I had been leading a very active lifestyle, which included helping with my disabled grandson, who is in a wheelchair. Then, ten years ago, I was diagnosed with arthritis in the feet. It appeared like gout, with excessive ankle swelling. At the time, I was approximately 160 pounds on a 5′ 3″ frame. I became a beached whale, a couch potato. It was extremely challenging for me to walk, but somehow I managed to complete my last five years of work before my planned retirement. It didn’t take too long before I reached 208 pounds. My eating habits didn’t change, only my life style. Physically, I was very limited. My husband did most of the grocery shopping, and I was unable to go anywhere in the evening because my ankles would always swell up by 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. I tried different weight-reduction plans, and at one time, I lost... Continue Reading
My father-in-law has six siblings. He and another sibling are in AA, and the rest are active alcoholics. He has a sister who is morbidly obese. His sister hasn’t left the house all summer, since she’s becoming more and more immobile and her panic attacks are increasing daily. During our visit, the siblings had a meeting to discuss and plan an intervention for the sister. They weren’t planning an addiction intervention (since the active addicts don’t believe in addiction), but a medical intervention that would involve a rehab. I happened to be in the room when the actual intervention was taking place with some of the family. But, since I knew that the siblings don’t recognize food addiction, I was reluctant to open my mouth because I’ve only been part of the family for five years and I didn’t want to overstep my bounds. My heart broke, seeing my wife’s... Continue Reading
I had been in FA for almost two years, and I was struggling with what to do next. The weight was off. Now what was I to do with myself? I was still wandering through grocery stores reading labels, trying to find something different to fill the hole in me. I was in a store every other day and was finding myself going out to eat more often, having lunches with co-workers during the week, and going out to meals with my husband on the weekends. One of my favorite things to do before I found FA was to go out to eat. I would try to talk my husband into going shopping so I could eat out. I would start thinking on Thursday about were could we go so I can get the largest portions and bring leftovers home. My mind was always planning. Eating out in abstinence was... Continue Reading
Another diet stopped working It never occurred to me that I ate for any other reason aside from loving food. I loved the taste, the texture, the look, the smell, and especially the quantities. I was a skinny kid, but I started using food as a drug after I was molested at age 16. I went to my first Weight Watcher’s meeting at age 17, with ten pounds to lose. After 30 years of yo-yo dieting, I was 60 pounds overweight when I found my way into Overeaters Anonymous (OA). I joined 90-Day OA (the precursor to FA). I felt right at home the first time I heard someone share about what flour and sugar did to them. I identified with all the feelings they were describing. Prior to this, I never was able to express what I was feeling. All I could do was to either react, or check... Continue Reading
When I came into FA in Feb 2007, I was 205 pounds. I didn’t have any “family drama” because I had moved far away from my family. What I didn’t realize was that the drama still existed in my mind and in my heart. Until I could make peace with my family members and accept them for what they were, I would continue to eat. I grew up in a house where I was told all sorts of things about my weight and appearance. I was told that I was big-boned and curvy, and that I had fat people on both sides of the family. I was told that I was always going to have to watch every single thing I put into my mouth, that our family doesn’t have fast metabolisms, and that I would never look like one of those skinny toothpick girls. I was the oldest of... Continue Reading
