Oh thank you so much for the kind words. I had a girls weekend away last weekend and felt in control. I had one cocktail the whole weekend and actually ran/walked on the treadmill at the hotel. We ordered pizza on Friday and went out for Mexican food on Saturday. I didn't gain any weight.

Hubby just got lab work back and he is low on B-12. We will both start a multiple-vitamin.

Welcome aboard BamaGalRN! I realized a few years ago that I was addicted to food, so I totally get it. I'm glad you posted. Are you actually doing the OA program? I am so I was just wondering.

No, not officially, but I wish I could!! Between my husband, kids, church, and school obligations I just can't fit in anything else in. Ugh! I have been researching OE online and would LOVE to chat with you more about it. I KNOW I'm an addict and I know I need help... I feel pretty good about where I am at the moment, but I know addictions ebb and flow and I'm probably just in an ebb type cycle.

What has helped you most?

I'm very happy for this thread, thank you...and i hope it stays active because i AM a food-addict and no one can convince me otherwise. Addiction comes in many forms and why is food no less?

But i digress, this isn't a thread for debate.

Now.. if i didn't have the appetite of 3 men, i would be very very happy. Is food addiction the same as having a huge appetite? LOL

Great question, ReillyJ, seriously!!! Sometimes I feel as if I get more hungry as I'm eating. I think we're at the dawn of time in understanding our biology re appetite, cravings, etc.

Do you find that certain foods give you more or less appetite? Sometimes I feel just right....it helps me to eat slowly or at least pause long enough to let my body realize I've eaten. Life doesn't always permit this pace so I have to sometimes re-assure myself that I have eaten enough, even though appetite wants more. Remembering to do that is a challenge!

Two of my big pitfalls are boredom & my addictive brain trying to get me to eat sweets or even healthy but overly rich food....it takes constant awareness. I have a wave pattern of eating over the past several months, not exactly a yoyo. I'm always either veering off and gaining a little or correcting. So far, this time, I'm catching it before the runaway train of appetite and craving kicks in, whew!

I'm reading a book called Addiction and Grace, by Gerald May MD, from the 1980s. Maybe I'll post his definition of addiction, once I finish the book.

:welcome2: BamaGalRN! I think there is online support from OA--luckymommy probably knows more about it. I have the same restraint about adding more time commitments right now. The sponsorship could be a powerful support.

It seems to me that the only way I can really stay committed is to completely avoid my triggers. One bite and it's a lost cause! The REALLY bad thing is, I'm still not even sure what all of my triggers are! Live and learn, I guess?

Same here! Do we really need 'treats' to enjoy our food? i'm beginning to realize that maybe I don't, and yet can be happy with food that doesn't make me lose my mind, to borrow luckymommy's term. My list of triggers is growing but I am hopeful that if I eliminate refined sugar & flour, the others will quiet down. Yes live & learn! :)

A book suggestion that may help you understand your triggers, or at least how they operate, is the End of Overeating by David Kessler. the first part of the book goes in to some detail about reward systems in the brain, and how some foods stimulate and excite parts of the brain that make us want more as we eat certain foods, instead of feeling satisfied. It's very readable. He goes on to cite the studies conducted by the food industry that further elaborate how our minds and sensory apparatus respond to cues and sensations.

It's empowering and validating to realize these tendencies are real and well known in the scientific literature. And it helps to understand what we are actually up against--so much more than simply "will power."

I am stir crazy without a knitting project! I didn't realize how much my knitting had replaced food. Luckily the yarn should arrive in the mail today and I can start on my next project.

I hate that I need something to relax myself. Does everyone need something or are we just broken?

BamagalRN, I can understand that another thing to add to the list of things to do can be overwhelming. OA does take up some of my time, but if I'm being completely honest, my food addiction was taking up a lot of my time (and money) as well. Also, if you find the right Sponsor, you can make it work from home. If you're interested, I'm now able to Sponsor and I'd be glad to do that for you...we could try it out for a week or two and see how it goes, or I can just tell you a few things that I've learned from OA.

