Annette, your advice to look for the little changes is right on. I’ve noticed what I thought of as a “settling” as various parts of me seem slimmer despite no scale change. It must be a gradual muscle-to-fat transformation? A girl can dream. Anyway, it is motivating. What a nice surprise that your fall/winter clothes are fitting again! Talk about motivation – free “new” wardrobe.

Go Michel, the book outside sounds delightful. Just don’t read a cookbook like I did 🙂 I sometimes find myself browsing online for new recipes and that is NOT a good thing to read. Power of suggestion – doesn’t take much power for me.

Woke up feeling starved after an OK FD (probably 600ish). Went looking for grapes, and somehow remembered maybe I was thirsty, so I drank a cup of ice water before my coffee. Success! Still not really hungry now. Sad to say, even grapes will get my appetite going. Looking forward to lunch soon — happy glorious weekend all xxx

Morning ladies, apologies for butting in. I’ve been 5:2 ing (with a bit of 5:3 ing) since January and despite a few hiccups reduced from 11:01 to 9:5 – which was hurrah for me and very close to my 9 stone target. I was feeling fab, full of self confidence and a bit of a wiggle in my walk. I should probably add that I am a life time dieter – all time biggest of 13 and a half stone, not pretty on a 5’2” frame. I had a motor tour holiday with himself across Europe taking in Netherlands Germany Poland Slovakia and Czech. Well of course I couldn’t diet there, who knew when I have the opportunity to eat such strange and interesting food again – it would be ridiculous . So I tucked in. Lots of interesting beer and wines (not to mention vodkas) . So I glugged away. No worries I thought I’ll take care of it all when I get home. And now I’m home I can’t stop eating. It’s been weeks but today is the day to take back control and admit to a 6 pound gain and to dig in and woman up to dealing with it (feeling a bit shaky here)

Morning All!

Here’s hoping all fasters have a Kraken free day.

For me it is the same ‘ol story: Free breakfast & lunch both Mon & Tues. Obviously, I’m not fasting but I will try and maintain some control.

Noseinabook- Welcome!
Good luck today!

Stay Strong Everyone!

Thank you all for your welcome. Jade you are so right once I start eating I can’t seem to stop – it’s like some kind of alter ego takes over, I’m either going for it or being saintly. I don’t have a ‘reasonable’ ego that I can find. I’ve fasted today and kept busy (even cleaned the bathroom); whilst I have rubber gloves on I can’t snack. I plan 1500 calls tomorrow and fast again on Wednesday (I’ve persuaded myself today is a done deal and I’ve won). Annette trouser moments like that make it worthwhile!

Was super strong yesterday and lo and behold a 2 lb loss. Feeling very rewarded. Pondering whether to weigh or not to weigh, and if I do weigh myself how often. Problem is if I don’t get the reward or heaven forbid a gain; I immediately feel “that’s it I’m a failure, I’m always going to be fat, I can’t cope, I’m going to eat’ and here we are binge time again. So in my head I’m pondering positive reinforcement, ie there is a point to all this hard work versus fear of failure and what that might lead to.

I am of the weigh/measure/try on clothes once a week, usually a weekend morning when I have more time. One month the scales never moved but I lost 6 inches all over. Another time the scales seemed to be broken and the tape measure wasn’t moving, but all my dresses and nighties were so much longer and I couldn’t work out why until my always slender friend pointed out that the fat across my shoulders had gone, both on the front and the back, which explained that mystery!
Success shouldn’t rest on what number the scales say at a random time, but in over all shrinkage of the body and a change of habits. It’s not food that makes us fat but habits and once I get to a good weight for my height, I want to be able to maintain that for ever.

Hi Everyone!

Welcome Noseinabook!

Ok well I have not been posting but unusually for me it is not because I have been bingeing and lurking… a few days ago now (I can’t count how many, but it’s around 4 or 5) I was looking for inspiration on the other bingeing threads on this site, and came across someone recommending this book called ‘Brain over Binge’.

Anyhow after reading the Amazon reviews I downloaded the iBooks version. I’ve been a bit superstitious about posting in case it breaks the spell – because so far after reading the book I haven’t wanted to binge! It’s hard to sum it up in a nutshell but it addresses those ‘out of control’ binges when you are just cramming stuff into your mouth and hating it but not being able to stop, rather than just ‘greedy-I-like-food’ eating (which I also do), so I don’t think it is the ‘cure’ for everything but hell, if I can stop the awful cramming bingeing that’s got to be a good thing, no?

