I prayed for many years for a way out of the prison and cycle of misery I was in. For someone who has battled food and diet obsession all of her life, it is unimaginable that I would find myself in a right-sized body, maintaining a 111 pound weight loss for almost two years. Thank God for a misery and desperation level that brought me into FA, willing and ready to go to any lengths to not only achieve abstinence, but recovery. I am so thankful to have finally found the solution to a major problem. How did I get there? The first thing I did was to find a sponsor who had what I wanted. It was so helpful to find a sponsor who kept the focus on me. I was a huge caretaker, always taking care of everyone else, but myself. I was blessed to find a sponsor... Continue Reading
I have experienced a 160-pound weight loss in FA. I have come to believe that “practicing these principles in all my affairs” is an effective way to address the many other addictions in my life. As a recovering chronic spender and credit card abuser, I now live each month on a balanced and reasonable budget. Knowing exactly how much money I can spend for food has brought tremendous peace to my life. This past week I had $44.00 left in my budget for food and over a week to go before another paycheck. As I shopped the aisles, I looked at each item from the “do I need this or do I want this?” perspective. I didn’t do any mental math manipulation. I simply asked God to help me discern what I really needed. I stood at the checkout and watched the total rise. As the clerk neared the end... Continue Reading
Looking back to when I entered into that threshold that is the first 90 days of FA, three-and-half years and one-hundred-thirty pounds ago, I can say that I never want to go down that painful road again. Coming off of flour and sugar was so hard for me that if I knew then what I know now, I would have taken time off from work and stayed at home for a several weeks! I was an emotional basket case, to say the very least. My feelings were a roller coaster of never-ending ups and downs. My mood was completely unstable. I was extremely rude to those closest to me. Mostly, I regret my behavior towards my coworker and friend during that time. Putting it simply, I acted “holier than thou” toward her because I had found recovery from food addiction and she had not. In my early days in Program,... Continue Reading
I found FA through a tortuous route that took years of self-discovery. I had weighed well over 200 pounds for 20 years, my body felt as though it were seizing up into an inflexible mass, and I despaired of ever again being below 200 pounds. I could not take another day in my life. I grew up an optimistic child in an optimistic family. Even though we moved a lot and my parents were separated for three months out of the year, they maintained their loving attention to their three children. I had an attraction to sugar from the time I was just two years old; my parents had to hide sweets from me. When I was in first grade, I stole money from my piggy bank to buy forbidden sweets and hid in a vacant lot to eat them. I don’t remember having enough sugary food—there was always a... Continue Reading
Thankfully, during my first year in Program, I lost more than 120 pounds, did my tools daily, completed an AWOL, and began sponsoring. I happen to be a pretty joyful person, and I often get asked how to be happy. I tell people that even the cheeriest people need tools to help them stay positive when life happens. But dark storms often do come. During a six-month period, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, had adrenal exhaustion, my father died, I lost my job, my mother had heart failure, and I had to sell my house to get rid of a bad loan. Keeping my abstinence during this time was challenging. My health problems were frightening and expensive to treat. Among other symptoms, I suffered from anxiety, weight gain (from the illness, not from eating), and low motivation. My dreams and personal pride were destroyed. I could easily have believed... Continue Reading
