We are all victims of our biochemistry, it is what makes us crave sweet things(over 80% of our food has fructose in it according to Lustig). We are designed to search for the sweet stuff because fruit was a rare treat at harvest time and honey was guarded by the bees, so it wasn’t something that there was regular access, so when it was available we ate loads to store it for energy. The flaw with that is our very different lives with almost constant access to sugary foods.

When you see those doughnuts/cookies Jade, dopamine is released which is the urge to have it for the energy, then the reward of eating it which in turn creates the habit.

Courtesy of Damon Gameau(that sugar book)There are 4 main groups of sugar. Lactose in milk, glucose in fruit, vegetables, bread, rice, pasta. Sucrose is half glucose and half fructose- found in sugar beet and sugar cane and some fruits and when refined becomes table sugar. Fructose was once rare and found in honey, some root vegetables and tree and vine fruits. Our bodies were designed to cope with glucose, which gives us energy, but is now trying to cope with fructose too.He refers to small packet of sultanas that contains 91 and easy to eat in 1 go and then compares that with trying to eat 91 grapes, but the fibre in the grapes told his brain that it was full after 24. Which is why whole food and vegetables are far better because the fibre helps to regulate how much we will then eat, and therefore how much glucose is consumed.

Lustig also argues that fibre and exercise are the 2 most important things to do to help restore our biochemistry.

Day one of sugar avoidance – went very well as I had a successful fast day. Day two (today) – oats, table spoon full fat yogurt and half an apple grated. Lunch whole meal bread, humus and roasted peppers. Supper planned as salmon, pea risotto and spinach; treat coffee ice lolly. Just thought about all the lactose in my many (sugar free decaf) coffees, sugar in bread and starchy white rice, sugar in lolly and suddenly feeling I hadn’t thought it through enough after reading Annette’s post. More research and planning needed, sugar avoidance might be harder than I thought!

Hi All,
For me it’s not about giving up sugar, but avoiding it where I can. Sometimes I choose to have a cake and when I do then I enjoy it. The problem was that white bread had become a very frequent visitor, along with the pain chocolat and when I had a debate with myself at the pastry counter of the relative merits…then I knew the treat idea had gotten out of hand! I understand that the French approach is a treat on Sunday.
I suppose that only you can answer that question Jade. I have found that by consuming less sugar I crave for it less, which makes sense.You have to remember that I started decreasing my sugar consumption in January and felt better, which helped me to see that sugar might be a problem. For you it is much harder, you have to feel better/binge less/have a better mood to see that a reduction of sugar in the diet is a good thing. So don’t think that you are giving something up, simply avoiding it for the day.
The only sugar to worry about is Fructose in all it’s many guises and avoid it by having wholegrain bread, brown rice,unprocessed meat, wholewheat pasta, whole fruit and vegetables, oil, butter, milk and cream. Make life easier for yourself, don’t buy the cookies!

If eating whole foods and grains with unprocessed foods meant that you would no longer have a problem with your weight….would you do it? It has been suggested that this might be so and I wondered if any of you might like to take part in a completely unscientific trial? It is simply to eat unprocessed food, whole grains/brown rice/brown pasta for the rest of this week and then see how we feel on Sunday. What do you think?

Hello everyone, I think my binges are getting less. I am an all or nothing girl and that is why this way of life suits me like nothing has before. Still a. Problem to modify my eating on non fast days though. I keep on trying and that is better than before. Good luck all bingers

I was so pleased to finally read my whole-grain bread label and find, although it was sweetened, it was with honey and cane sugar. And those ingreds were way down on the list. It’s so delicious I was hating the idea of subversively eating it without telling anyone 🙂

And thanks Annette, I love your simple summary. Avoid it when you can, but when you choose it, enjoy it. Well even I can do that. And I’m really not a daily indulger the way I was before 5:2 so something must be going right.

Cheers all – time to stop working and have a night off. xx

Hi Simcoe – Thanks – I know, it’s not sugar free but at least whole grain and no HFCS. I am eating a lot less added sugar, as Annette has us all checking labels and cooking more from scratch. So this bread is just one of the exceptions. Funny how much less I eat now! A 5:2 convert for life.

