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“STOP IT!!”

I used to view my negative thought patterns in much the same way I viewed my eating disorder: as something that was beyond my control.  Now, for the first time in my life, I am realizing that there are no “good” or “bad” thoughts/feelings, just as there are no “good” or “bad” foods – – there …Continue reading →

My Cure For ‘Skatter-Brain’

The best way I have found to date for quieting down my brain is not at all I expected it would be.  I was having lots of trouble “emptying” my mind, supposedly so I could meditate, but I never got that far.  To me, that task was so difficult that after several days, I was actually …Continue reading →

“Hat-Blat”

One of the phrases you will hear if you go to a few AA meetings is “H.A.L.T.”  It is a mental reminder designed to help alcoholics kill the urge to drink by asking themselves if they have let themselves become too Hungry, too Angry, too Lonely, or too Tired.  I’ve added a couple of things to …Continue reading →

Be Prepared!

One of the best things you can do for yourself as you begin your new abstinent life is to make sure that your cupboards and your fridge are stocked with plenty of abstinent food.  Following your food plan involves a lot more than just resisting you binge foods.  It also requires that you be pro-active …Continue reading →

What is a “food plan” and where can I get one?

A “food plan” is a written list of what you can and cannot eat.  It is what you will use to decide if you are abstinent or not.  Food plans can come from a doctor, a nutritionist, a book, a “diet club,” or from your food sponsor.  Some sponsors will tell you that they will …Continue reading →

Forget What You Know (a.k.a. “Step 0.5″)

As you cross the threshhold into your first 12-Step meeting, try to leave all your mental baggage at the door.  (You can have it back on your way out, I promise!)  Just try for that hour or that hour-and-a half to put aside all of your pre-conceived ideas about what you expect to get from …Continue reading →

Don’t Count Days!

I know I am not supposed to be telling anyone what to do but… Although counting days and getting medallions is a wonderful way to celebrate days of sobriety in AA, in my experience, it is not such a good idea in OA.  My first time around in program, getting that one-year medallion meant everything to me.  …Continue reading →

Spoken & Unspoken Meeting Rules

Here is a list of what I consider to be the main “rules of the road” for those of you who decide to check-out some 12-Step meetings.  This is not an “official” list (I don’t think there is one), but rather, it is just a bunch of observations I have made over the years. Anonymity.  …Continue reading →

What is “abstinence?”

You probably already know that when alcoholics in recovery say they are “sober,” it means that they are not drinking any alcohol.  But when food addicts in recovery say they are “abstinent,” does this mean that they are not eating any food?  Of course not.  In OA, “abstinence” is the word used to describe freedom from eating compulsively.  What does that …Continue reading →

May The Force Be With You!

One of my favorite tricks that just “came to me” one day is the idea of picturing a force field around myself that protects me from grabbing extra food.  (I put the words came to me in quotes because I know I didn’t come up with this on my own – – I really believe …Continue reading →