To get the real joy of the program, you need to give away what you have learned and experienced. You can pray to your higher power to send you people to talk to about this program. When I came to FA, I was desperate, sick, and very discouraged about the way my life was going. In the previous four years, I had gained 50 pounds and was up to 295. I prayed a simple, desperate prayer to God for help. Through my hobby of old cars, I unknowingly met an FA member. He saw my distress and told me about FA. I started immediately. By the first weigh-in, I’d already lost 10 pounds and I was elated. I knew I had the answer to my desperate prayer and was going in the right direction. I felt like hitting the streets as an FA evangelist. (I soon forgot that idea, after... Continue Reading
When I was new in FA, I heard over and over, almost to the point of the ridiculous, “Just weigh and measure your food and everything will be okay.” It seemed trite and a bit simplistic to me, and it got a little irritating after a while. Little did I know that those words would be coming enthusiastically out of my own mouth a short time later. After only being seven months abstinent, I had an opportunity (I can call it an opportunity now in retrospect) to understand first-hand how weighing and measuring my food and working the tools of my program can change everything. I have a 22-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with bipolar rapid cycling seven years ago, at age 15. Her descent into mental illness at first, before we got a diagnosis, was more than I could handle emotionally, and my addictive eating got completely out of... Continue Reading
I am 53 years old, 5’4″ tall, and I weigh 138.8 pounds. I have never been less than 140 in my adult life. Just a year ago, l weighed 195 pounds (my highest weight was 250 back in 2002). After yo-yo dieting for years, and after major stresses, I finally hit rock bottom and believed my life was over. Quite frankly, I wanted it to be. I had been living on the edge for several years. I was not only a food addict, but I had multiple addictions. Although I hadn’t used alcohol or illegal drugs for more than 30 years, I consistently used money, work, and food to deal with life. I worked an average of 14-15 hours per day, six days a week. I ate at work constantly, with something going into my mouth every 15 minutes, all day long. I would get up several times during the... Continue Reading
I heard of FA from a friend, who did not have anything good to say about it. It didn’t even matter what she said about FA, because it was of no interest to me. I had come to the profound and somewhat freeing revelation that I would be fat for the rest of my life. The revelation came when I was looking at a family photo. The men, women, and children were all big in the same way. Every time I attempted to control my eating, it went crazy. When I decided to stop dieting, I told myself that not trying to change was good for me. I wondered what was so wrong with me anyway. I was a nice person. I held down a job and did lots of charity work. I had friends and family who loved me, so what was the problem, really? Sure I hated myself... Continue Reading
I have been abstinent for more than 12 years, maintaining a normal weight of 107 pounds on my 5’1″ frame for most of that time; my top weight was at least 60 pounds heavier. I was plagued with the accordion body syndrome, going up and down the same 10, 20, or 30 pounds dozens of times. I was raised in a family of privilege in the Chicago area. My parents have a storybook marriage and modeled a strong partnership. I was showered with affection and attention as I grew up, but I was unable to take in the love. My folks were not perfect. They passed on to me some not-so-subtle messages that their love was conditional. I grew up believing that in order to be loved, I needed to play the part of the good daughter—and that meant looking good (thin) and behaving properly. I was a dutiful, obedient... Continue Reading