Good for you Michel! Isn’t it great we have another way to notch a victory? Dodging the sweets is a success any day, because that used to be a rare day indeed for me.

We must keep in mind how much we have improved. It’s like cleaning my house some days, I tend only to notice the dirt that’s left. xx

Morning all, I’m with Michelle today on 2nd fast of the week. In a complete turnaround to my initial fear of a fast day I now feel in charge and ‘safe’; I know what I’m eating all day long, they’re good choices and no hidden demons (aka sugar). Maybe planning ahead and taking time to make considered (mindful) decisions is key for me, which I probably knew anyway but for some reason haven’t practiced enough.

I wonder how many of us are all or nothing like TopsyT; I’ve heared about genetic predisposition to weight gain, maybe a psychological predisposition or two exists around the badly behaved wild child some was embracing in an earlier post.

Spring, fascinated by your post re habit and plasticity is there an reading recommendation ☺️

You know, Spring, I get myself in trouble sometimes just by reading about food – those brainwaves fire up and without even being conscious of what’s happening, I have “accidentally” driven by a Krispy Kreme shop. But aside from controlling my thoughts to that degree, I’ll have to settle for being mindful and trying to prefer whole, real food.

Remember that Normal Eating book? Last night I had an “I’m not hungry anymore” moment in the middle of dinner. And quit eating. I had NO desire for more and, in fact, eating more seemed as ridiculous as putting on a sweater when I’m not cold. That author wrote how normal people enjoy food when they’re hungry, but never think of it when they’re not, because for them, food only satisfies hunger. That was interesting to experience.

And now that I wrote that, of course, I’ll probably trip over a bag of Krispy Kremes on the way to my car. Begone dopamine. Note to self: stop talking about effing doughnuts.

So I have a breadmaker and can make my own bread, but forgot the sugar once (just a T for the loaf) and “stark” is one way to describe the taste without any. Not sure I can acquire that taste – or want to. Saw the term “orthorexia” not that I would ever become one. But sometimes I overdo to the point that I just want to chuck all this and eat a fried twinkie.

That said, I love experimenting to see what is good that I can live with, after trying for a bit. Processed food – easily. Oh by the way, what is wrong with rolled oats, less fibre? I love a fried egg on top of oatmeal.

No fasting for me today – lunch and dinner on the menu with friends, but good luck to Michel, Nosey, and I can’t remember if anyone else! See you on the fast train tomorrow. xx

I am not a purist either Jade. I simply want to eat and enjoy good food that doesn’t turn me into a mad woman looking for my next sugar fix.Just made some Foccacia which is proving, not sure that it will be ready to eat with our meal, but it can go into the freezer for another time.

No fasting for me either, back to it on Friday.

Normal eating Jade? Wow! Just remember that when you have a wobble, it’s not you but your biochemistry so fix that and then you’ll be fine. I was feeling a bit hungry after the wholemeal toast and homemade peanut butter, so ate 2 carrots-which I prefer raw and are sweet, which filled me up.Have a lovely time with friends.

Morning all!! It’s a beautiful spring day here today so sending sunny, warm spring-vibes. Also, I thought I’d mention that basically, there’s nothing wrong with any of us 🙂 and we are not fundamentally flawed!

Can I eat at your house tonight Annette? That sounds like such a yummy dinner! We have been eating left overs all week (which is not as bad as it sounds 😉 ).

The brain, hey? Michell? I’ve had so many of the cycles you speak of and have wondered if 5:2 is for me in the long term. After the initial 12 months (when I lost 55lbs) it’s been relatively static – up a bit down a bit up a bit…over and over. There seems to be a ‘switch’ that goes in my head every few years and allows me to shed a whole lot of weight and then it’s like I need to wait till that switch goes off again. I know what turns it back on of course: one of the dozens of triggers we all talk about on here and then, over a fateful few weeks/months, the rot sets in. This time I’ve refused to stop weighing myself and this has helped enormously with the denial (apparently people who weigh regularly are more successful at keeping the weight off). I don’t have any easy answers as it’s a combination of so many factors for me and it seems only time and persistence will do it (and staying away from the pantry/fridge!). Anything that boosts motivation and gets my head into the ‘right’ space helps though which is why I hang out here with you lovely ladies.

