Fast Diet + no sugar for 1 month to reduce arthritis pain. Looking for company

This topic contains 26 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by Elliejay 8 years, 1 month ago.

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MaryWWriter

8:34 pm
7 Mar 16
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Hi, all,

As many of you know, I’ve been on the Fast Diet since the end of April, 2015 and I’ve lost 35 lbs. I am very happy about that for many reasons, one of the major ones being that the pain in my knees from carrying around extra weight has been reduced considerably. I am 66 years old and arthritis is an increasing problem for me, so one of the reasons I wanted to lose weight was to reduce the pressure on my joints.

For the past few weeks I’ve been dithering with the FD – eating too much on the non fast days, particularly eating too much sugar (old habits die hard). I haven’t been gaining weight because I still do two fast days a week, but I’ve stopped losing. I still have five to ten pounds to go, and I want to get rid of them!

Also, my arthritis has been getting worse. Everything hurts, from my fingers to my feet to my back. I watched Robert Lustig’s video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM several years ago, and I know that one of the bad things sugar does is to foster inflammation. I gave up sugar for a few months after I watched it, and it really helped a lot of things. So now I’ve decided to give up sugar completely again for a month to see if it helps to reduce the pain from the arthritis. (I’m just committing to a month for now. I’ll see what happens after that. 🙂 )

I expect that during the month I’ll also get to my goal weight, because sugar is my major downfall (love those M&Ms). So I’m starting today and I’ll continue until April 7.

I know that lots of other people on here are quitting sugar either temporarily or permanently. If you are interested in committing to a month (it doesn’t have to start today! It can be your own month, starting any time. Maybe you’ve already started), please drop in here and let me know. It would be great to have some company.

These forums were my mainstay during the first eight months of my weight loss journey, and I thank you all for being here then and now.

Apricot

12:31 am
8 Mar 16
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Hi Mary. Yes I’ve given up sugar too and at the mo I’m not using substitutes either. I sometimes have berries which help. I’ve also given up flour, including wholemeal, and related products. I had a couple of lapses but then was fine, until a friend persuaded me to have some homemade bread at the weekend. My joints have been very painful since, so I guess I’ll have to get used to being generally off wheat stuff. I find swimming helps a lot, especially if the water is cold. So no sugar.!

MaryWWriter

2:47 am
8 Mar 16
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Hi, Apricot,

You are far more strong-minded than I am! I don’t think I could give up flour. I love so much flour-based stuff. But if giving up sugar (and honey, juice, etc.) doesn’t work, maybe I’ll have to give it a try. For now, going sugar-free is all I’m going to attempt.

One day down, but it was a fast day so I wouldn’t have eaten sugar anyway. Tomorrow it will get real.

Thanks for posting this.

bigbooty

3:12 am
8 Mar 16
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Hi Mary,

I suppose only you can answer whether the taste of sugar outweighs the pain of arthritis? I used to drink OJ by the bucketful. Now I eat a piece of fruit instead. Mineral water instead of soft drinks. I don’t miss the sugar anymore.

Apricot

8:34 am
8 Mar 16
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Yes, BigBooty, like you I gave up all OJ a few years back, switched to apple (less acid). Now I don’t use juice at all as its so concentrated. But raspberries and chopped apple for breakfast with yogurt taste so sweet! Strangely for a flour product junkie, I found three days was enough. Now a month on, if I want starch I have an oat biscuit with butter ( sometimes binge a bit on 3!) but I find that no starch makes the fast days easy. If I have oatcakes the day before a fast day then I usually go over a bit, end up nearer 600 than 500.
Really dark chocolate is ok, doesn’t seem to cause blood sugar spikes but gives you a sweet snack. I use 85% cocoa bars.

Tessy

10:30 am
8 Mar 16
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Hi Mary , great idea for a thread. I am having two weeks without sugar for now. Halfway through the second week now and in general it seems to slow my agitated eating down a lot to be sugar free. As you know I have bad inflammatory arthritis so would have to go somewhat down the path before I would see an Improvement in pain. But it’s worth a try. I shall see how things go. Good to everyone who is going sugar free, and special good wish to you Mary old friend x

Nama

1:09 pm
8 Mar 16
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Hi Mary,

Great to see you are still succeeding with 5:2 and well done on taking it a step further.. I found the last few kgs the hardest of the 23 I have lost and also struggled with overeating on non fast days. Like you I also struggled with the sugar demon ( = sweet tooth!) I just want to say that from my experience, the less you have, the less you want! The best thing I have found though is that my tastes genuinely have changed. I rarely crave junk now. If I give myself ‘permission’ to have something that looks tempting, I usually don’t bother any more – I know now that I wont really enjoy it and it just isn’t worth it! Certain (home made) cakes and breads are still very enjoyable, but if I allow myself them on limited occasions (usually weekends), I really enjoy them and dont feel deprived. I started fasting Sept ’14 and I didn’t really achieve this control until well into the second year. I believe its changing long ingrained habits, but also developing a confidence and belief in ourselves.