First, of course is to admit that we're powerless over food. Then, we need to come to the realization that we are not God. I know that might sound silly, but we get into a lot of trouble when we try to control the results of things in our lives. I focus on whatever steps I need to take and then I leave results and the expectations to a Higher Power (H.P.)...For some a H.P. can be God, for others, it can be anything that is greater than themselves.

Btw, if you don't think there's a H.P., try to stand in front of an ocean with a baseball bat and see what you can do about those waves. ;) We only have so much control over others and the world and I believe that if we can live in a state of acceptance, we are able to lead a life with more sanity.

That is just some of it. It is very important to come up with a list of Red Light, Yellow Light and Green Light foods. Red are the ones you can't manage at all. Yellow you can manage if you measure out portions and Green are the ones you can eat without any problem. This takes a great deal of honesty.

I eat 3 meals a day with one snack. I send my Sponsor my homework every night as well as my Food Plan for the following day.

There is more but I do believe just about anyone can make the time for this program. The great part of it is that you can do telephone meetings and you can listen to podcasts if you would like. I have phone numbers of other OA members and I can call any of them if I feel myself slipping into my addiction.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I don't want to preach. I hope I didn't give too much info. If anyone else has questions for me, I'm happy to respond and give you any support that I can offer.

CoolMom75, I can't speak for how others are, but I think having a healthy hobby that helps you with your addiction is a good thing. Ideally, you could come to a place where you don't need it but there are lots of things that would be nice in an ideal world. I would love to be able to eat sugar and flour in moderation, but I simply cannot. Does that mean I'm broken? Perhaps, but does that even matter? What matters is that I find a way every day to maintain my sanity.

Luckymommy, I would LOOOOOVE if you could be my sponsor! I'm actually a Christian and have a very strong belief in God as well as a relationship, so no need to worry about sounding hokey to me. Can you PM me what we need to do to get the ball rolling? I'm all for it!!

BamaGalRn, I tried to PM you but it wasn't an option. Maybe you need to have more posts? Not sure. Maybe you can send me a PM? If not, we'll just wait until we can do it. :hug:

Hmmm. Let's see if I can PM (if not I can at least add to my post count!) heheh

Hmm. I'm not even sure how long it takes to get PMing privileges. It says 20 days to get a signature, but nothing about PMing. That makes me sad :(

I'm really sorry! I just don't feel comfortable posting my info in public, which I'm sure you understand. I'll bet that it's probably the same for PM's as it is for the ticker. What a bummer. :( How many days do you have so far?

Hahah Like 3? It's Ok. I wouldn't want all of my info public either. I do have Facebook if you have one we could contact that way. But, it's up to you as you know more about this stuff than I.

I am still figuring out binge,addictive foods.
whole food groups are not a problem. for example I could have a toast in the morning and not crave more. I had originally taken out wheat,flour but am realizing it is not a problem in itself. I don't have much of a sweet tooth at all. However if it;s sweet and savoury like chinese food it leads to wanting more.
the main pattern i notice is high fat/high sodium combination foods...anything cheesy and creamy, fast high fat foods like burgers,french fries...its not always so easy to spot though..even if I have a beef burger alone, no condiments with side salad and veggies i could be affected with the fat in the beef...so i lean more towards ground turkey and chicken for majority of food.....in other words a bland, diabetic style diet ..
. I drink diet pepsi but am going to cut that out now because I have been binging like crazy lately and want to eat as clean as possible to avoid any possible craving inducing substances

BamaGalRn, I don't have a Facebook account. I closed it because it made me sad a few times when I caught people lying to me on it...long story, but I just decided to close my account. We'll just wait. Perhaps you can start by writing a list of red light , yellow light and green light foods.

