Abstinence
Hi all,
Today I started reading and have not been able to put down the OA book called "Abstinence....Members of Overeaters Anonymous Share Their Experience, Strength, and Hope." I highly recommend it!
I have learned so much about the program and it has answered so many questions. Like the title says, the whole book is comprised of short essays written by OA members that have been successful in recovery and how they achieve abstinence for themselves.
What I've learned is how very different each person's food plan is. This is what makes the OA program work. Some need to be very structured with rules, some are the opposite and need the food plan to be simple and just cut out the trigger foods, and some are somewhere in between.
Just in my experience the past week practicing abstinence with my food plan, I can see how important it is to be really honest and REALLY surrender the food to HP.
I have been praying for help in determining what would be a good plan for me, my body, my life. I swear when one asks for awareness or help one gets answers!
Example: I did pretty good at the Halloween party Saturday night, I had my one plate of food with reasonable portions for my body and felt satisified not stuffed...a feeling I am loving this week! But, on that plate I also put one of my favorite cookies thinking I could just have the one, saving it for last. At the end of the night I became possessed and had four more cookies. If I hadn't been practicing the OA program I KNOW it would have been much worse with more plates of food and desserts. The all or nothing phenomenon.
At first, I wanted to beat myself up, but then I realized that I am being shown what is right for my own OA program/recovery, my food plan and in the long run what will help me be successful in abstinence. Now I KNOW I cannot have cookies anymore because I will never be able to just have one and doing so could send me over the "food" edge where I don't want to be anymore!
Marny, you tried to tell me this, but the light bulb went today and I get it!
Sorry it was so long...Any feedback would be great!
Charlene
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