My arthritis is not severe and has improved immensely with the weight loss, but it can still flare sometimes. Recently I made some yummy tomato chutney and my knees were a bit sore after overindulging in it. I think the tomatoes were a bit too concentrated!

Good luck with your latest challenge!

MaryWWriter

4:56 pm
8 Mar 16
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Thank you all so much for your encouragement! BigBooty, I did give up OJ when I watched Lustig’s video a few years ago, and I haven’t had any since, even when the other stuff (desserts, candy) crept back in. I drink very little juice of any kind, but I do drink about five cans of diet pepsi a week. I have to give that up too, and the sugarless gum. Next week I’ll do that. For now, the sugar.

Apricot, I’ll have to find out what an “oat cake” is.

Tessy and Nama, great to see you here. You are always so encouraging to me — I really appreciate it. Tessy, your determination in the face of all your health problems has me in awe, and Nama, I feel like you are about a year ahead of me on this journey so your struggles give me hope.

Such a wonderful community! Thanks. Today is day two of no sugar, but it’s a non-fast day. So far I’ve eaten too many nuts! But no sugar. On the other hand, it’s only noon here in Toronto, so I’m not blowing my horn yet.

Elliejay

5:33 pm
8 Mar 16
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Hello, I am new to the site. I have just read the book and very enthused. I have rheumatoid arthritis and no drugs left to try apart from very expensive anti TNF injections with horrible potential side effects.
I have tried sugar free diet but unable to stick with it. I have just started 5:2 diet. One and half weeks in and not lost any weight or inches yet. After seeing your post I think it would be a good idea to try cutting out sugar again. I don’t have any sugar on fast days so now wondering if I could have another go at cutting down on other days. I do like 85% chocolate too. The only problem I have is bread. My husband makes delicious wholemeal bread every day. I don’t think I react to wheat but obviously the sugar from the flour is going to be a problem. Can I really totally give up bread for a month??
Any thoughts?
Thank you

Apricot

12:01 am
10 Mar 16
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Depends on your level of addiction, Elliejay! You could try just having it on a Sunday or other chosen day. I know I’m too addicted, specially if home made!

MaryWW, an oatcake is a Scottish biscuit made out of steel cut fine oatmeal. They are a very simple form of food, no leavening and very little shortening either. No added sugar. Oats are, as you’ll know, slower digesting than wheat and kinder to the intestine. They don’t spike your blood sugar. But they are still a form of carb. They are much better than bread when dieting but still are quite high calorie, usually about 40 per biscuit. Nice with cheese.

I’ve had potatoes and two glasses of wine today, so tomorrow as a fast day must be strict!

Curley25

11:05 am
10 Mar 16
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Hi Mary
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and diagnosed in 2008.
I take Disease Modifying Drugs to stop the RA getting any worse but they don’t always work.
Since taking the RA which is an auto immune disease I have other health issues as well so have found trying to lose weight in the past very hard.
I cannot exercise the way I used to be able to do mainly because of pain or fatigue.
I started the FD 4 weeks ago and have lost 6lbs which is great but its too early to say if it has affected my RA either way but I do feel a lot better in myself.
I also cut out all goodies like chocolate, cakes, sweets and crisps and as I a really have a sweet tooth this has been quite a challenge but its worth it.
I think losing the extra weight will help my joints and I will do anything I can to try and keep as well as I can.
I am finding the FD easier to stick to than any other diet so that’s great.
Losing 35lbs as you did before is brilliant.
I hope you are finding the FD okay now and hope you manage to start and lose weight again.

BarbAnna

1:28 pm
10 Mar 16
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Hi
I am new to the site and have just completed my first week. Weighed this morning to discover I’ve lost 3.4 lbs. so quite chuffed with that, especially as my mobility is compromised and exercise isn’t easy. Like you Mary, I have arthritis, mainly in my knees and feet and find walking any distance without the aid of a crutch very challenging (I am awaiting a knee replacement). I was advised by my GP that losing some weight could help and I figured it would also help my recovery if I have to go ahead and have the knee replacement. My downfall is sweet, sugary foods, especially chocolate! I am disgusted with my eating habits, continually grazing all day on high fat, high sugar products and this has made me fat and depressed, yet I seemed to be completely out of control and unable to do anything about it.