I’d do it a disservice to try to repeat the advice here but it is basically something along the lines of the lower ‘animal’ part of the brain actually LEARNS to binge and those behaviors are reinforced every time we do it, and to stop is as simple as just understanding your higher brain has the power to just say ‘no’ and then you re-wire your brain and break the neurological pathways which have been reinforced over and over by constant bingeing. See… I knew I would do it a disservice…. it is much better in the book.

Anyway I’d be interested to know if anyone else has read it and/or had success with it?

I then lost 1.5lbs and felt fantastic, then got on the scales this morning and was up 1 lb! I was FURIOUS because I have NOT been overeating, and then I read your post Mel about the false scale readings and was reassured, thank you, you are right, I definitely haven’t over eaten by 3500 cals.

True to binge type form, I came across this thread fuelled by absolute desperation and have been stuffing your posts into my brain like a half starved wild animal since Sunday a.m…
So rare to come across a thread which has this kind of longevity. Not to mention be so full to brimming with spirit, support, honesty and humour. You guys have really created something special here, congrats 🙂
I have been held hostage by food for so long that I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t thinking about it, yearning for it or stuffing it down my great big gob as fast as I could get it in. As a child, more often than not I was made to go without it. When it was made available to me it was of the poorest quality and the smallest portion. This does not make for a healthy relationship!
As soon as I was ‘in control’ of what I put in my mouth, every penny I earned went towards trying all the wonderful things I had thus far missed out on. Boy did I make up for lost time! At 16 years old I was a regular 5’6 62kg teenager. By 17 I was 97kg! I know the origin of my issues and I understand the psychology of it all. Does that make a difference? Ugh hell no! So bloody frustrating.

So that’s the woeful bit. The sunny side to my story is…5 months ago I was diagnosed with Diabetes (strange idea of sunny I know, but stay with me). 21 stone/134kg @39 yrs old and scared shitless that I was gonna go blind during an overnight stay at the hospital having my leg chopped off within the month, if I so much as looked at another chocolate biscuit ever again. Cos that’s pretty much the impression the nurse gave me, even though I was only just in Diabetic range.
After crapping my pants I got the biggest grip I’ve ever achieved, quit stuffing my face and lost 25kg in 4 months. (That’s the sunny part!)
Mid August, everything went utterly tits up and I’ve just spent the last 4-5 weeks losing and regaining the same poxy 2.5kg!!! The original weight was lost doing LCHF. Then that idea got broken as I rekindled my love affair with my two favourite guys, Ben and Jerry. I also kept falling face down with my mouth wide open, straight on top of beautifully buttery chip butties. Carb me up!

Last Sunday and Monday I decided I would mix and match diets and b2b fast on these days. Like others here, if I start eating (particularly at breakfast) things gather speed and go downhill on the rapido! The double fast days were a raging success and I felt like the most wondercrump person who has ever b2b’d since time began when I weighed in with my nurse on Tuesday morning. 2kg gone! I was back in it!I left her room jubilant and went and had a face sized scone cream tea. Which was yummy. But stupid. Yummy and stupid. I excel at yummy/stupid combos. I spent most of the next five days ‘excelling’. Go me.

This week’s b2b fast was undertaken with all of you by my side. Is that creepy? Maybe a ‘lil bit right?!? You should all know that those 2 days were made all the better by your company.I ‘fangirled’ (as my teenage daughter would say) the whole way through so there! 😉
This morning I had to leave you all at home to attend a diabetes type class and get weighed in again. Off went the 2kg again. Yay!! Into my face went a foot long BMT Subway smothered in mayo and sweet onion sauce. And a whole tub of peanut butter cup Ben and Jerry’s and a huge family sized bag of crisps, some roasted chicken thighs and 2 pints of fizzy lemon drink. I hadn’t touched fizzy drinks for 5 months. It was my last long standing victory of my new lifestyle journey left. I am officially and a!!ehole!
On the upside, 5:2 obviously works for me. Well the ‘2’bit works for me. I just need to get a hang of the ‘5’ bit :p

Hi Twirly and welcome:

Fasting is successfully being used to reverse Type 2 – this thread has some links that might be informative. https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/t2-diabetes-lowno-carb-and-52/

Good Luck!

Welcome twirly thoughts!

