One of the hardest things for a person is to appreciate when something did not happen. We seem to be able to if we can see it, like if the car stops at the edge of pit, or something visible and dramatic like that, but is is hard to appreciate a situation wherein a course of action prevented a catastrophe. People may or may not appreciate how great the danger actually was, or be in denial that a disaster had actually been imminent. When it comes to health we have a similar conundrum.
Had I not gotten off sugars-starch-most artificial sweeteners, I know I would have become a diabetic, the trajectory was there; but, because I did make changes, I did not become diabetic. Also, that I didn’t become morbidly obese is another thing that did not happen, though I know it would have had I kept eating the standard American diet (called SAD for a reason). I had seen all these things happen to my mother, so I knew that these two consequences were highly likely if I did not make changes.
Yet, despite avoiding the worst, I have been unhappy that my weight would not come down faster, which is the problem of insulin resistance–the body stores fat, but doesn’t release it for energy. I get discouraged, and forget how much worse everything could be, and that I should be happy that the two big negative things did not happen. We are not well equipped to look at life this way, though; so it takes writing in a journal, blogging, or other aids to memory and positive thinking.
Trial and error is a friend, so I’ve been trying different diets to get some movement downward on the weight-loss; after everything else, or so it seems, I’m on a ketogenic diet which gives me great energy, good sleep, and voila the pounds are again coming off.
Sugar/starch is the cause of a lot of suffering, and I hope that younger people, like my children and grandchildren, will see that they will have much more positive health with by leaving out these negative foods.
Yours in trying,
Nan aka Sugarbaby
Sugaraholics 
Hi there, just wanted to drop a comment and say a huge thank you to your blog. Read your “about” section and you basically described me, although I am nowhere near free from this vicious binging cycle yet. I try hard to do lower carb since I know it’s an addiction and it’s gotten quite serious. Your blog posts are very motivational, keep it up!!
Hi Vicky,
Glad you found my blog. I have spent a lot of years working through this, and will by happy if some of what I’ve learned helps others. Just a hint for working free of binges is to be strict about getting off all the troublemakers. A couple days of only high fat and protein is very helpful.
Nan
To me it is the sugar lactose(in milk) that I am having problems with. I have been off other sucrose and sweetners since the 70s when I read Yudkin’s book, Pure White and Deadly. Still struggling to keep weight in ” normal range” and I am 70 ………but then my father was obese and so was my grandmother in the days when obesity was rare.
Milk is one of the insidious forms of sugar. I always loved milk, and any time I had a binge milk was a part of the mix. I never have it in the house unless my grandchildren are here, but happily they are growing out of wanting milk and will accept cream for their hot cereal. Milk is mostly sugar and fat which is what babies need (so skim is just liquid sugar with a little protein), but no other mammals in nature drink milk after infancy, and neither should we. I will say, though, that while it’s been a long time since I drank any milk, I have no doubt I would enjoy it if I were to now, while sugar in general holds little appeal for me after all this time. I wonder if it is partly the association with my rural childhood, and the milk that came straight from the cows at my uncle’s dairy, to our house.
Thanks for visiting!