During my first week on this diet I have managed to cut out all sugary foods – unbelievably, by telling myself that I am allowed to have them on my non-fast days, I really haven’t wanted them and boy do I feel better for it. My knees are actually beginning to feel a little easier and I’m now wondering if it is due to the fact that I have cut out sugar.

Well done Mary for losing 35 lbs on this diet, you are an inspiration to someone like me who’s just started. I will be watching with interest to see how you get on with the sugar ban, I’m sure you will feel better for it.

MaryWWriter

10:12 pm
10 Mar 16
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Hi, again,

Welcome aboard to all of you newbies, particularly EllieJay, Curley and BarbAnna.

This is my second fast day this week. On the other days, I did stay away from sugar, but I also did eat too many snacks — corn chips and hummus, and nuts and dried cranberries. (I realize that “Craisins” are almost as bad as candy, but they aren’t candy, so I’m allowing myself to eat them when I’m really craving something sweet.) We’ll see what happens on the scale tomorrow morning! No letup on the arthritis pain yet, but I am only four days in.

I have only osteoarthritis, which I think is much easier to deal with than rheumatoid. I have a friend who has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was a teenager, and her struggles are much more difficult than mine. So I’m grateful that I’ve only got a small battle here, compared to what Ellijay and Curley25 are coping with.

Apricot, I’m going to see if I can find oatcakes at the store tomorrow. They must have them. I’ve just never looked before. I love steel-cut oat porridge so I’m sure I’d be happy with oatcakes too. Although I don’t really think I’m ready to give up wheat yet — at least not until my no-sugar experiment is showing (or not showing) some results.

I have gotten so used to indulging my sweet tooth on my non-fast days that this withdrawal is kind of difficult. But I’ve done it before and I know I can keep it up if I just tell myself “Only one month.” And if I keep checking in here (you’re keeping me honest!) I’ve also drawn a grid with 28 small squares on it and stuck it into my daytimer, and I’m crossing off one sugar-free day at a time. That’s how I quit smoking about 15 years ago (which is about when I started eating too much candy. No surprise there!) With the smoking, I did it one hour at a time. This is much easier than that. ANYTHING is easier than quitting smoking.

Hang in there everyone. We’ll get where we want to go if we can just keep putting one step before the other. I can hardly believe that I’ve lost 35 lbs. but I have, and if I’ve done that, I can lose the last few. This is the best eating program I’ve ever been on, and I’ve tried dozens. 🙂 And part of it is the great community here on this forum.

MaryWWriter

10:16 pm
10 Mar 16
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One STEP before the other??? My brain gets a bit wonky at this time of day (5 p.m.) on fast days. I think I mean one FOOT before the other.

BarbAnna, losing weight really did help my knees. I can’t believe the difference in that department. I wish you equal success. 🙂

Cinque

11:17 pm
10 Mar 16
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Hi everyone,
I am another who finds the combination of cutting out sugar, and doing 5:2 the most productive way to lose weight and feel better. I have a chronic illness (ME/CFS) that means I have to live a very sedentary life.

I cut out sugar 6 years ago. I used the list below to decide what to cut out. I find I can eat my homemade bread no worries, it has a long rising time when the yeasties eat up a lot of the sugar in the flour, plus it has lovely additions like oats, buckwheat etc. But bought breads, even wholegrain ones, are not good for me. I lost a lot of weight, but then plateaued about 10kg above a healthy weight. 5:2 is now getting rid of those last kilos.

Mary, you might need to check whether the cranberries have added sugar. I know that they are usually processed by being soaked in a sugar solution before drying, so the sourness is mitigated.

*I used this site http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/sugar-content.php
that has taken data from the United States Department of Agriculture and arranged it into order of sugar content (instead of alphabetical order). Most of the list is processed foods I have never heard of and would never eat, so I copied down the fruits and veggies and a few other things that interested me.
(I ended up approximating some things, and changing them to their Australian terms etc, so please go to the original for accuracy.) I eat from the lowest categories.

Grams of sugar per 100g

100g – 37.5g Very High Sugar

Sugar, honey, dates, maple syrup, raisins, dried apples, dried apricots, dried figs, dried tomatoes

37.4g – 18.6g

Rhubarb cooked with sugar, hoisin sauce, prunes, plums

18.6g – 10.5g Medium Sugar

Grapes, mangoes, canned apple pie filling, cherries, bananas, croissants(!), apple juice, canned apricots, tangerines, milo drink

10.4g – 6.6g

Canned tomatoes, apples, plums, oranges, apricots, grapefruit juice, baked sweet potato, orange juice, peaches, beets, nectarines, melons, pistachios, sweet wine(!), yoghurt, grapefruit, nashis, eclair with custard filling and chocolate icing (!)

