Manhattan as a pre-Valentine’s Day creation complete with furniture and artworks made of the sweet stuff. “It’s the perfect bit of sin,” said Heroes TV series actor Ali Larter of the Godiva chocolate “pearls” that are her private daily indulgence. Above the dining table was a “canvas” dripping with brown and white chocolate – a takeoff on Jackson Pollock’s signature drip paintings. And instead of words, books opened to a mound of chocolates. You could actually sit on the plush sofa, which was chocolate-graced only on its sides, and the walls are made of chocolate.

There were a couple of “dont’s” in the room: lighting the fireplace (with its chocolate logs and mantle) or the candles (all chocolate). In addition, sinking into the easy chairs was discouraged – unless you wanted to rise with a chocolate-covered derriere.

Hyatt chef Alain Roby’s 20ft 8ins (6.4m) Chocolate Skyscraper

Weighing in at a whopping 2,285lbs (1036.46 kgs), the chocolate skyscraper would not look out of place in New York’s famous skyline. The design is inspired by the Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building and also the Chrysler Building and so everything is a little bit mixed together but his goal was really to reach the height.

The 30-Foot Edible Tanenbaum for Charity by Patrick Roger

My sweet tooth is tingling after checking out the Chocolate Christmas Tree by French chocolatier Patrick Roger.This enormous and edible tanenbaum took four tonnes of chocolate and a month’s worth of work. The Chocolate Christmas Tree was both delicious and philanthropic, as pieces of it were auctioned off at a French telethon benefiting neuromuscular diseases. Now that’s guilt free chocolate!

City Block Chocolate by Peter Anton

Check out the larger-than-life chocolate art, some created by gifted sculptor Peter Anton, whose works have been exhibited in galleries around the world. Anton practices “Giantism,” in which the artist produces huge, realistic sculptures. He is especially known for his huge sculptures of sampler boxes of chocolates, along with giant ice cream cones and fudge bars. The chocolate art, made of wood, plaster, clay and other materials, looks so real you will be tempted to take a bite right out of the sculpture.

Works by Stephen J Shanabrook – “Suicide Bombers”

“Evisceration of waited moments”

“Two Friends Sleeping”

Stephen J Shanabrook is a New York and Moscow-based artist who uses food both as medium and as a metaphor. Using commonplace materials such as chocolate, he forms generally seen as benign indulgences— sweets, chocolate, and cotton candy — to bring about disturbing new meanings in order to explore topics such as desire, violence and death. Now this is a rare occasion when I am actually slightly put off my chocolate!

The World Chocolate Wonderland theme park

The World Chocolate Wonderland theme park opened in Beijing. The 215,000 square foot theme park uses about 80,000 kilograms of chocolate, all imported from Belgium. The organizers of this park said they now know you can create almost anything from chocolate, if you have enough of it. The 215,000 square foot theme park uses about 80,000 kilograms of chocolate. This theme park, which looks more like a museum, is filled with things completely made from chocolate. Apparently the reason for creating this dream come true is to raise chocolate awareness in China as they do not eat a lot fo chocolate over there (crazy, I know!). Inside the exhibits, there are all kinds of wild and crazy chocolate creations including the Great Wall of China, China’s terracotta army, Louis Vuitton handbags, pottery and vases, traditional Chinese robes, packs of playing cards, a $100 bill, basketball players, etc…

Chocolate Portraits

Chocolate portraits are an increasingly popular artistic expression. The concentration here is on appearance, not taste, so they may not taste as great as you’d think, but they certainly are eye-catching and extremely intricate pieces. Chocolate has the advantage of coming in a variety of colors and hues, and being both malleable and hard enough to maintain its form. Through sculpture and careful pouring and manipulation, chocolate artists can create incredibly realistic depictions.