Poor dear annette, the title of this thread is “I’m a binger” so it’s not like we haven’t been warned. And don’t have to know that about ourselves. I’m so sorry it happened to you!

Hang in there and tomorrow is going to be another day. And a better one, no doubt! 😏

Annette, don’t beat yourself up. I think a bit of winter is at work, and then eek, toss in a bad night’s sleep (or for me, the Sat night cocktails), and boom. And as you said, Chubster, it’s not as though this could never happen to us lol. For me, there are just times when I want to be off probation. Ha, I guess I’m a recidivist, but probation is working overall. The meringue is still sitting there. I’m not willing to give up my one night of 2 cocktails even knowing it is a trigger of sorts.
But because Sunday is such a problem, I’m thinking of making it a regular FD. It would be tough, but at least it would be a day when I hit the brakes. Then maybe the sugar craving will be gone by Monday? We’ll see. Tomorrow is always another day! (said Scarlett O’Hara)
Chubs, so sorry to hear your knee is hurting – hope you can clear away the red tape to get the silly putty injections asap. It is such a pleasure to have you here to share ideas. And whoop whoop big congrats on dropping those lbs – you’re on your way and yes we can do this. It’s a zig-zaggy road but we’ll all get there. xx

Meant to add, Annette – happy birthday to your son! Relax, tomorrow really is another day. Hope you enjoyed your family today xox

Chubs, best recipe ever – the cheer-leading and empathy are so great to turn to here. And yes, just a pinch of accountability 🙂
I’ve done Sunday FDs before, though usually I’m in full-on relaxing mode. Though that’s more a habit than a real need. I’m actually kind of excited to try it, as a new experiment. Sundays have just been the weak link in my 5:2 efforts for the longest time.

I’ll confess (and long-time islanders know this is big) I had a cream doughnut yesterday IN THE CAR. It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Kind of a rebellion against rigidity. Pleased to say I did not go insane, had a regular dinner and no other sweets, stayed within tdee. Just accounted for the 300 cals.

It’s been awhile since I had an epiphany, but ha just when you thought you were safe – I have one! Here’s my deal. I can monitor myself with the scales. Or I can monitor my cals with MFP. Or I can skip those two things and just eat whole foods and trust they’ll fill me up with close to tdee. I cannot do all of these things at once or I become a petulant 2-year-old and just say no to ALL of it. Except for the fasting – weirdly I love the FDs. I do love the experiments to see how this wonderful plan works just right for me – I know it’s possible, and as Spring said some time ago, learning to sway with the differences in our moods etc. each day is also important.

Going to work now – happy days to all of you! xx

Yes that’s fabulous Annette! Yes, 26 years does seem a lot older than 25 – our youngest is turning 25 this year and I still can’t quite believe it.

I’m glad you are taking it all in stride, and really if we view this as a long experiment, we become interested observers of our physiology and how to tweak it. I have the tools, just need to pick the right one on the right day. And by that I also mean I need to have my heart in it that day, as well. Kid’s birthday…well, that one doesn’t exactly scream restricted eating, does it.

But nothing need get gets out of hand for long, and climbing back on the 5:2 horse is (ta da) a real habit now! Yay – at least one habit is good 🙂 xx

Have you ever tried making your own yogurt, annette? It’s amazingly easy to do and then it’s very pristine with no more of *anything* than you want in it and, once it’s made, you get to add what you like.

I’ve got a method that has never let me down and requires very little effort. Basically, you get the bacillus by buying a powdered culture or harvesting some commercial yogurt with a live culture. “Live” is the operative word there, of course. Then you warm milk using a thermometer to get a precise temperature range. Next you cool the milk to a different range that incubates the culture. When you’ve got that, you stir in the culture. Put the mixture in individual serving jars that you can easily transport to work if you like. Then the final step is to let that cool very very slowly. I put my jars in an insulated lunch cooler and then I put that in the cavity of my microwave oven (TURNED OFF). If I do this at night in the morning I have yogurt.

