Don’t give up, Ginax! I consider myself a carbohydrate addict, because the more I eat them, the more I want to eat more, even if I am feeling woozy and disgusted with myself. I also want to eat them to deal with my emotions, whether it is anxiety, depression, boredom, happiness, celebration, etc. When I started doing IF in early December, we were just entering the holidays, and I binged on Christmas and New Year’s goodies every day that I wasn’t fasting. To give an example, I love fruitcake, everyone in my family knows it, and I was given FIVE fruitcakes for Christmas. And didn’t I have to eat ALL of them over the course of the next couple of weeks, while also working to “clear out” (euphemism for eat) all the cookies and fudge that were still in the house?! BUT, I only let myself do that on non-fasting days, and I didn’t eat any sugar or processed starch at all on fast days. (Only protein and non-starchy vegetables, spread evenly over breakfast, lunch, and dinner.) Staying away from the carbs on fast days helped me to stop feeling hungry every hour or 2, as the blood sugar swings evened out. Being successful on fast days helped improve my confidence, and, after 5 weeks or so, I started to do much better on non-fasting days, with the exception of some special occasions, such as a family wedding. I still eat some sweets on every nonfasting day, but no longer binge and try not to have my “super triggers” (cake and home-made cookies) around the house. One day my mother-in-law sent half a cake home from church with my husband and me (with just the 2 of us at home), and I basically ate the whole thing over the course of the day. (Which was showing restraint, because I wanted to eat in over about 2 hours!) I just jumped back into fasting the next day and vowed I would never bring that much home again. The next Sunday, we only accepted 2 pieces, which was quite a surprise for her and much better for both of us.

I think that IF teaches us some very valuable lessons, even if we are initially eating too much on regular days. First, you learn what real, stomach-growling hunger feels like, and that it goes away (on its own or even quicker with a piece of celery or a carrot). You also learn that avoiding or limiting unhealthy carbs gets rid of the episodes of shakiness and anxiety you get when your blood sugar is dropping fast a couple of hours after a binge, which is not true hunger. You eventually start to feel clear-headed and energetic on fast days, and gradually eat less and better on regular days, so you don’t mess up that feeling. And, when you start losing a little weight, optimism kicks in and helps carry you along!

In spite of frequent bingeing during the first 6 weeks of my IF journey, never calculating my TDEE or counting calories on non-fast days, and being a sedentary 58-year-old woman, I have lost 15 pounds in 17 weeks. I know it’s not rapid, but my relationship with food, self-esteem, and confidence that I can keep it up have improved dramatically. I probably won’t graduate to 6:1 until the end of the year, but I fully intend to get there! So stay with us, so we can all celebrate you LOSING that stone in a few months!

Dont give up ginax!!! I too used to binge eat (a lot!) and i have come to realise that it is an addiction, like drugs/alcohol. I was somebody that couldnt have just one piece of chocolate…because i’d go on to eat not only the whole bar, but several then biscuits etc and anything else i can get my hands on.
A big part of success for me (which should of been obvious thinking about it) is just not to buy the binge foods (for me cakes, biscuits, chocolates etc. Or to go “cold turkey” If i haven’t got the binge foods in the house i cant eat them and dont even really think about them. HOWEVER i will still allow myself the odd treat day for example a film day with the bf, where we will buy treats that day, to eat that day and i wont feel guilty about it and i will enjoy them alot more. As this to me is truly how treats are supposed to be enjoyed. Not scoffed everyday with resulting feelings of mass guilt etc. so in reality i wasnt enjoying them in the first place.
Also stick with 5:2 i have found it’s really helped 🙂 As others have said, over time it does teach you what real hunger is and it becomes easier to understand the difference between hunger and cravings and realise that you are the one that controls what you put in your mouth. I no longer feel like a slave to food.
Granted i appreciate as an ex-sugar addict and someone who has been prone to binging, i will probably always have to be vigilant with myself. But 5:2 has helped me lose the weight and learn that food is fuel but can still be enjoyed.
I had slip up days when i started, but i saw it as a work in progress, re-training myself (i didnt start a binging habit in a day, so i accepted it may take time to get out of the habit) But I have. I feel like i’ve turned my life around, and if i can anyone can!! Good luck!!! xx

I would try getting rid of all of the foods in your house that you feel powerless over. Until you feel your cravings subsiding and start getting more of a rush from the joy of losing weight than you do from bingeing. 🙂

Ginax, are you still here? We are rooting for you, as well as for NellyMay and all the rest of us who are trying to improve our health and self esteem!