First things first, congrats on the weight loss – I bet that if you could find something that weighs 25k you would really struggle to lift it – imagine how much less strain your body is under not lugging that around all day! Your diabetes figures also sound much happier – amazing news!!

Your tale sounds like so many of us on here. Because we try so hard to hide our eating from everyone in real life (oh! that moment of panic when someone comes home earlier than planned and you are still eating and have to swiftly dispose of the evidence in plant pots, under mattresses, in the magazine rack, and the race to wipe the sugar from your face and clothes), it’s easy to think we are the only ones with these issues. But as this thread clearly shows….not so!

I find it so helpful to read the advice that people give on here, and even the advice that I give to others, and then ask myself why I don’t also apply that same forgiveness and generosity to myself. I hope I am getting better at that, and if so it is 100% due to this thread.

Thanks everyone! (Group hug) xxxx

Wow…mcca that book is intense. In a good way though. I have just read two chapters, but it’s like unlocking and reading someone’s diary. What a wrenching experience it had to have been to write that (not to mention living it). I cringed when she wrote of eating all her roommate’s food and being found out. Thank you again for the rec.

Reading her story and the stories here have helped me enormously. We’ve all recognized that part of our problem is the secrecy and shame involved in our lack of control and obsession with food. Eek, it embarrasses me just to write that. I really can’t fathom how she wrote that whole book. So thank you all again for chiming in here. Being accountable is all important. And Twirly, I don’t think it’s creepy at all to think of this group “counseling” me when I’m about to commit some food crime or another.

So one FD down this week – actually an easy one this time. I have two new approaches I’ve been using. ONE: on FDs I have a spoonful of plain greek yogurt when I think I can’t go another minute without throwing a chair through the vending machine. The yogurt destroys my craving for sweets and also tastes a bit like the cream-filling inside of a doughnut. OK, a very sour doughnut, but still. I have another spoonful at night before bed.

And TWO: on nonFDs, I have a bite of some sweet/dessert right before dinner. I mean, right?! I want a sugar hit when it really counts, on an empty stomach. BUT just a bite, then dinner right after. So I’m still hungry for real food but I don’t feel deprived. That empty hole in my (head) stomach gets filled, and I don’t overeat. Maybe it’s not the wisest approach but here’s the thing. I love sweets. Normally, if I just have dinner, I don’t really want dessert afterward because I’m full; dessert doesn’t satisfy a need but I tend to eat it anyway BECAUSE IT’S NOT A FD AND I’M A BIG STUBBORN WHINER. And we all know how that turns out. Once I eat too much, I can’t recapture the good feeling of eating for hunger, not that I don’t keep trying. Did I mention I was stubborn.

Anyway, those are my dysfunctional tips du jour. They have helped me this week, but of course it’s only Tuesday, I haven’t exactly tested them too thoroughly. I was just amazed that I did not feel deprived either day, despite fasting yesterday and coming in well under tdee today. Why, I haven’t hidden any half-eaten doughnuts since last week!

Group hug gratefully accepted – what would I do without you all? xxx

Morning Fast Clubbers!

Jade – Congrats on the successful FD.
Thanks for your tips, all suggestions are welcome. Who knows what will take hold & be a huge help.

Twirly – I have been having similar days. I’ve been pigging out at work and stuffing my face with more crap at home. No stop button here! My body has to be screaming “STOP! WTF?!” I know the scale was yelling at me this morning, up another 5lbs!

I’m searching for motivation, so I think I’ll get the book and give it a read. She certainly sounds like me; full of good intentions and destructive behaviours.

So who is riding the fast train with me today?
I could use the company & support..

Strength & hugs to all my Fast Club buds!

AH the Krispy Kreme cabinet – it’s on my GPS for sure. And yes Twirly I “punished” my hubs the other day by chomping into a loaf of bread, just to vandalize it before dinner. That mature behavior was followed by an angry text that, luckily, he never saw (because I managed a clandestine delete). But seriously, it can be hard to give a **** about controlling appetite when emotions take over and I’m acting like I’m 2.

I’m very interested to keep reading this book. The author swears that she never has the urge to binge now, and she was really a classic case. I am still in the category of (somewhat) “reformed binger,” still obsessed and a step away, and it’s frustrating. Mostly caused by my insatiable need to sample every single food on offer anywhere, whether hungry or not. What in the hell kind of disorder is that. Curiobinger? Smorgasborderliner? Anyone else have that problem?

