Abstinence - Day 46

Breakfast 1 orange 1/4 cup scrambled egg substitute 1 cup Corn Chex 1 cup 1% milk 1 mug coffee 2 cups water Lunch 2 whole wheat flat breads with spinach, tomato slices, shaved turkey lunch meat, 1 slice American cheese, 1 tsp. mayo 9 small prunes (1/4 cup) 2 cups water Dinner Chicken breast with white sauce 1 cup mashed potatoes with margarine 17 grapes 1 can no salt mixed vegetables 1-1/2 cups 1% milk Evening Snack 1 Slim A Bear no sugar, low fat ice cream sandwich Denise Phares

I came into this session late. What exactly are you abstaining from?  The foods you eat sound quite delicious to me! (cept the prunes yech!) lol  Although you seem to eat the same thing for lunch all the time, still though that sounds yummy!

My big butt backing in beep beep beep: I'll attempt to answer this. Denise is on a Overeaters Anonymous program.  Abstinance within that program means you don't eat foods off your program.  For some, it may mean no snacks between meals, only 3 squares, for others, it means 5 small meals, whatever fits the persons needs. When I went years ago, they did not offer food plans per se - everybody who can read knows what foods are "bad" for you. I was taught to eat three meals, only, no snacks whatever.  I could have naything during that meal session, if I wanted 3 corndogsand 2 orders of fries, okay. The idea is that bingers usually eat uncontrollably whenever the urge strikes. This protocol helps you realize - you've had a meal, now go find something else to do with your time. Of course, the point of OA is not necessarily to lose weight, it is about getting a healthier relationship with food going. The wieght loss comes after that initial realization is reckoned with. Hard to grasp if you never had food issues. It's a fine line between having an eating disorder and being somebody who eats a lot of food. I'm not all fatties are compulsive, not my job really to determine it. I'd say yes they are if pressed, but I try to keep my own puppies in my own basket.

Ahh makes sense. I thought about join the OA group here in my area. I just didn't think it was right for me. I know what my problems are and wasn't sure how a group was going to help me with that. Maybe it's the man in me, who knows. If you ask me everyone who's overweight is a compulsive eater unless they have a severe medical condition causing the obesity. In fact most skinny people overeat too. Just with them they're more active and their metabolism/chemistry is different.  I dunno, don't claim to be a specialist either but I just see it how I see it. I read something about the possiblity that levels of stomach and intestinal bacteria may have something to do with being overweight.  Hmm.. Maybe I should drink some antibacterial soap!  Actually it's the lack of a certain type that seems to be the problem. Still only  a theory with minimal research done. Maybe one day we can take a spoonful of awful tasting medicine and fix us right up!

well yeah, metabolism is a whole bunch of it. My DH was skinny all his life - actually HAD to eat like 2 sandwiches the size of his head for lunch plus an apple plus a quart of milk to make til supper! Seriously, when we first got together, he ate like 3500 calories a day, no sweat.   Well, Daddy's wearing a size 40 PANTS now! there IS A GOD!!!! And he is in shock. he friggin hates to admit that he needs to go on some kind of plan. Yeah, you do not see guys in those groups. It's a man thang. But there is OA online.  The hard thing about OA is that you are at the mercy of your local group.  There was some freakin lunatics in some of my sessions, you have to take the good with the bad. Everybody gets a chance to speak and if the group leader doesn't take/keep control of a meeting, it can be a cluster $%#.  It helped me so much become a "normal eater", mind you I was eating on the sly and then purging, pretty regularly. So, clearly i was a mess my own self.  BTW, my brother and my two sisters ALL have eating disorders.  Think that's an accident?  We never talked about it ever til we were all adults. Talk about a genetic link. It could be nurture, but i truly wonder.

I have a bad eating disorder. I just don't know what the underlying problem is.  I've never been able to get a doctor to help me with it either. They all just say eat 1500 calories and get exercise. Well no !&*#  jack...(oops) I mean really, like I don't know that. What I'm trying to tell you is I can't just eat 1500 cals a day. I can't, it's just too hard and I always screw up. Why can't they see that?? GOD! IDIOTS!