Dear all of you,

I’m so glad to find this topic already posted and can truly understand what you are talking about. I had a normal eating routine and weight, but getting depressive and out of work changed a lot. At the moment I’m in my second week, but done monday, wednesday and friday as fast days last week and try to plan it like this also this week. I decided to do it 4:3 in the beginning to get more motivation from the weight loss and getting into a habit faster. After the first week I lost half a kilo but didn’t restrict myself on non-fasting days which I still don’t feel able to because of cravings and binging and all the emotional stuff you’ve written about.
The other day I really hesitated if I don’t support the binging by doing 5:2, but not having an alternative I sticked to it. Hopefully I’ll be able to normalize my meals on non-fasting days and wheever I feel doubtious I try to read a little in the forum which makes me always feel much better.

char, thank you for asking!

I’ve had to push my fasting down a week, I start this Monday, but I have made an effort to practice the suggetions I posted above, and they really do help you eat less.

I am going to look for that post you mentioned. Thanks for mentioning it.

Here is a great post by Wayne everyone should read:

Wayne Thomas Batson
Hi, all. I’ve been on 5:2 for four weeks now. I’m down about 11 pounds, which I’ve heard is not at all the norm. 5:2 is generally a gradual, but steady weightloss approach. But I’m extraordinarily encouraged by more than the pounds down. For me, this isn’t just about losing weight. It’s about fighting addiction (and the forces behind it) and regaining self control.
I’ve been heavy since my first metabolism change between 5th and 6th grade. Seriously, I was a toothpick until the end of 5th grade and then, WHAM, suddenly I looked like Pugsly from the Addams Family. Thankfully, I hit a growth spurt in middle school and played varsity tennis for four years, so I leaned out for a while. Fast forward to marriage and kids, metabolism change #2 at about age 26, and I steadily gained. I went from 180lbs at marriage in 1994 to 305lbs by the winter of 2012.
But I’d be lying if I tried to blame this on metabolism. It’s mental, emotional, social, and not-just-a-little-bit spiritual. I’ve spent years, telling myself I’m entitled to eat everything I want when I want. I got mad at the consequences as if it’s not fair to get fat when I live on calzones, doughnuts, and nachos. I rationalize: “I’ve had a hard week, I’ve worked hard, It’s the weekend, It’s the holiday, It’s my birthday, It’s summer (and 10,000 others) and SO…I should ruin myself with more food than I need.
I’ve discovered that this addiction to food and lack of self control was also masking other “hidden” character flaws. I was self medicating with food because I had social anxieties and even bouts of depression. I was hiding from the realities that I didn’t want to face. Hiding in food. You’d be surprised how much you can hide in a vat of cheesey mashed potatoes.
All of that is treacherously unhealthy in a hundred ways. And worse still, my behaviors and attitudes were being monitored by my family, especially my children. And, unfortunately, some of my kids have taken after their dad in their eating habits, lack of self control, and rationalizing…even in the shape that they are allowing themselves to get into.
All this to say: the problem isn’t just food. It’s not just overeating. It’s not as simple as calories in, calories out. There are social, emotional, mental, and spiritual forces working against us. Not to mention that life is freakin’ stressful. And not to mention that the governmental authorities have been screwing us with wrong nutritional guidelines for fifty years. So no wonder we have an obesity epidemic. And no wonder, I allowed myself to become 1.5 times the man I should be.
Enter 5:2. I can’t speak for anyone beyond myself because we are all complex, multifaceted individuals. But what 5:2 does for me is it puts to death the addictive process. Oh, it comes back. Like the Walking Dead, on non fast days, I deal with the addiction and compulsive ideas. But each fast day, I kill it all over again. And it feels spectacular. It’s no accident that the Bible shows fasting to be an invaluable too to A) think clearly and B) fight against the voracious “SELF.” There’s a difference in my thought patterns now. It’s a kind of addiction kryptonite. Even on a nonfast day, if I’m eating smothered quesadillas, I know—KNOW—that tomorrow is the reckoning for that impulse. I will (by God’s grace) kill it again.
And I’ve discovered something amazing: it feels good to fast. Sure, I’ve had hunger pangs. Duh. And it doesn’t help to have my kids ordering pizza at 10pm on my fast day. lol But still, I’ve got the forge heating up inside me. I can feel the warmth within, and I can think straight. Last night, at bedtime, after another successful fast day, I felt euphoric. I turned out the light, lied down, and prayed for a half hour before drifting off. I woke up this morning and, as it has been each day after a fast, I felt freaking incredible.
What I’m discovering, slowly but surely, is that 5:2 is not a punitive, confining thing. It’s actually helping me regain freedom. See eating whatever we want whenever we want, the consequences be damned is NOT freedom. That’s subtle, manipulative, cancerous SLAVERY. Every time we rationalize doing something we KNOW hurts us, we KNOW is wrong…we are bowing to a cruel taskmaster. But 5:2 unlocks those shackles. You have freedom to eat as usual, to enjoy the pleasure that God provides through food, but not to be controlled by them. I know that (by God’s grace) I can go without food. I don’t need it the way I always thought I did. And I know that, the next day, I will go without. Each and every success builds confidence and pushes addictive control farther back in the rearview mirror.
If you’re reading this and thinking: “That’s great for you, pal, but you don’t know me,” I answer: No, I don’t know you. But I do know our enemy. He sucks eggs. And he can be defeated. Kill him twice a week with 5:2.