Queen, I was stupidly reading a recipe the other day for chocolate cake, and saw it had 3 sticks of butter in the batter AND 3 more sticks in the icing. Yikes. No nutrition info given, just “serves 16.” HAHAHA, not a chance in hell. Whatever size the thing comes in is one serving. Because I’ll eat it all, or eat way more than a normal serving, then have to hide/set fire to the rest. I do have to laugh, and thank heavens I found this crew I can laugh with.

Michel – I’m riding the fast train today! Stay strong girl – no breakfast burrito 🙂 So far so good here, just coffee with a dab of cream.
Luck and strength to you all!

Jade – Keep us posted on your reading of the book. The reviews made me question my decision to buy it. Really interested to hear your thoughts.

6 sticks of butter in a cake that serves “16”. Holy Cow! I’m repulsed at the same time I’m thinking “mmmmm, that sounds yummy!” And what is it that makes the idea of having a cake all to myself so inciting.

Back to reality: Fasting Today!!! Let’s do this!!!

Queen – You are right. “Eating to excess is a drug we have to give up” I need to think of it in those terms. Binging is not acceptable!

Twirly – Congrats on “no snacks” and a successful nonFD.
Note: Never take $ into the garden. Can’t buy KK w/o $. 🙂

Here’s wishing everyone success!

Evening Fasters!

Successful FD here in the Lone Star State. Yea!
Had an egg for dinner with yogurt & fresh blueberries for dessert. Feeling good & ready for bed.

So for tomorrow. I told ya about the free breakfast & lunch on Mon & Tues (totally unhinged my jaw), well tomorrow is free lunch followed by hors d’oeuvres, beer/wine & CAKE in the evening. And let’s not forget Free breakfast Friday. Lord give me strength!

It’s a wonder I can fit into any of my clothes. All the free food would be bad enough but adding in my binging on top of it equals off the chart Kraken fest.

Hope everyone had a successful day.
Here’s to staying mindful tomorrow.

Queen – Good question. Chicken or the egg?
I know for me eating breakfast is a trigger; period, end of story. It does not matter whether I eat because I was truly hungry or if I’m surprised when I walk in the breakroom and greedily stuff something in my mouth. And once started nothing satisfies the desire to eat.

The flip side is: if there is food in the kitchen and I’m able to hold out against its lure, I still can think of nothing else except “there is food & I want some”.

So either way, eat or not, I’m obsessed. It’s so tiring.

Strange that on a FD, with no free food in the kitchen, I don’t have this problem. I’m totally in control….No food till dinner. Yesterday was a breeze.
All or nothing that is me.

I think the real question for me is: How do I control my thoughts, day after day? I can be good for a week or 2 then I go crazy.

One day at a time…Good luck everyone!

Jade – Thanks for the update on the book. Still thinking about buying.
Good job pulling yourself out of the peanutbutter.

We are in control and have the power to decide!
(Note to self)

Hi all. Back again for my weekly/semi-weekly check-in. I’m holding my own against the kraken, but only because I’ve been so d*mn busy that I don’t have time to eat. Literally.

Jade, I’m right there with you on WTF a meal is? I’m lazy, hungry, and in a hurry, so my meals are often much too small, which means snacking later. I’ve been toying with FD meals to see what really fills me up vs. what satisfies me. On Tuesday I ate 5 eggs and an apple. Not full and not satisfied, either, until I ate a bunch of dried blueberries. Today I’m going back to my oatmeal. It’s the only thing I’ve found that actually FEELS like enough food at the end of the day.

One hurdle I’ll have to contend with is my parents being in town. They flew in last night, and while they aren’t staying with me, they are here for 6 weeks, which means lots of meals out and many, MANY bottle of wine. Last night was an example of this trend: a 1/2 wheel of brie and crackers, a frozen pizza, and nearly two bottles of wine between the three of us. And that was a light meal! They aren’t out of shape at all, and seem to have the ability to STOP, but me? No, I just keep on reaching for the crackers, mindlessly as hell.

On a good note, though, one of my students called me skinny. She gets an A.