Nose, I’m definitely an all or nothing girl. A great book for an intro to this field is Norman Doidge’s ‘The Brain that Changes itself’. A fascinating read and very understandable for non-neuroscientists. I think the bottom line is the brain can be changed but it takes a good deal more practice and persistence than I have ever been prepared to put into it 🙂 I heard of another book recently too called ‘Neuro-slimming’ by an Australian MD, Helena Popovic – she was on the radio recently and her approach seemed to be based squarely in the neuronal-placticity camp. I have thought about getting it but her website is so full of “It’s been AMAZING, the weight just dropped off’ testimonials, that my skeptical side kicked in hard 😉

Jade, soul-sister!! I’m sure we’d get on like a house on fire (“What do you mean save the photos? There’s a bag of Krispy Kremes in the pantry!!!”). You are doing all the right things my girl and I admire your willingness to make changes.

Okay, I promised myself it would be a short post. must be that all or nothing thing again. Spring xx

Yep Jade. Whether it is diet or full fat Coke it is very very bad news. Step away from it now. Don’t undo all your good work now. I go to bed thinking about the vanilla ice cream in the freezer, but I haven’t eaten any yet which is quite an achievement, but I can resist because my tummy is full(whole unprocessed foods have filled me up).

I wish that we could get together too. I suspect that this thread will be running even hotter than normal over the festive period. I am hoping that by the time the day arrives that I will no longer like marzipan or icing and really only be able to manage a small piece of fruit cake!!Delusional is another word for it!
I am planning for the festive week ahead.I have put on 10 lb every year for the past 2 when I have somehow thought that it was a good idea to stop the 5:2 and have a little break(bonkers I know). Well the madness is not happening this year, I will not spend the next 6 months losing that and I will not be I tears again on January 1st when I see the damage.
The first fun thing to do is to look at all the food that you would normally buy and then have a happy time reading labels and deciding purely on the sugar value whether it is coming home with you. I put a lot of lovely things into my basket and then took most of them out and back onto the shelves.The little cake made the cut because it is little and can be shared very easily 3 ways and then it is gone.There are some things that will only be able to come home much nearer the time, or they will be eaten!

Lustig would say that the only thing that all diets share is that they may be briefly successful because they all do the same thing-increase fibre and reduce sugar, but that they also all fail because to lose weight you have to change both what you eat and the environment-remove/avoid the temptations, which is quite tough when there are always biscuits at work and it has become a work habit.I will just have to stop at the fruit bowl instead and train myself to pass by the biscuits.

What’s normal? Who are these mystical normal people, who have no food issues; eat a perfect diet and never overeat. What proportion of the population are they? They certainly don’t live in abundance in my post code. I think that sometimes we have imagined super folk in our head who we measure ourselves against and doom ourselves to be found failing. All we can do is do the best with who WE are.

Some times we’re in the flow and sometimes the doldrums but we never beaten until we give in. Michel we’ve all been where you are but by golly you are so impressive, you’re still here and just waiting for the right moment for you.

Ooops I passed right over that gigantic number — doggone Spring 55 lbs is fantastic! That was some awesome normalcy. You need a #55 jersey just to remind you how awesome you can be.

And yet I appreciate your continuing desire to figure out control, and where it goes when it’s gone. Queen, your thoughts are very helpful – scientific, actually – look at the result (no craving/good FD) and backtrack to see what led to it. We really are all different, and we change each day (DAMN, we do don’t we) so the answer is elusive. Sugar may catch me one day when you’re impervious. I look at my husband who never wants a second caramel and want to clobber him 🙂 or steal his brain, maybe? Yes, that’s what I need, a brain transplant.

I’m a native Islander, I’m afraid. No matter the success, I’m still having these issues, going on many decades now. So I’m in for the long haul, to help figure out ANY cause/cure. I want to BE normal, not just look normal. The sharing of ideas, successes, and failures is part of it. I just know we’ll get there if we don’t give up. xx
ps: my bread has 2g sugar per slice – not too bad…?
pps: why does saying the name of a food make me want it. grr

Hello everyone!
I too am a binger. The Fast Diet has helped me tremendously. In order to not binge on non fasting days I avoid all wheat and sugar in any form. In just hours you will notice your cravings and the need to feed will leave. Since I have been avoiding food containing wheat I have noticed increased mental alertness, more energy and no more joint pain. I have lost 12 pounds with 5:2. In the past I had never been successful in losing weight.