My personal preference is to use whole milk. It’s rich and thick and I don’t try to avoid fat. I also steep my milk with a vanilla bean when I’m first heating it. And I add a bit of condensed milk (Vietnamese style) for a *hint* of sweetness.

Vanilla yogurt goes well with fresh fruit. Plain it’s very refreshing raita style with cucumber and cumin.

Hooray for you to be past your mini “vacation” and channelling your new resolve already! And you’re my *hero*, JadeLark, if you can have your indulgence and move right on all in the same *morning*! I wouldn’t trust myself to do that but I am deep in envy and appreciation of you!!!

Yes, chubster, i have made my own yoghurt. The recipe that I followed meant leaving it in a pre warmed thermos flask for 8 hours, which makes it a bit hard to do after work. I shall make some more at half term.

I was 13 stone about 5 years ago which at 5ft 1 is much too heavy. I endured Weight Watchers and finally got to 11 stone 11lb, convinced that it was completely impossible to ever get any smaller. I saw the documentary and in the January 2012 I decided that I would give it a go, fully believing that it wouldn’t work for me at all. I didn’t count calories, but was ‘religious’ in consuming 500 calories on a FD twice a week. Some weeks I would lose a lb and other weeks nothing at all on the scales, but I could see from my clothes that I was getting smaller. Those many rolls of fat became one and then the back fat started to disappear too. My progress on the scales was slow, but I had found a way of life that I could do forever where nothing was banned or bad, as the weeks became months, my food choices began to change i think from the FD choices to other days too. I have always believed that you should really enjoy what you eat on a FD and that became my mantra. Friends began to comment when I had lost 14 lb, I was upset that they hadn’t said anything before, but i suspect that my clothes were baggy and they were not sure. I got down to 10st 2lb and lost 29 inches all over. Then i did a really stupid thing and decided to have December off. In January I was 10st 12 lb!!!!So it began again and slowly the weight came off again before i repeated my December stupidity again, only this time I was 11 stone 5 lb in January 2015. Clearly I was doing something wrong. I saw the documentary about caffeine in tea, so cut down from 7/8 mugs to 3/day=35tsp/sugar that I wasn’t having, feeling better, so gave up puddings at work and found that over the months I was no longer hiding sweets to eat later. I lost weight slowly over 2015, and found that my body shape was changing more than the scales seemed to reflect. I looked carefully at Christmas food and restricted what was available to me. Next year there are things that i wont buy at all-cake/pudding/mince pies were no where near as fabulous as I remembered and were not worth the huge calorie load. I started 2016 at 10st 5lb and now that I have given up the white stuff in my tea and am generally reducing it in my diet, I am hopeful that those pink shorts will be a reality in the spring. I have dropped x3 bra sizes and x3 dress sizes, 4 inches off my waist, 4 inches off my hips, 4 inches off each thigh, 4 inches off my bust, gained an hour glass figure, muscles in my legs and arms…and teeny tiny abs!
I am very much a work in progress, would like to shed another couple of inches off the waist and be able to wear those elusive pink shorts with ease and comfort.

If I hadn’t been such a pig at Christmas(twice) it would have taken much much less time! I’ll have a think about all of the mistakes that I have made along the way and post a list.

Hi Jade:

Absolutely nothing against Annette, but when it comes to sugar science, I’ll go with Dr. Lustig: http://profiles.ucsf.edu/robert.lustig. He is one of the leading researchers on the topic in the world. He has led the charge against sugar with WHO and the U.S. government, and was directly responsible for those organizations lowering the ‘recommended’ dietary sugar levels. Unfortunately, there are many political considerations in determining those recommendations, but a start has been made.

Bottom line, if Annette has helped you cut down on your sugar intake, she has made a great contribution to your ongoing health.

LOL Simcoe I’m sure Annette would agree! She has simply repeated here what she read in Dr. Lustig’s book, which I didn’t quite believe until she said it worked for her. I mean, Lustig is a doctor, but Annette is a fellow binge-islander and a wizard. But yes, terrific work by him and thank heavens Annette convinced me.

