I Started Eating Sugar for Breakfast… and Lost Weight
For the last few decades, sugar has been painted as the villain of modern nutrition.
It’s blamed for everything from obesity to metabolic dysfunction.
But what if the real issue isn’t sugar itself, but how and when we consume it?
That question led me into an experiment I’m calling the Honey Diet.
It’s not a structured diet with strict macros or rules, but more of a metabolic approach to energy timing.
I start my day with sugar—mostly from fruit and juice—and I avoid protein or fat until later.
Then I fast through the afternoon and eat a protein-focused dinner. No lunch. No snacks. Just fuel, pause, and refuel.
A Typical Day on the Honey Diet
Morning until noon: Only sugar-based foods: fresh juice, dried fruit, and sometimes a spoonful of honey stirred into an electrolyte drink. No fat. No protein.
Afternoon: A clean fast. No food, occasionally black coffee, or mineral water.
Dinner: A protein-heavy meal, usually beef, fish, or eggs. Some fat included. Occasionally a serving of rice or another starch.
That’s it—no elaborate meal prepping or calorie counting, just a focus on sugar in the morning and protein at night.
Why This Might Actually Work
The biggest insight I had came down to something surprisingly simple: don’t combine high amounts of carbs and fat.
When eaten together—especially in large quantities—they tend to create metabolic confusion.
That combo is behind most hyperpalatable processed foods and restaurant meals.
By keeping sugar and fat separate, you reduce the likelihood of overeating and storing excess energy.
If you eat sugar, eat it on its own or with a bit of protein.
If you’re eating fat, pair it with protein or eat it alone.
This seems to create a cleaner energy signal for the body—and makes it easier to regulate weight without extreme effort.
Influences and Observations
I didn’t come up with this out of thin air.
Many Ray Peat followers have been defending sugar for years, pointing to its role in supporting metabolism, thyroid function, and even mental clarity.
On the other end of the spectrum, carnivore advocates like Paul Saladino have started adding fruit and honey back into their diets after struggling with hormonal imbalances on strict meat-and-fat regimens.
It’s not that sugar is perfect or that fat is evil.
The timing, ratio, and context matter.
And for a lot of people, simply unbundling macros—rather than stuffing them all into the same meal—can lead to massive improvements in how they feel and function.
The Midnight Eating Trap
One thing I’ve battled for a while is nighttime eating.
When I’d fast all day and eat a single large dinner, I’d still wake up in the middle of the night starving.
That hunger triggered late-night snacking, often with zero self-control.
It didn’t matter how disciplined I was during the day—at 2 a.m., all bets were off.
The real issue wasn’t self-control. It was an energy deficit.
I was under-fueling my body and expecting it to stay asleep and calm through the night. That never worked.
So we made a rule: lock the chocolate in a clear container that only my wife can open.
And I decided to experiment with fueling earlier in the day, giving my body what it needed before it was in crisis mode.
Sugar in the Morning: A Practical Fix
Since shifting to sugar in the morning, I’ve noticed I feel more alert and less prone to rebound hunger later in the day.
I’m not waking up every night anymore. Some nights, sure. But fewer.
One challenge has been getting enough calories from just fruit and juice. A few tablespoons of honey in juice won’t cut it.
That’s why I started eating dried mango during my commute—it’s easy, portable, and calorie-dense enough to matter.
I’m still dialing in the exact portions, but overall, this shift has been helpful.
I’ve been losing weight steadily, without forcing restriction. That’s a good sign.
The most interesting part is how satisfied I feel, even while technically “fasting” all afternoon.
My energy stays stable, and my dinner doesn’t become a binge.
