I'm new here but I've been abstinent for three days. I'm on day four today, and so far it has been an abstinent day. I haven't noticed any change except for the fact I feel better. Physically, nothing, but I know that will take time. I'm trying one day at a time and I hope that I will continue to be abstinent.

--Erika

When you say abstinent what exactly are you abstaining from? I'm very curious.

Sugar, flour and eating in between meals.

congrats on the 4 days! if you are abstaining from sugar and flour you are definitely going to see results soon. stay strong. it's so worth it!

The funny thing I learned in OA was that just concentrating too much on food and on our bodies could be something that some people have to abstain from - it can be just as harmful as focusing on eating. So, how do we NOT focus on NOT eating? I focus on it every minute of the day! Argh!

That's excellent! That's really something to be proud of.

As for what to do to get to your goal but not focus constantly on food... What has worked for me is to set a goal for myself that is related to size/health, but not focused on diet/calories/food. I decided to run a half marathon. I decided this nearly 7 months before the race. I'm not perfect, I still binge, and I still eat "naughty" foods... But I've already lost 20 lbs (but I'm slimmer than I was when I used to be this weight because I've got more muscle now). It's given me so much confidence in myself, I think, "Hey if I can run 7 miles, I can make it through this craving..." I'm focused on running and training for that race, and I've realized that there are some foods I'm willing to give up now because of that race - I try not to eat junk food because it slows me down. I try to eat the healthiest, highest quality (in terms of vitamins, fiber, etc) foods possible because I want to give my body the best since I'm logging serious miles. In the past, when I've tried to break this BED cycle, I would focus so much on not binging that I ended up binging anyway. Now, I'm focused so much on running and exercising, and now I see not all food is evil... In fact, there are so many healthy foods out there. So, maybe this won't be how your story goes, but I think it's wise to pick a goal outside of your bingefree & diet goals... Maybe it'll be meditation, volunteering, exercising, it's really up to you! =) Good luck, keep going!

Ah, true. We can focus on other things that should take our focus off food. Good idea. I'll have to come up with something to focus on. Good luck on your running!

Congratulations! 1 day at a time, 1 day at a time. Focus on things that bring you pleasure in other ways----manicure, pedicure, journaling, etc.