Sounds like a great day, Chubster – lovely when you can catch up on sleep, isn’t it. Well done cooking the beef stew all day (love the term braising – just sounds delicious) and still waiting for dinner. You could write menus for restaurants, because the way you described it has made me hungry (EEK MUST STOP READING) 🙂 –enjoy!

You know, thank god for the people who do the research that arms us against the food manufacturers and their *insideous* advertising that marshals all of behavioral science against us as well!

But perhaps the highest expression of the fruits of their work is when we *internalize* it and personalize it and *become* their acolytes and the living proof of the *truth* of their work by speaking it from our own experience. I bet Dr. Lustig wouldn’t mind one tiny bit to hear annette give life to his work by recounting its effect in her own life and encouraging others. 😏

annette, one of the processed foods I still buy is tomato sauce. It’s a convenience and there are yummy ones. But you’ve inspired me to investigating making my own and canning it. I don’t have a pressure canner so I hope that won’t be necessary but I also don’t have more than the small freezer that’s part of my fridge so that isn’t a storage option for me.

Good morning, everybody! Let’s win today by losing!

A pressure canner is a big specialized pressure cooker that ensures an anaerobic environment in low acid foods. High acid foods or foods you can add a lot of lemon juice or ascorbic acid to can be canned just using boiling water. That’s the method I use because it doesn’t require much in the way of special equipment — a very large stockpot, a small rack, that’s about it.

Tomatoes alone are generally considered high enough in acid to process with just a small amount of lemon juice. When you drop their natural acid by adding things like onions, herbs and garlic it isn’t considered a safe product for a water bath canning method anymore. And the flavor is wrong when you add a lot of lemon juice to it. My bit of research indicates I really shouldn’t try to can it without a pressure canner. So, bummer! No go!

I guess I can still make it in small batches. It doesn’t take all that long.

I have never believed that tomato sauce needs any sugar. I add a spoonful of sugar to my salad dressings to balance out the acid in the vinegar or citrus and don’t feed very bad about that considering how many grains will actuallyl end up in a whole salad. But if I can eliminate sugar from tomato sauce — which I use a lot — that would make it worthwhile to make my own.

I always did when I was younger. …and I make a pretty mean tomato sauce. But then commercial sauces came along that were really very tasty and meant I could go on making what I was putting the tomato sauce *in*. But I can pull up my big girl panties and cook a little more.

I am NOT a fan of processed foods! It’s part what it does to our bodies and part just the quest for honest, really flavorful food. And then it’s fortified by the disappointment I experience when I think I’ll just try something that looks good and find how NOT it really is.

You carry on sharing your story and your point of view!!! We have MUCH to learn from your success and endurance!

PS Oh YES!!! The savings on what you make yourself are tremendous!

The price the soft drink companies have the *nerve* to charge for sweetened water favored with chemicals is what made me give up a lifetime habit of drinking soda by the six-pack. I haven’t regretted that for a second!

I do sometimes miss the feeling of carbonation on my tongue but Pellegrino mineral water takes care of that for me.

Hi All, I need to go ‘arghhh’ at myself and I think you guys might understand. I’m late 40s and in Australia. I started 12 months ago – and just hit my 20kg off milestone last week (probably about 15kg still to go). Yay me and this really does work!! I’ve been a lurker now and again on these forums whenever I’ve needed some positive reinforcement. But to ‘celebrate’ my anniversary and my milestone I binged for a week and am now 4kg up and finding it tough to get back on the wagon. Not sure whether I was celebrating or testing the boundaries of it ‘really, really’ working. Very frustrated at myself. Chocolate is my weakness but I’ll eat anything that’s in the house when I’m on that downward spiral. Anybody got positive stories of getting themselves refocussed after going back to the dark side?