Davina, I think it's great that you've been able to pinpoint which foods are giving you issues. Giving up soda would definitely be a step towards better health. For me, sugar and flour are a major problem, but we're all so different. I hope you find a way to cease the binging.

I think PMing here requires 20 days. Just more 2 weeks, BamaGalRN!

coolmom Hope you received the yarn. You can still work toward freeing yourself of the need for it, but meanwhile it sure sounds like a great alternative.

Thanks for the OA info luckymommy. I think i'll start the red, yellow, green light list.

I am realizing that it's more than just sugar and flour, though those are the biggies. I ate some rosemary walnuts that I bought on a whim at the Farmer's Market. I have never liked walnuts much & lately have been trying to get omega 3s in my diet. The walnuts were so good I kept eating more than I had planned and then used that as an excuse to eat crazy the rest of the day. A combo of unacknowledged stress & a yellow light food that became a trigger. Just found an OA meeting starting up in 2 weeks that very nearby that I am planning to attend.

davina Figuring which foods fit which list is complicated isn't it :?: Foods that are apparently green or yellow can still be triggering under some circumstances. I agree that clean, blandish eating that is the way to go. It's still possible to enjoy food this way, imho, using good quality, fresh ingredients. Based on my experience yesterday, an additional challenge is to tolerate/find an alternative to the tension that forms when food is no longer the go-to for emotional comfort and pleasure.

mars735, I'm so excited for you that you're making your list and going to a meeting! People say that we go to OA to lose weight, but we stay for the sanity. I've been very surprised at how much the program has bettered my life. I still have a long way to go, but I don't have the excuse of saying that I don't know what to do, because I do. Honestly, no to sound like a crazy person, but I think anyone could benefit from the basic principles of the program.

Also, if you go to a meeting and you don't like it, don't give up because every meeting has its own ambiance. I have 2 meetings that I attend regularly (one of which I love the most and consider my "home" meeting) and once a week I'll do a phone meeting.

Same thing goes with Sponsors. Just because someone is nice, doesn't mean they're a good Sponsor for you. There are a lot of people out there making newcomers feel like they have to become religious in order to do the program and that is simply not true. Anyone can do it. Anyway, if you ever want to talk to me about this on the phone, feel free to send me a PM, but I have no problem sharing the info in this format, since that might also help others. I just have so much to say and I don't want to type too much. ;)

You made an important distinction with the walnuts. Foods can go from green and yellow to red, but once you put them on the red list, please don't try to have them again. It's just not worth it. I know that really does seem so harsh, but I believe that it gives me freedom.

One day, I was about to take my dog for a walk and I took out his leash and he got very excited. I thought, poor doggy ;), he has to wear a leash and that is still ok with him, but then I realized that without the leash, he could go outside, but he would eventually get hurt. He could get hit by a car or he could be stolen and abused, etc. OA is kind of a leash for me. There are some guidelines and restrictions but I don't have to fear for my life anymore. It has saved my life.

Finally, this is just a tiny tidbit, but you can get Omega 3's from other sources, as I'm sure you know. You can buy flax seed oil, chia seeds (I believe), wild salmon (I think Costco has it frozen year round but am not sure), fish oil from Nordic Naturals is great. I do know that walnuts are fantastic for health in general but just not worth it for you.

Thanksluckymommy! Everything you have said is spot on imho. I appreciate both your generous offer of help and the way you are so careful to not sound "crazy" or pushy. You are neither & I hope you will continue to share here [but only if you like] :)

The OA website in my area lists hikes that they do--imagine a social event without people eating all those trigger foods around us! Anyway, I'm interested in checking it out. It doesn't require driving on the highway, which is a plus as virtually everything else I do does require that.

mars735, you're very kind and I really look forward to your posts (why not? you're so complementary!...but of course beyond that, you're very insightful).