Lovely work everyone and welcome to the Island Vibrant 🙂 I’m glad you’ve found a system that works for you. And queen & nose, ‘normal’ is merely a distribution!!

I need to be honest with you all here. At the moment my system is a lot broken and unfortunately it has nothing to do with sugar, wheat, fructose, bad food in general or being a victim of biochemistry. It has to do with the choices I make despite being an eater of wholly wholesome wholefoods for 30 years and despite being someone who totally understands how executive brain function can and should allow me to self-regulate my energy intake. So I’d like to make a plea that here on Misfit Island we keep a balance between recognising that while there are food issues that respond really well to a change in diet, like ditching the sugar or other baddies (and btw, go all of you having such great success with that) for some of us – and possibly it’s just me – there are food issues like mine that have to do with wanting to eat more than needed to meet my energy needs and the result is? I put on weight. So, while I’ve lost 55lbs to date and I totally understand how I managed to do that, for the last 4 months I’ve gained and lost and gained the same 5lbs eating exactly the same good foods I ate back then only in greater quantities and I cannot for the life of me replicate what I was clearly able to do in the first year of 5:2. Sorry to get all down on the party.

On the plus side, I’m enough of an optimist to hope that daily mindfulness and sharing the ups and downs with all of you can help to keep me honest with myself, not to mention the weekly weighing-in which is having a remarkable effect on ensuring the weight doesn’t creep up too much 😉

If you’re fasting today, more power to you and have a lovely weekend everyone. Spring xx

Really interesting vibrant and Jade-I had no idea that those foods could make such a difference.
Thanks for sharing spring and queen. I wish that I could offer some help, but I don’t know what to suggest. When I was struggling, I kept a food log which just helped me keep a tally on the numbers up to my TDEE, I don’t know if that would help. Have you tried hypnotism?

I am feeling better and fuller with more whole foods and simply avoiding sugar where I can, but next week I am back at work, so that will be the real test.My big news is that after 2 months trying to get the scales to move at all, they have by 1 lb. I am delighted and wonder if the combination of less sugar/more fibre has made the difference.

Quite right, Spring – we are all different. Finding out what’s going on is not an exact science. To make things worse, I’m different almost every day. Sometimes sugar gets me, other times couldn’t care less but please pass the bread! I guess I’m an omni-binger? 🙂 maybe I can get a cape for Halloween.

I do know that I can’t ban any kind of food – sugar, carb, whatever. (I hope there’s an ejector seat if anyone tries to strap me into the low-carb bus.) I want to learn how to be satisfied while mostly eating everything, in moderation of course 🙂 And occasionally I want to be a total rabid warthog and not feel any guilt.

Happy Friday all – let’s keep sharing and walking however slowly down this wide path together. xxx

Thank you so much for your understanding around this everyone, I’m feeling very heartened that there is more than one way up the mountain so to speak and that there is still room for all here on Misfit Island 😉

I did an odd thing yesterday and decided to read back through some of my first posts,just for a feel of what was happening then. Interestingly there were several times when the weight just seemed to melt off, even though I was not being particularly careful and then obviously more recent times when the opposite has been the case. Bottom line seems to be for me to not get too hung up on the numbers as long as I’m being honest with myself.

I’ve also decided to work on goal setting and making my goals front and centre and more visible to those around me, something that (as a mildly paranoid person 😉 ) I’ve tended to keep to myself. So I’m putting up some stuff around the house as a reminder of what my smart brain is aiming for each day. Of course, part of ‘keeping my goals to myself’ has been the fear that if I fail then I don’t have to be accountable to anyone as no one knew what my goals were. Yeah, I know, it’s FU but I’m sure others can relate!