Hey PinkHouses! Congrats on your success so far! Yes it really does work. Even when we fall off the horse, it’s right there ready for us to get back on. So yes, we aren’t always well behaved (ha, there is an understatement). The fact that 5:2 doesn’t require me to ride the horse 7 days a week makes it so much more doable.
Chubster, I have a feeling Dr. L would be pleased to have Annette as an ally (as am I 🙂 ) – I didn’t doubt that sugar wasn’t good for me, but when Annette “wore me down” lol (you did indeed) it was by example and from someone who has walked in my shoes. That made a big difference.
I too have found that cooking from scratch is cheaper – I used to buy bagged cabbage, for example, then found that one head of cabbage would make TONS of slaw. And it stays fresh much longer while waiting to be cut. And surprise! OH is finding he likes brown rice – last night we had it and he just asked “is this rice cooked? it’s a little crunchy” and God love him I just said “yes” and he nodded and said it was delicious. I suppose I could feed him shredded glass and he would eat it if I told him it was OK.
Chubs, I find that adding garlic or balsamic vinegar often adds the sweetness instead of sugar. I too miss the carbonation, but weirdly I find that I don’t like carbonation the less sugar I have. BUT when I have sugar all of a sudden I want a Diet Coke. Right? Weird.
Gosh this week was long! So glad tomorrow is Friday – happy TGIF all 🙂 xx

Good morning from Tinsel Town, Ladies!

re: gut flora having impact on our behavior and our lives:

Have you heard of the research into fecal donations, annette? It’s as exciting as it is gross. The idea is that we could actually “catch” wellness like we catch illness based on how our guts are colonized. Up to this point they have instilled “good” fecal matter directly into test subjects but the newest generation is (hope no one’s having brekkie!) fecal pills.

Regardless of how outrageous it sounds I think it’s very exciting and potentially promising. It would be equally exciting to think we could change the environments in our own guts by eating properly.

I can say, in my own experience, the change in my behavior when I eat what I call “clean” is enormous. I may have the *intent* to control my behavior around food but the difference is that when I cut out sugars and grains and other trigger foods I *do* control it. And I am *able* to control it because the overwhelming cravings that *never* corresponded to my metabolic needs are *gone*.

That strikes me as not a matter of voluntary behavior or will power or intent or even an intellectual evaluation of what’s “good for me” but something *physical* that has undergone a powerful transformation.

Congrats on the FD Annette! I like the idea that we can actually change these internal “sensitivities” – yep, all sorts of weirdly fascinating gross stuff is in the news and I love it. I mean, bacteria, where would we expect to find it, right? Just please not in my burrito bowl. And indeed, “control” is no longer such an effort. I’d say it’s a normal effort, which has been my main target – just to be normal. No one would suspect I am not, I’m close to goal now and thanks to 5:2 have not regained the whole batch this time, but like almost every other woman I know, I’ve always been on a diet, all my life it has been a struggle and I have gotten good and effing tired of it.

And holy ^&**cowz Chubs that is GREAT about your asthma. When I first started reading your post above, I was already thinking that I hoped fasting/lifestyle changes would help. And look at you! Fantastic that you can stop using the inhaler, just freaking fantastic.

Annette, I have to pinch pennies, too, but I think it’s good karma that a lot of what we do out of economic necessity is so much better for us. And by us, I mean US, the weird us, the sugar/flour/whatever-obsessed misfit islanders. I swear I haven’t been this happy about a lifestyle change since going through “the” change (the good parts of it, that is).

Chubs please do be as long-winded as you like – love hearing all your news and thoughts and look forward to more. Off to enjoy some outdoor time with OH now – thank heavens for extra days off that don’t have to be chore days. xx

Chubs if I actually can make the goal and stay there for say, a month, I think a tattoo of the word “NORMAL” would be fitting. HA!

Having a tough time already this morning, after a few wines that inner lizard is tempting me with carbs. No thank you, lizard. I’m off for my Saturday chores and errands so that I can stay out of the darn kitchen. Cheers and happy weekend! xx

Ha Jade,
Where are you going to have the tattoo??!!! Not a fan of Greek food Chubs, but have a lovely time.