I’ve only just joined the forum, but I’m back on 5:2 to loose about 8/10 lbs that I’ve gained because I didn’t go on to 6:1 after I lost just over a stone last year! I’ve found all your posts so helpful. I have struggled on and off with binging over the years, but I did find that the 5:2 way has been the only thing that has ever truly helped me with my eating habits. It has made me see food in a different light. You are all so inspiring. Thank you! 🙂 This is my first week back on and all of you have truly helped me get back on the wagon so to speak. Good luck to you all.

Just to follw up from above, I do usually eat fruit and lots and lots of veg, but had a really odd day as some friends came the previous day for a meal (Sat) I ate normally with the following ADDED:
6 chocolates 2 packs crisps, 2 pieces toast and marmalade, fish finger butty, 2 bowls tresh fruit and cream, 2 sevings of apricot sponge with a gallon of custard.

A new day, a fast day today and tomorrow I need to make sure I don”t have a repeat of yesterday.

Lindyw – you are right, to not buy junk really is the best way. Stopped buying about 2 weeks ago – shows how much stash of junk food we have in. Still got one easter egg in even. I have stopped walking round choc and biscuit sections in shops. Fast day going OK, resolve quivering, but looking forwrd to evening meal of pile of salad and grilled chicken bake. Preparing myself for tomorrow to try not treat as if it was a free-for-all and to do something nice for myself.

Am now eating more on non fast days than I’ve ever eaten and am going to put time slot limits on eating where I can’t allow myself to graze (or binge) constantly, just til I get back in control of ordinary eating again.

Hello and thank you all for your posts to this thread. I’ve only just found it, despite having been on the forum quite a bit in the past fortnight. Have just read all the posts from the start and I was so glad to see ginax had returned!

I echo all the thoughts about addiction, mind games, rationalisation, self sabotage, self esteem etc. I successfully did 5:2 last week but have ‘thrown my toys out of the pram’ (US -buggy?) as we say in UK, this week. But I haven’t given up on myself. Any words of encouragement would be most welcome.