The hike sounds like a great way to get a feel for some of the people and perhaps get an idea on how you like the program. It's not for everyone and I totally get that fact. I also really believe in timing because had I tried out OA 5 years ago, I don't think I would have stuck with it. There's something to be said for reaching "bottom" in order to find the willingness to do whatever it takes to get out. One certainly doesn't have to hit that bottom, but I just know that I was still under the impression that I could find the right diet or the right exercise program and then I could finally have the life I want.

Anyway, keep us posted on how that hike goes for you. At the very least, you'll get some exercise and fresh air. :)

I'm going to work on making my red-yellow-green light foods. LOL I know what you mean about timing! If I would have read any of this 6 months ago I would have had to list EVERYTHING as a red light food! Just because I was SO out of control. Right now, as I've mentioned on a couple of other boards, right now I feel SO peaceful and confident that the changes I'm making now will stick. I'm not depriving myself, which is how I usually feel when "dieting." But this isn't a diet per se... This is my path to a healthier me and I'm SO thrilled to be on it and actually believe I can succeed for a change!!

I don't mind it at all after getting used to it. I enjoy the flavours of the food itself and spices more.
I am now struggling with emotional comfort and binge eating. I need to get back on track ASAP.
I am also struggling with focusing on weight, it hasn't moved in a month and is really frustrating as I have a lot more weight to lose.
This is the inevitable time where there is a stall in weight, I think F it what is the point of this and start stuffing my face again:(

For some reason I have spent most of the afternoon fantasizing about binge-eating. It's really weird though, because I'm not even hungry or anything. I had lunch with a friend today at Chipotle. It was tasty, but bearing in mind I've had WLS, I only ate about a quarter of burrito bowl before I was satisfied and didn't feel compelled to eat anymore. But all afternoon, I've been kinda day dreaming thinking stuff like, "Oh. I could totally eat this... Or that... Or maybe even run to the store and grab..." And it's all THE most random list of food.

Someone who knows more about this than me-- what the heck is going on?! I'm not even hungry! Why is my mind torturing me?!

BamaGalRN, the thing I've discovered is the more I have these thoughts, the more I am in my disease. It may seem obvious, but making this distinction helps me to recognize it and helps me to make an effort to think about things that strengthen my healthy-thinking brain. When struggling, I'll do some reading and then write about my impressions. Here is a place you can find OA literature http://bookstore.oa.org/category/Digital+Products I like For Today because you just find today's date and read it. Then you can write about your response to what you've read. I send my response along with quotes to my sponsor every day. It helps me keep myself in recovery. Since you and I aren't able to communicate in private yet, you're welcome to read and post here, if you're comfortable. If not, then don't worry...just remind yourself that you're working on heading in the right direction.

Y'all, I'm STRUGGLING these past couple of days. I don't know what triggered it but I'm just RAVENOUS-- all I can think about it food, food, food. I haven't binged and I'm really fighting the urge to do so. I thought maybe a little treat would help so last night I did eat a package of peanut butter cups (2)-- always my candy of choice-- but the chocolate have me HORRIBLE reflex which I'm still feeling today. NOT worth it and it didn't help with my cravings. And today, even while I'm enjoying my food and being careful and could clearly feel I was full, I was just wanting to shovel all of my lunch into mouth. I didn't, but even as I was putting the leftovers away I was half thinking about just bingeing on it. I didn't *need* it but I felt like I did! Ugh.

Just struggling. Not ruining myself, but just not feeling that awesome contentment I had all week. Any ideas?

BamaGalRN How's it going? :) I'm struggling too. If you can keep resisting, that's fanTASTIC! I'm no expert but I think those thoughts of binging will subside as you pay less attention to them, similar to ignoring a strong itch, maybe. Easier said than done!!!!! I seem to forget to try this whenever a craving strikes me, and giving into a craving lately results in some sort of binge.

Maybe we can both try this as an experiment, to see if paying less attention helps. I think it's ok to acknowledge the presence of cravings and fantasies about binges but the thing is to try not to invest a lot of energy and emotion in them that can reinforce them in our brains. That's what I've read anyway.