It’s another stunningly beautiful spring day here. The garden is awash with spring flowers and new growth so I’m going to take a coffee and my magazine to the hammock. Hope some moments of magic find their way into your day today dear fasting friends – life IS good. Spring xx

Thanks Jade and very interesting hearing all the different approaches. I shall bid you all ‘adieu’ and will pop in now and again(bonkers term back at work).

I may have only lost 1 measly little lb after 2 months and the tape measure must be broken, but my clothes show me that I am shrinking. So that is new jeans and a couple of fleeces. A try on of work clothes shows that I am going to have a limited wardrobe of those things that are not hanging off me!

I am thinking about not fasting at all next week and just focusing on avoiding sugar and eating more wholefoods to see what happens. Onwards and downwards fast friends.

Hello all,
I love hearing about your fasting journey. Your honesty and candid replies are encouraging and uplifting. Since joining this forum, I have had 2 days of fasting. Both I accomplished with ease thankfully.

What is the number of hours that you go without eating? I eat 500 calories at breakfast and then do not eat until the next day at lunch time. Last fast day, was approximately 36 hours between meals. I was reading that without at least 24 hours there may not be much benefit. I would love to hear your experiences.

Thank you!

Hi vibrant, I’m on my first fast of the week today, I fast from dinner to dinner; so for around 24 hours. I do however treat myself to a miso soup mid afternoon or if getting desperate a big bowl of salad (just lettuce, toms, celery, cucumber etc) or soup which is a chicken stock cube with garlic, ginger, chilli and lots of mushroom, courgette, bok choi to keep me going to 8pm and dinner with husband. I want to still have meals with himself as I want this to be a way of life and sustainable. I think I’m going to be fasting twice a week for the foreseeable as it keeps my weight steady. To be honest if I stayed at 9 1/2 stone I’d be pretty chuffed (hence my lack of great progress of late?)

We need you Jade!! Your posts are a wonderful wry take on all things dietary and make me feel I’m not the only flawed human on this spinning orb. So glad you came out of the cave to chat, rest well.

Your question ‘What’s bad and too often for you?” had me thinking, as some days I consider everything to be ‘bad’ and on others anything goes 😉 At the moment my bad is around 4pm in the afternoon when I know I’ve eaten well all day but just need ‘a little something to tide me over’. Actually, I really just need to be an adult and wait till dinner time but delayed gratification is clearly a function of my smart brain which seems to knock off about 4pm. If I could just get it to work for the full 16 hours til bedtime, I’d be a slim winner.

Nose, well done on the fasting and your snacks for getting through a FD sound yummy, although unfortunately I’m on a low sodium diet and can’t find a miso soup that meets the requirements. I’d also love to be able to save up my 500 calories for dinner with hubby but I’d first have to cook a meal and that would be disastrous – I can’t be trusted in the kitchen for more that 5 minutes on a FD.

Fast on my fast friends. Spring xx

HA, here’s a funny: “My liquid diet is going great! After 4 glasses of wine, I no longer care how fat I am.” Ba dump 🙂

Thanks again Spring, big hugs soul sister. I’m not leaving the Island. I just reached a point where restrictions were backfiring. I don’t mean in wanting to binge. I was almost unable to make independent eating decisions — any day — without checking my long list of rules. So I’m trusting myself to lighten up a bit and roll with it.

Yesterday, for instance. Weirdly timed meals, mid-day wine, desserts…. I felt a bit guilty, but went ahead and enjoyed what I wanted of all of it. Expected to skip dinner, but found myself hungry later, so I had roast chicken, grapes, and a Reese’s. OH YES, there’s some major food groups for you. Sounds like a day of bad choices, but I never stuffed myself. I feel fine today and the scale was kind. I don’t feel like a control freak.

I know I can’t do that too often, but I’m not the kind who can plan for it either, i.e., “you can have a cookie Saturday.” As soon as I say that, I want a cookie effing now, in fact give me the whole bag and back off.

And dear Annette, I KNOW this is what you were saying all along. Just your example of cutting down (not out) the sugar in your tea was clear. But little miss overachiever here went bonkers. I feel much better now 🙂 And just FYI I’ve been drinking black coffee for years. It becomes the taste you prefer, I promise. With a splash of real cream – decadent.

OK here I go on my FD quest. Wish me luck! xx