Best wishes and thanks

Ginax I am so relating to what you are going thru, I started very well over the actual full day fasting but as soon as I put a little bit of something not as healthy as egg whites and veggies I finished 50 sugar free peanut butter cookies and 100 grams of cottage cheese. Like everyone agreed we all have a bad relationship with food, when people are ok just having a bite of cake-if i tempt myself i want to then look for the bakery and then binge on anything in front of me. Taking a cheat meal also doesnt work for me because I end up cheating in all meals that day. I am definetly going to try your approach Ginax since I don’t know how much of even of something good is ok to have more of (egg whites, veggies etc). Excited again to see that there are that many more people who go thru the same anxiety, this is definetly keeping me more and more positive that I will be able to do this the way I should 🙂

Hi Maggie 621.

Sorry to hear how you are feeling tonight. Maybe the thing to do right now is go easy on yourself. You have eaten what you have and that feels bad enough without beating yourself up. I know how horrible it feels, I too am in that trap. Think though, how well you have done, you don’t need to lose any more weight, you said, so you are maintaining now.

Sounds good that you have been eating “normally”. So you know you can do this and get back on track. I too am struggling on non fast days, my body and brain thinks there is going to be a mass famine and I am having frequent out of control scoffathons. I’m also trying to NOT beat myself up as it will lead to further binging to comfort myself and the cycle just keeps repeating.

What I am trying to do is have a cut off time and tell myself I can have xxxx to eat at e.g 9pm and try to see it as the last thing I’m eating today. I think 9pm is late really for myself to eat but it is better than eating still at 11.30, which I have done since doing 5:2.

Try to break the negativity now, go and put some music on, dance around the room and remember, we are not perfect and you are doing the best you can at this time. If you feel too full to move, then maybe just sit for a minute and think only of your breathing, even if only for 20 seconds. Just observe it to help slow down your breathing and then maybe, make a brief plan of what you ARE going to eat tomorrow. Please DON’T beat yourself up any more.

I am trying hard now, to NOT buy sweets/chocolate/biscuits. I think it’s the only chance of some control. Three days ago this lapsed and I bought 2 x 160g bags of Thorntons toffee, polished the first off today but gave the second bag away, or I would have started – and finished that one too.

You ARE doing Ok and will get through this. Believe in yourself and be kind to yourself good luck.

Wow, I know this post is quite old but I just wanted to say that I find it really amazing to read all of this. I’m quite new here but I suffer from binge eating really really badly. I hate it and I know I shouldn’t do it, and I honestly thought I was completely abnormal and was just a greedy pig with no limits, self control or will power (and it didn’t help that I had family members who told me that) I felt so alone in my problem and because of that I felt too ashamed/embarrassed to admit my problem and seek help. I thought that if I told anyone how much I eat they would despise me (and why not? After all I despised my own self for it) but after reading these posts I feel less ashamed of myself and more motivated to keep on trying. Even if I’m not losing weight, as long as I’m making some sort of progress and I’m trying my best and never giving up, just like everyone who is posting here. My problem though, is that I can binge on anything really. It doesn’t just have to be unhealthy food, although it nearly always involves carbs and sugars. I try to eat healthy, but I end up binging on yoghurt and honey, or double cream and bananas/other fruit, or whatever food I cook I usually overeat, I binge on dates and nuts and seeds and God knows what else, I’ll usually continuously munch on food throughout the day and end up eating WAY too much. I love this website and how everyone rushes to help and support everyone else. I’m going to start the 5:2 fast and just hope that I can keep my food addiction under control.

I have recommended a number of people I know who were describing themselves as binge eaters and food addicts to have fasting insulin and blood sugar tests and they all came back as prediabetic and several already type 2 diabetic.

Craving for carbs is usually associated with insulin resistance IE too much insulin floating about triggers hunger, carbs trigger blood sugar, triggers hunger etc in a vicious cycle.

Check your sugar and insulin levels before you blame yourself and buy into a model of dysfunction. Stay away from ALL simple carbs and sugar, minimize fruit.

And GET CHECKED for pre diabetes!!!!

Often, containing insulin contains hunger.

Sorry, I should have said that thread is Lose 2lb Per Week, in the Weight Loss section.