I am off out to a belated Burns Night Do with a Ceilidh this evening. I am not sure what to wear, it needs to be something that will allow me to move freely but also look smart and my dresses are too big across the shoulders now. My slender friend commented on how jealous she was of my small shoulders. It did explain why my jumpers were sliding off my shoulder(another donation to the charity shop). I went out and bought some smart jeans today, so i could wear them, need to wear flat shoes and it is really chilly here. I have tried on lots of dresses today and they either look dreadful because they don’t fit me, too long or ‘too young’, just not sure how much arm I want to expose.

I tried on the pink shorts, it may take until the end of February to get anywhere near comfortable! Never mind, onwards and downwards fast friends.

Chubs- my psoriasis has all but gone too, scalp much better as well.I am not the least bit surprised that your asthma is much improved, if that alone doesn’t keep you on this way of life, then nothing will!

Annette, I had to google what you were doing but it sounds like great fun! I know what you mean about getting things to fit. I’m not a standard mfr shape (I have actual hips) – plus I am short. Clothes shopping is frustrating & exhausting! But I hope you have a grand time dancing. I think we should get matching tattoos. And good point Chubster, those pink shorts need a few months anyway.

Trust me, Chubster, you’ll love shrinking no matter how long it takes. AND you’ll enjoy so many benefits while that’s going on. I have done 5:2 since last March, and now I have fewer digestion problems, fewer skin problems (a nasty rash is no longer bothering me), and I just feel relieved that I finally learned what’s up with certain carbs and have found a way to make peace with weight control. It is ridiculous it took this long, but better late than never.

Off for dog walking on this very mild winter afternoon – xxx

Just home. The wine didn’t help with me knowing my left from my right! We had a ‘caller’to talk us through each dance before we started, it is quite an aerobic work out!
Went with the smart black jeans and long sleeved top. Wasn’t over nor under dressed so perfect. There is a discount shop which has jeans that fit-hurray, tops/dresses are more of a challenge as I am also short with hips and a bust. I don’t know what my tattoo should say…

Jade you do make me laugh. Same here plenty of frosty detente here too!

Shouldn’t have had that glass of wine..no the last one.

What a FANTASTIC story! That is a bang up beginning! And I am looking forward to hearing more in coming days.

I started just a couple weeks before you and I’ll also be at this for a good long time. But it feels good and I think I can do it.

I’m betting you can too as this early evidence promises!

Welcome squircle. If you want to speed up the weight loss, reduce the desire to binge and improve the quality of food that you eat then there a few changes that will make a big difference to how you feel now but will also help in the future to maintain the weight loss.
pinkhouses, we have all been there. If you want to change the binge/self-loathing cycle then making some changes to what you eat will make a big difference. I hate cottage cheese-we will never be friends. Write down what you eat/drink for a week and tot up the calories every day, comparing them to your TDEE. The very act of keeping a log will reduce the amount of scoffing and will allow you to see which are the calorific foods.
I haven’t forgotten you to Chubster. This is not a diet, but a way of life. If you want to lose weight/keep it off then changes have to be made on how much you eat, but will be helped hugely by what you eat. Nothing weird/expensive/things that you don’t like/impossible to incorporate in daily life or evenings out.
Robert Lustig-Fat chance, the hidden truth about sugar, obesity and disease is my guru(apologies to all those who have heard me mention him before) and he dismantles the usual diet myths, explains how we get fat and how/why our biochemistry drives us to eat the sweet stuff and to binge. He also suggests that what we eat can change the cycle of bingeing. If you can avoid processed food(ready meals/KFC/McDonalds etc) and cook from scratch you will find that you will probably feel much much better without all of that hidden sugar and everything else. Think about eating wholegrain bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, cheese, eggs, nuts, fish, fruit and vegetables and unprocessed meat. If you don’t eat beans or lentils then try and get these into your diet. He claims that fibre and exercise(anything that makes you sweat) will help reverse the damage. Avoid anything labelled ‘diet’ or ‘low fat’ as they are usually stuffed full of sugar-which seems to drive the bingeing. Note that I don’t say ‘never’ just avoid. Try it for a week, see how you feel and if you are aware of a decrease in the bingeing. But before you do, measure your vital statistics and look to a decreasing waistline. We have found that there are some foods that drive us to eat more of just about everything. For me, white bread (which was an occasional treat) turns me into a complete lunatic who will scoff anything that is not nailed down!