6.5g – 4.1g Low Sugar

Coconut meat, watermelon, miso, bread, paw paw, boiled sweet potato, canned beets(!), milk, cashews, potato chips, parsnips, strawberries, peanuts, peas, yoghurt, carrots, onions, blackeyed beans, raspberries, canned tomatoes, red peppers, macadamias,

4.1g – 2.6g

Feta, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, white corn, pecans, tomatillo, cabbage, cornchips, pine nuts, yellow corn, green peppers, eggplant, soybeans, turnips,

2.6g – 0g
Fresh tomatoes, walnuts, buckwheat flour, zucchini, lemon, avocadoes, onions, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, radishes, scones, brussel sprouts, chives, cottage cheese, mushrooms, broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower, cucumber, lima beans, swiss cheese, asparagus, pita bread, beans, lettuce, eggs, pumpkin, garlic, unsweetened chocolate for baking(!), tofu, seaweed, mozzarella, beet greens, cheddar, oats, chicken, coffee, cornstarch, fish, ham, butter, oil, rice, salt, tea.

Apricot

1:56 am
11 Mar 16
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That’s a really useful list, thanks, Cinque.
Problem with wheat and corn is they behave the same as sugar in your bloodstream and raise insulin, also storing excess in the liver as fats, the same way sugars do.so if you give up sugar but compensate with more starch you’ve not got very far on the balancing up fat burning and storage.
Dr David Ludwig has lots to say on this (he’s also quoted in the NY times report you posted on another thread , Cinque).

Apricot

2:14 am
11 Mar 16
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MaryW, if you can’t buy oatcakes they are not too difficult to make. Here’s a good Scots recipe.

http://pennysrecipes.com/7324/recipe-traditional-oatcakes

Apricot

2:20 am
11 Mar 16
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By the way, some oatmeal is finer than others. If your one is a bit coarse, making rather a crumbly biscuit, give it a short whizz in a food processor. But don’t make it too fine or the crunch goes.

Cinque

6:43 am
11 Mar 16
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Hi Apricot,
I would love to try that oat cake recipe. Do you think blending rolled oats, so they break down into meal, would work? (since I have them in the house already).

I do follow the research on sugar, and it is true that refined wheat and the high fructose corn syrup are the big problems. Even whole grains of corn and wheat are carbohydrates, however they are complex carbohydrates with lots of fibre, and are counted differently.

The common advice to cut down on sugar by eating low GI and less processed foods was really not relevant to me. I have been vegetarian from age 14 until well into my forties, and always using whole foods, growing and eating my own food, following the Mediterranean diet etc. I already ate the whole fruit, not just the juice!

My problem came with being sedentary because of ill health, menopause, and those growing cravings.

I realised that if I was to cut out sugar, I needed to cut out fruit. But then I wondered: what else? Does sweet corn have as much sugar as apples? Onions are sweet, how much sugar do they have? etc. It took a lot of research to find that info and I was glad to see that the fruits classed as vegetables do actually have less sugar. And I was able to find that roasting vegetables, for example, does intensify their sweetness, but not enough to make a notable difference. And glad to find that raspberries are in the same class as the sweeter vegetables, so they are on my ‘sometimes’ list 🙂

I could see when I sorted out that list, that it didn’t fit neatly with the Glycaemic Index (and some things in it are quite contradictory – I think their yoghurt must be sweetened! so I use commonsense), but it is what works for me. It also makes it clear that we are always eating some sugar, even if it is just 4g sugar per 100g of the food. I eat nothing from the highest 3 categories, and mostly from the lowest 2 categories.

I think that research coming out about the sugar loving species of gut microbes that send the FEED ME! messages to the brain, might be the big issue for me.

We are living in fascinating times!

Apricot

10:58 am
11 Mar 16
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I think it’s worth trying the rolled oats in the food processor. However, oats too are fairly high carb, they just don’t have the gluten that wheat has, so use in moderation. Dr William Davis, who wrote “Wheat Belly”, recommends not eating oats as well as wheat and corn. But they have some benefits in the gut. I never have oats without adding a fat and a protein eg oat biscuits with cheese or avocado or a slice of smoked salmon or chicken. This slows the uptake of t he natural sugars. However, although the sugars in oats eaten this way don’t spike, they are still there turning into blood sugar and activating insulin and therefore the whole process of fat storage etc. I find too that having gone fairly low carb, if I eat oatcakes the day before a fast it can be slightly more difficult in terms of cravings on the FD…not sure if this is causal though!