Luck to all my fellow fasters today!!!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome Twirly! On that 4-5 lbs you are having trouble shifting – if it is any consolation I basically spent the last 6 months at the same weight. I do think the body tries to stabilize and it’s really hard to break that plateau. Try not to get disheartened – it will eventually break. I remember reading an article with Matthew McConnaghey about how he lost all that weight for the Dallas Buyers Club and he said every 10lbs his body would just stall, the weight would stay the same, despite him not eating any more and exercising madly, and then eventually it would start dropping off again. I decided to believe him because it just sounded like he had gone about his weight loss in a very efficient, professional manner (no doubt aided by personal chefs and personal trainers) and so if he’s gonna hit a plateau, then us mere mortals must do so too!

Jade – I am totally a smorgasbord eater too. I don’t think the Brain over Binge book deals with that beyond saying that it doesn’t deal with that… i.e. it’s not a diet book, it is about those crazy binges when you keep going even when you don’t want to (which I definitely do) – however I have to keep reminding myself that the author says as a ‘normal’ eater you just face the same challenges as anyone else i.e. healthy choices vs not healthy choices, and that her method doesn’t address those. Otherwise I am very much at risk of going “oh, I read a book, that sounded good, now I can eat stuff again… whoops, where did the whole tray of brownies go? Oh yes, in my face….”

However, that said, I still haven’t overeaten on my non FD since reading the book which, for me, is a ruddy miracle. Like Michelle and others of you have also said, my problem wasn’t the days when I am not allowed to eat, it’s the days I am allowed to! Weird. I’m coming up to my 1 year anniversary of being on the Fast Diet and I just can’t believe that suddenly I am getting some control on my non FDs.

Jade I’d be interested to know how you get on once you’re past the 2 brain bit!

Spring – I too am really skeptical about ‘magical cures’ and ‘amazing journeys’ – I also assume the author is just out to make a load of royalties. I was in two minds about downloading the book (the reviews were mixed) but then thought I would give it a whirl. So far it’s been worth it for me… however I am anxious about calling it too early in case it comes back to bite me on the arse in the shape of an enormous ‘I told you so’ binge….

Queen – to breakfast or not to breakfast – I am now SOLD on the no breakfast. It definitely opens up my appetite and basically whatever time I start eating is pretty much a solid graze then til bedtime. No breakfast club is a winner for me.

Oh Penguin being called skinny must have been lovely, give that student an A+ from us!

Morning All,
I had to buy something on the way to the supermarket to get a coin for the trolley, which resulted in a pack of 5 cookies. I ate 1.Managed to get past the bakery aisle twice without any pastry but did leave with a 6 pack of individual ice cream on a stick. Ate a FD meal when I got home, but couldn’t resist an ice cream.So I had one and it was lovely even though I was cross with myself for giving in. Never mind, the weight is on a downward trajectory, although a slow one, but then my habits have to change and that takes time.

I stopped secret eating and binging when I started to tot up the gms of sugar in food. On the basis we should not consume more than 6 teaspoons sugar a day or 24g in both hidden and obvious sugar It is easy to count to 24 and quite shocking how easy and quickly it is, but if you can reduce the sugar consumption, then the addiction weakens too. Sugar is in savoury foods too. Most packs are labelled. Try it for a week and see how you get on.

Whilst i am making breakfast for the kids i brew myself a 40oz green tea and sip sip sip.

Queen – yes, copious coffee. Maybe w/bit of cream. I’m a coffee-to-start girl anyway. If I get up super early, I eat around 10ish. But waiting gives me some kind of super-power that I don’t understand, but I don’t question. I’m almost normal. Decent lunch, then no craving for snacks before a decent dinner. Before, with my puny little micro-lunch, I wanted snacks all afternoon. Like Michel, I’m all or nothing. Might as well roll with it.

Hey foomsy! Copious tea sounds good, too. sip sip sip.

And yeah, the husband…main reason I save my FD calories for dinner. But as long as salad/veg are available, I can make any meal work. Cover my plate with salad, put small portion of X on top – voila, a pizza salad – actually not too bad.

Mind you ALL, I only have super-powers when I behave. Days are long, and behaving is hard 🙂

Annette, congrats on escaping the grocery with as little harm as you did. Sugar is a tough habit to break. It is in everything. Michel, did you really throw away cake? High five!

Downward trajectory here too – great to see control has had an effect, slow as it has been. I keep remembering the “lovely muscles” comment. Very motivating.

Hold tight to the lard baton, everyone – Kitty how are you getting on? Are you in Mexico drinking concoctions out of coconuts? Wish I were there!

xxx jade