OA online meetings
 

BamaGalRN I think outside links get deleted. You can google Overeater Anonymous and then click on Find a Meeting, select the tab for online and fill in the info about time zone, etc. and you will get a list of hyperlinks for online meetings. They seem to be going on frequently. The 2 that I tried were not perfect fits, but even so, they helped me to feel more peaceful and not alone in this. Sending good thoughts your way :hug:

Mars, I actually attended my first online meeting tonight. I enjoyed feeling like I wasn't alone and I'm taking the 90 meetings in 90 days thing seriously-- especially now that I see how accessible the meetings are! Today has no been a great day for me, food-wise. It's not really that I ate a lot, but considering today against other days I would have to say I overate (We had friends over for dinner and cooked out-- I had a hamburger patty and some chips, which isn't "bad" per se, but it was just more calories than I usually take in at a sitting). No snacking, though-- I wouldn't allow it!
Tomorrow is a new day and I will strive to do better. And to find another online meeting! :) :hug:

BamaGalRN and mars735, I'm so excited that you're both really giving OA a chance!

With regards to cravings, here's what my Sponsor tells me: the next meal is coming and I won't die. Sure, the cravings can be intense beyond anything but what keeps me going is knowing that I have a planned meal on the way. I also have to make sure that I'm eating enough and I usually plan for more food when I'm close to menstruation and that helps too. Finally, what helps the most is keeping track of my abstinence. I've been abstinent since April 4 of this year. That is a miracle. I attend a maintainer's meeting and we get up for however long we're abstinent, so for up to 30 days, 30-60 days, and on and on. There are people there who get up to acknowledge more than 50 years of abstinence! I don't know that I"ll be able to do it but I sure would like to.

You will see that once you start working the program, there are 9 tools to keep us involved in the program.

Reading...every day, I have an assignment.
Writing...I reflect on my reading and it helps keep me focused and is very insightful to see my thoughts in black and white.
telephone...I call two people a day. I get phone numbers of other members at meetings.
meetings...I attend two meetings in person and do one telephone meeting, so a total of 3 per week that are on my calendar.
anonymity...I don't disclose what others share at meetings. I also don't gossip in general. Finally, I know that we are all equal at OA and we all have the same last name (compulsive overeater).
food plan...I send my Sponsor what I plan to eat the night before. If there are any changes, I text my Sponsor.
plan of action....It's what I plan to do that day to stay sane. There are some days when I know there will be a social event around food, I discuss this with my Sponsor to see how I will handle it. For other days, its' something like: I approach every situation with calm, do the necessary footwork and leave the results to my H.P. (Higher Power)
sponsor...I call my Sponsor every day at a scheduled time but I can call at other times too..we make it work.
service...when I go to meetings, I help out but there are other ways to do service if you can't go to meetings.

I guess it all sounds like a lot but it becomes second nature. I can tell you that I do spend a lot of time on OA but it is still less time than my addiction took and my life is infinitely better.

This sounds interesting! A center like this for "[food] use disorder" would be awesome. It rejects the faith based model and uses a different approach.

http://health.heraldtribune.com/2014...ects-aa-model/

Had my first yoga class tonight. Wow. I used to coach competitive level gymnastics and despite being chubby I was really a very strong person. Not anymore. Woooo. That kicked my butt! LOL and yet I can't wait for next week!!

BamaGalRn, sounds like you had a great experience.....tiring, but wonderful! I'm excited for you! :)

CoolMom75, I think it's great that you like this program. What I personally like about OA is that it's free and I can do it even though I'm agnostic. H.P. does not have to equal God, but it certainly can if one prefers.

I have read the whole thread and you ladies are an inspiration!

I was beginning to think I am addicted to food simply because I weigh more than I'd like. But having read this I think I'm just giving myself an 'excuse'. I can't really relate to most of the thread and it's made me realise I am not addicted to food I'm just lazy and go for the easy option. This is quite a relief. So hats off to you all, you made me realise how much harder it could be and how I can do it if you guys can when your struggles are much bigger than mine.