My challenge to you, is to try it for a week, just 7 little days. Anyone up for it?

YAY!!! New blood! So happy to have company in this little “war” against the urges. 😏

“I have removed all the bad food from the house. It was delicious.”

I almost busted a gut over this one, PinkHouses. But now that it’s gone you’re ready, right! So if you’ve removed the triggers might as well dig in and get started. 😏 I, personally, have always started with 2 days of fasting. There’s a certain amount of white knuckling involved but by the time I’ve gotten through that I feel better right away and it quiets my inner ravenous beast. I do a water fast and by the time I’ve gotten it done not only is the rest easier but I gain a new appreciation of what I’m capable of. Maybe it would be helpful for you but, by all means, see what is right to set you up for success.

I’ve been eating this way (5:2) for 6 weeks now and I’ve had uncomfortable *moments* but I haven’t had one of those obsessive crazy-making ideations about food since I started. That’s not bragging BTW. It’s meant as an *assurance* that if you identify your trigger foods and stick to all the rest of the food on the planet that *aren’t* triggers wonderful things will start to happen to you!

How about telling us which intermittent fasting method you each plan to try first and what your goals are? Have you got supportive people in your lives?

So glad you had fun and felt fashionable at Burns Day, annette! Wish you had some video to share. 😏 Do you have some Scottish heritage or was it just a fun event?

So I got through my first FD for this week pretty well. I got those gastric juices pumping around lunchtime and had some chicken broth right away instead of being miserable all day first. I read something about capsicum reducing hunger and amping up metabolism so I put some sriracha in it. Then, at dinner, I had a large glass of tomato juice with sriracha too. I had to hold my nose and drank the broth but the spicy tomato juice was really nice. And the interesting thing is that, while I can scarf down a huge meal in 15 minutes without trying, I sat over my juice really enjoying it for 45 minutes.

Couldn’t actually say if the sriracha did anything about my hunger. Has anyone here ever heard the capsicum thing?

In the end, tho it wasn’t a water fasting day, I kept it to under 100 calories and there were no cravings to eat more. One more day today and then I’m going to try a pair of smaller jeans. I may or may not be ready to move down but I know I will fit in those 14s soon. 😏 And for those who don’t know that’s down from 20s the week before Christmas. 🎉

I went to the Greek cooking class yesterday. That was interesting. And I brought my samples home and wrapped them up to wait until Monday for me. I’ll enjoy trying them but I didn’t feel the least bit deprived not to be nibbling with everyone else in the class.

I also had to use my asthma inhaler again. I heard some “crinkly” sounds in my breathing and I thought it would be better to stop them flat. So I’m *reducing* from 2 puffs at a time to 1 and when I see my doctor I’ll ask for a lower steroid inhaler (I’ve been on the max strength for 4 or 5 years).

Let’s all have a great day today! Whatever you’re having, enjoy it!

Chubster, sorry – just reread your post and forgot to say before…WOW, size 20s before Christmas and barely a month later looking to the 14s. How absolutely fantastic! Everything else you’ve written here, by the way, is like a primer on how to do IF despite some binge issues. I’ve read a few comments that warned IF could cause worse binges, but you nailed it – if triggers are identified, then the rest starts to fall into place. Well, let’s rephrase – if triggers are identified and then avoided 🙂 – but knowledge is power. xx