A Story of Recovery:

Recovery Miracles

I came into FA when I was 34 years old, 5’3″ tall, and weighed 304 pounds. I was sad and desperate for help. I saw women at the meeting getting up to share and saw people who had lost a lot of weight. I got a sponsor the first night and have been with the same sponsor since. She has seen me through a 169-pound weight loss so far. I now weigh 135 pounds, which is a serious miracle for this food addict. I have never seen such a low number. The closest I ever came was in ninth grade, when I weighed 175. Even after having lap-band surgery in 2007, I only lost 40 pounds and gained most of it back.

I have experienced many other miracles since being in FA. When my now seven-year-old daughter was in preschool, the teacher noticed a learning delay and wanted her to stay back. At age 5, she could barely count, couldn’t identify most letters, and couldn’t write or draw figures. I took her to every specialist. I decided I was going to fix her. I even took her to a nutritionist, who had her on about 15 supplements a day. Time went on, and my daughter was not showing any significant progress.

After I came into FA, I saw how admitting my powerless over food and surrendering my food every day to God was helping me to stop eating addictively. I decided to surrender my daughter to God. I stopped giving her supplements, stopped drilling her with academics for long periods of time, and just did whatever her teachers suggested. Within a few months, my daughter started to write, read, draw, count, and more. She continues to make rapid academic progress and has not been held back even once.

Another miracle is that I have been promoted to director at my job. I am saving more money than I have ever saved. My credit score has improved. I paid off my car, then gave it to my mother, and bought a new car for myself. I pay my bills on time. I surrender my finances to God each day. I have even received several unexplained checks in the mail! I am able to help my family out financially instead of being a financial burden.

I have not eaten sugar or flour, which is a miracle, because sugar, flour, and eating quantities of food were the highlights of my life. Now I have peace and joy in my life instead of depression and suicidal thinking. I am present for my loved ones more than ever. Because of FA, I have a real solution to life’s issues.

While I can go on about the miracles I have experienced in FA, the most important miracle is my amazing relationship with God. I find that every surrender brings me closer to God. And every time I surrender something to God, I witness a miracle.