Hi, thanks so much for all of the support and advice everyone! I’ll check out that thread, about losing 2lb a week :). I have fasted successfully before and it is weird but it just depends on my mood. Some days I feel like I don’t even need to eat, and other (most) days I feel ravenous. I’m so used to the feeling of physical hunger and I don’t mind it, but for me as well it is the emotional hunger that I can’t seem to control or get rid of. I’m finding it really hard but I’m not going to give up. Just a question, have any of you ever tried EFT or FasterEFT? My mum actually told me about it and I have yet to persist in using it, but whenever I have used it it seems to work. It’s supposed to help with these kinds of eating disorders. If anyone decides to look into it and use it please let me know how it’s working for you, and I’ll use it and let you know how it’s working for me. Thanks again, I really love all of this support, everyone is so friendly and caring 🙂

Hi Ginax,

I agree with FoodAddict1, no one’s going to not like you because intermittent fasting didn’t work for you.

I hope you didn’t think I was having a go!

I know it suits some people really well, but apparently not others.

This forum is all about support, so if you could share your experience here, and what you have found that works for you, then I’m sure that would be really valuable and might help people who similarly find 5:2 doesn’t work for them.

PS I lost weight using a version of 5:2, but I’m not doing 5:2 or even 6:1 to maintain my new weight, so strictly I don’t belong here either…? 🙂

Hi Franee
You’re not alone. You’ve made a great step by coming on here and being very open. Everyone here is really helpful and friendly.
I too had completely lost control where eating was concerned and so although you will find hard somedays, stick with it and you will see a difference. Have a think about making some lovely veg soup to keep you going it always fills me up.
Good luck today xx

Whew! What a relief to find I’m not the only one! I’m 57, weigh 86kg this morning and have started my fast diet. In the past I have done well for a few days and then something will trigger a massive binge. I put all my lost weight and more on. I can’t put my finger on the trigger. It could be anything. My husband eating chocolate(he’s one of the lucky ones who has never had a problem with weight in his life), the smell of bread in the bakery, a stressful day at work, a celebration, anything really can set me off. And there’s that little voice in my head that convinces me that yes, I can have just a little, when the rational part of me knows that never works! I was feeling overwhelmed and hopeless and then I started reading some of the forums. It’s like an epiphany that I’m not alone with my bingeing. I was seriously considering therapy. I couldn’t see any way around this huge mountain of weight that I need to get rid of. Hopefully, I’ve got myself on the right track today. Thank you for showing me that im not so abnormal as I thought i was

Hi Ginax

Hope you are OK. I was just re-reading your post from 04/01/15 and just thought I’d see how you were doing?

I do agree with you. 5:2 is not for everyone and like you, it has increased my overeating on non fast days. I am obsessed with eating, fasting, continually scanning the internet for recipes which generally I don’t cook.

However, as difficult as it had made things (e.g not being able to stop eating once started on non fast days; eating far more rubbish than ever; not being able to eat breakfast without it triggering the days overeating, when for 30 years I have been an avid breakfast believer; thinking continually on fast days, what delights I can eat the following day; etc, etc), I feel compelled to carry on.

I’m sticking with it because it is the only way of eating that has enabled the weight loss to be maintained but I really do appreciate what you are saying. I think sugar and other rubbish carbs are at the root of my eating problems, but I just can’t seem to give up on them. So in some way I have given in.

Let us know how you are doing and how your attempts at tackling sugar have gone. Best wishes.

p.s I don’t think people will dislike you for saying 5:2 is not for you. I’d rather see honesty on this site and 5:2 NOT followed like some religion or cult you are not allowed to queston. Good luck.

Hi all,
I am glad to find this post…I too can tend to binge on non fast days and it is disheartening at times. I have been on the 5/2 diet for 13 weeks and I have lost 12.5 pounds…most importantly I have come to (mostly) love my fast days. It is so clean simple feeling. At times of course it is hard, especially at dinner time. But I do find my day after fast very hard..I will just munch the whole day…I try at work to bring health snacks: apples, nori, oranges..but especially at work I end up dipping into candy and other things. I have still lost weight but I can see that I am out of control on non fast days. Another great thing is that my whole family has been terribly sick and I have not gotten sick..I think it is the fasting!! Thanks for the encouragement.