Apricot

11:12 am
11 Mar 16
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Reading the latter part of your post again, Cinque, I’m fairly sure that I too get that FEED ME message from gut, blood sugar plunges and therefore brain. I have found that avoiding all carby foods makes dieting and weightloss much easier and I feel better too. A trick I learned from the Dukan diet was to use limited amounts of oat bran, which has less sugar than the rolled oats. It’s nice sprinkled on unsweetened yogurt with a bit of fruit such as raspberries or strawbs. Just gives more fibre in the diet. Dukan includes two tbsps of oatbran per day in his otherwise low carb diet. But if I’m really weakening on the carb front, it’s oatcakes I head for.

However, if I increase fibrous veg such as kale and broccoli, I don’t really need the oat fibre. Fruits such as orange and clementine or similar eaten with the pith are also fibrous and their sugars are not sufficient to cause a spike.

Cinque

4:34 am
12 Mar 16
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I’ll try it Apricot, blitzing the rolled oats. I love the taste of oats!
I’ll let you know how it goes.

I also love kale and broccoli. Greens are the best! 🌱🌿

Hello everyone else too! How is sugar free going for you?

Elliejay

3:07 pm
13 Mar 16
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Hello all
Nice to hear so many ideas.
I have been on the 5:2 diet for 2 weeks now, but only one week on sugar-free.
I have only lost 1 kilo but already feeling better. I find that I do feel better on the days after a fast day, which is interesting as I’m sugar and carbohydrate free on the fast days whereas on non-fast days I’m sugar-free but have cut my carbs (bread, potatoes etc) by half. I can’t quite bring myself to cut completely.
I don’t miss the cakes, biscuits etc but struggling at meal times to do without any rice or potatoes. Will have to investigate quinoa !

Matrika

11:00 pm
13 Mar 16
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I too have arthritis badly so thank you for the thread.
curently just starting back on 5:2…had a few health diversions that interfered.
Now completely sugar free…no Stevia, no anything except the occasional banana and some berries with plain yoghurt.
I had to transfer to savoury flavours to get clear of sugar (I’ve been trying for years). So. have been having greek yoghurt with paprika and salt and avocado oil as a transfer.
Now back to occasional banana and berries in yoghurt.

Haven’t noticed any decrease in pain however, I am working out hard (for me) in a hospital gym 2x week and gardening a lot. Also, have come off all medications entirely during January and Feb…so perhaps am just feeling what was previously numbed out.

I am grateful that others are pursuing this line. It will be interesting to see if ewwe can reverse our symptoms…that’s my goal!

Elliejay

7:51 am
14 Mar 16
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Welcome Matrika
Are you also cutting out refined carbohydrates?
You are very brave to stop all your meds. I’m hoping to reduce mine gradually.
Good luck.

MaryWWriter

1:55 pm
14 Mar 16
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Hi, all,

I am so impressed with all of you — giving up wheat and corn and other carbs as well as sugar! Not yet for me. Only refined sugars, at least for this month, and I am finding it very hard. It’s been seven days now, and I am realizing how much I’ve been using sugar for treats and rewards. When I look up from an editing job now, thinking it’s time for a “little something” (as Pooh would say), there’s nothing I can think of that has no sugar that I actually want. I’ve been trying corn chips, wasabi peas and a dried concoction I found at the grocery store called “Punjabi trail mix” just to have something to nibble on but it certainly isn’t as much fun as a cookie or a handful of M&Ms.

I gave up on the cranberries after reading Cinque’s warning — I looked at the package and sure enough, sugar was the first ingredient. Looks like raisins are way up there, too. (Great list, Cinque. Thanks.) I guess I’ll have to go for an apple and some cheddar, and buy some pumpkin seeds.

My husband does most of the grocery shopping (and most of the cooking. I know: I am a lucky woman) so I haven’t had time to check out the oatcakes yet.

Here’s hoping week 2 is easier than week one was. No change on the scale last time I checked. Maybe tomorrow (Today’s a fast day).

Welcome aboard, Matrika!

How’s everyone else doing?

Elliejay

5:24 pm
22 Mar 16
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How is everyone doing? My progress is very slow. Only 1kg and 2cm lost in three and a half weeks. I am sticking to 1800 calls on non fast days but after reading David Ludwig’s book I have altered the balance of food to 40% fat. Think I will have to continue on no carbs for more than a month. Knees are a bit better. The Bakers cysts have gone down somewhat.