Sugar :(

Refined sugar I assume. If anyone read about the nutritional downside of this stuff, they'rd stop the same day. 

I started to cut out processed food a while back in order to reduce trans fats and sugars and now cook most stuff from scratch (apart from the odd jar or tin of something). I was very lazy before and ocassionally binged on stuff. Not sure of the effect on my mood but it seemed fairly easy to make the transition, apart from all the extra washing up. Even cut back on fruit juice and replaced with squash/water.

It looks like it's helping to control my body fat (allied with exercise), which creates a postive feedback loop and keeps me from reverting back to old habits. I did have a Krispy Kreme custard doughnut the other day though, as a one off, it was nice but I didn't go back for a second one, just the ocassional treat is more than enough now. Trying to keep my snout out of the trough after a few beers is another thing though.

Yeap. The only way to make me care about a health threat is to show me how it harms the brain (which it turns out most health threats do; even stress does by killing brain cells with cortisol) and when I found out that excessive refined sugar lowers your levels of brain-derived neuro-trophic factor, cutting right down on the remaining refined sugars was easy.

I don't miss it at all, but I might be weird. I've never had much of a sweet tooth. I only really miss yoghurt and Alpen porridge (I refuse to let replacement sweeteners pass my lips) but I've even gotten used to having no ketchup, I've re-sensitised my tongue so I can experience food properly without it now.

I do have more stable energy levels now and don't have to nap in the day, but I don't know how much of that is the diet change and how much is the exercise, which I started soon before that.

Try consuming some protein with every meal - it keeps you full for longer so you're less likely to binge on sweet things. Eat more raw food, more chewing means the receptors in your jaw sense you've eaten so put the 'full' sign up in your brain. Another reason to eat slowly and not wolf food. Snack on things like good nuts (not peanuts), hard-boiled eggs, salads made from oily fish with avocados. If you're taking in sugar make sure it's natural, fructose, found in fruits (dried and fresh). Beware acid erosion on teeth though..Rinse mouth afterwards.. healthy diet but any sugar will cause acid erosion! 

Make your own smoothies with fruit and veg. Liquid food keeps you full for longer, so soups and veggie juices are good choices.

Also refined sugar really messes with your body's glucose tolerance.. eat summat sweet, body has a helluva job to mop up excess sugar from your blood to stabilse insulin levels. That takes energy from your body which leaves you feeling tired, sluggish, so you have another sweet fix.. and so it continues. Don't allow your blood sugar levels to drop so eat little and often, then you're less likely to choose excessively sweet quick fixes.

,,,,so no more jelly babies then ...

Summerrain sounds like you're in the same boat as me! Thanks to parents I've been brought up eating too much crap, I eat a good balance of food, enough water, enough of the nutrients... just too much sugar and fat alongside it, I love snacks, go mad if I don't get my sugar fix and binge eat a lot. When I'm training I don't care too much. But whilst I'm out injured I find I'm even more lazy and do it more, helping myself to sugary stuff like angel delight and porridge (which is good but I put sugar in it!). So it's a vicious cycle. I too struggle with depression and at the moment I'm injured for another 3 months so I'm in a bit of a pickle as I'm getting unhealthier and more depressed...

Bear, jelly babies are fine for fuelling during or directly after a run.. any sweeties are as they give you glucose (fast energy)  

Just everything in moderation. And angel delight?? I remember that used to be lovely.. I tried some a while back and it tasted awful.. Quite relieved in a way!