So thank you all for giving me a dose of reality. And again, I'm properly inspired by you all.

I hope this doesn't offend anyone. I just wanted to say I appreciated the thread even if for a strange reason.

:?:hi guys a quick one that others may have asked before.

does certian medication some times help with addiction, why i ask is i have recently been put onto a very mild sleeping tablet, and i am finding that i am not craving my comfort foods at all.

my trigger foods have alwas been crisps and all savory type snacks:o

Thanks for this~Really interesting. I'm having some difficulty translating some of the OA/AA model to my situation with food and this is helpful. That said, the online OA meeting last week helped me a lot to get my focus back on healthy eating. The more tools the better.

Wow, that's fantastic! What type of yoga is it? I was a beginner with Iyengar yoga and loved it. I'm inspired to get back to it--thanks. :yoga:

Glad we could be of help :) Good luck to you!

This is interesting.....I haven't read anything specific that says sleeping medication helps with addiction. You could try and google your medication or ask the provider who prescribed it. Since sleeping medication exerts its effect on the brain and addiction is seated in the brain, it isn't surprising that one would affect the other. How great would that be? :) On the other hand, it could be that getting more sleep is helping with craving those foods. I have a much harder time with craving when I am sleep-deprived.

Hi luckymommy!:wave:

Hi mars735:hug:

Valmorel, I'm also glad that reading through our struggles was an eye opener for you with regards to your own situation. It didn't offend me at all...it actually made me laugh (which I hope doesn't offend you) because it was a little bit like, "hey, I'm so glad I don't have your disease! yippeee!" I'm only kidding and I know you didn't mean it that way at all. I just have a bit of a wicked sense of humor sometimes. :devil:

papercut, I do know there are some meds that target drug addiction (like methedone for heroine addicts) and there are certainly meds that cut food cravings (phentermine), so it's plausible that taking a sleeping pill could have some kind of an appetite suppressing impact on your brain. If you're taking it anyway, and it works for you, then that is a great side effect to have!

I've actually been having terrible anxiety issues for the last 3 weeks or so and have been considering going on meds, even though I'm not a big fan of meds since they usually only give me the negative side effects (I have chronic daily migraines...for the last 7 years... and have tried about 8 different drugs and never had any pain relief...only the side effects :() so I'm a bit hesitant. However, if this anxiety doesn't improve soon, I'll probably go see someone and I've heard that one drug helps with anxiety and depression and one of the side effects is weight loss....I don't care that much about the weight loss but I just don't want a drug that will increase my appetite...I had that with one of the migraine meds and it was a nightmare for me (a long time ago).

Sorry this got so long everyone. I wish you all a splendid day. :hug:

Tonight will be my 5th meeting in my 90 meetings in 90 days goal. I'm loving OA and am super happy to have been directed there by y'all. It's really helping!!

I'm remaining binge free (2 weeks and 4 days-- today will be 5 days!). I'm frustrated by my scale, but my measurements are changing and I'm liking myself again. I WILL overcome this food addiction! I actually believe that now!

You all reminded me I wanted to try one of the online meetings. Couldn't hurt.

Papercut and lucky, I have been dealing with anxiety that started with teeth clenching and then jitters and insomnia after a car accident. I got a short prescription for Xanax and it gave me zero happy feeling (high) but took away the teeth clenching, jitters and food cravings all in one swoop. It did not help the insomnia but I was amazed. Unfortunately, the stuff I read online about the drug and its addicting/withdrawal issues made me scared to take it anymore, not that my doctor would Rx it again for me anyway. Even if I had continued to take it, I think our bodies adapt and the urge to eat would have returned.

My teeth clenching is back in full force right now and i'm not sure what to do. The dentist gave me a night-guard that I don't want to use (it's awful). 1/2 unisom helps sometimes.