>Accountability< Week of May 31st to June 6th>

[loves2sing]

Originally posted by MaryMary
I know in the past when I ate off plan, the idea of eating off plan started long before the actual bite of food. I would play mind games ... So even though the binge starts with the first bite, it actually starts with the first thought about the binge.

MaryMary, thanks very much for posting this.

You have described my experience, too, and it's very helpful for me to be reminded. My mind has tricked me in the past, and it will trick me again if I don't use the tools and work my program.

Thanks for sharing your experience, strength, and hope.

I'm grateful for this forum. Thank you all!

Cindy

[amadeus4313]

Good evening everyone,
I'm closing out my 8th day of sanity and I have pasted my smiley face in my journal. As I said this morning, I am going to start posting tomorrow's food at night. I hope no one minds my doing this. I realize that some of my choices are not options on other's plans. Posting my menu here keeps me accountable, but if it is a problem, I totally understand - just let me know.

Here is my menu for tomorrow:

Breakfast
Mocha latte
Oatmeal with peanut butter and milk (1 serving of recipe)

Lunch
egg salad (2 eggs, 1 T mayo)
1 la tortilla
1 cup Homemade yocheese blend

Snack
Atkins Advantage bar - choc. peanut butter

Supper
2 cups romaine lettuce
1 Tbsp caesar dressing
Dreamfield cheese spaghetti - 1 cup

Before Bed
1 cup Carb Countdown - chocolate

Just for today:
I am committed to making my food plan
I eat only what I have committed to
I eat only at designated times,
otherwise IDENMW!

[amadeus4313]

Good morning, everyone!
I have now completed 8 days of abstinence as I am defining it. For me, abstinence is writing down my food plan for the day, posting it here, and following through. I eat only what is on my plan and only at mealtimes. I do not eat between meals. Nothing!

I went to a Greysheet phone meeting last night. It was wonderful to be able to tap into that community. Oh, the wonders of technology!

It is a beautiful, sunny day here in mid-Michigan and the guys are scrambling to get their planting done. They are almost 2 months behind now. I am baking this morning. Believe it or not, baking is not a problem for me when I am working my plan. The guys go through a lot of cookies when the farming season is here. I love the way the house smells when I'm baking. We remodeled our kitchen 2 years ago and it is such a joy to work in. We had no idea of how we wanted it to look when we were done. We pretty much flew by the seat of our pants. It turned out beautiful! We have kind of a "lodge" look to our house. This was before "lodge" was a decorating style. Anyway, I am rambling. I love Saturday mornings. It's my time off from exercise and having to get ready for work.

Have a great day, all!
Mary/Amadeus

[lowcarbforlife]

Hi Amadeus and everyone,

This is a great thread!

Amadeus thank you for your kind words.

I am set on my low carb plan, but need something more...am considering finding an OA meeting or another similar program, because I still overeat, even lowcarbing.

I find my spiritual fulfillment through Bible study and fellowshipping, and the Christian weight loss programs I had previously discussed didn't do much for me, probably because I know in my heart God loves me just as I am, and yes, is sad when I am sad, but never disappointed in me. Maybe that's why those programs never hit home with me; I don't know. Still haven't fully figured it out.

But I do know there are some common sense measures I can take immediately, like slowing down my eating, etc. that help with portion control and compulsive eating. In fact I heard Johnny Bowden's book, Living the Low Carb Life, discusses slowing down your eating as a tool for weight control, so I'm going to check it out (uh, I INHALE my food)!

Anyway, hi everyone! Wow! You are all doing great! Keep up the good work!

[amadeus4313]

Geee, it's kind of lonely here on the forum tonight.
I now have another day in my arsenal. I am no longer looking at this as recovering lost ground. Lost ground is lost ground. What I am doing is breaking new ground. A time in my life when my food and my weight are no longer an obsession. I plan and commit my food at night. I stick to the plan the next day. Other than designated meals times IDENMW. A niggling voice tries to worm its way into my thoughts, but I silence it with my new mantra.

We are going to a graduation party tomorrow. I have planned my lunch food choices based on what I usually find at graduation open houses.

So, with God's guidance, here is my plan for tomorrow.

Breakfast
Mocha latte
Easy Cheesey egg bake - 1 piece
Weresome applesauce/almond muffin
Spritz of butter spray

Snack (lunch will be much later today)
Eas Carb controlled shake - chocolate

Lunch
raw veggies - 2 cups
Veggie dip - 2 tbsp
lunchmeat - 4 oz.
Slice of cheese
fruit salad - 1/2 cup

Supper
Natural Ovens Golden crunch bagel
Carb options peanut butter - 1 Tbsp
Yocheese blend - 1 cup

Before Bed
1 cup Carb Countdown - chocolate

Just for today:
I am committed to making my food plan
I eat only what I have committed to
I eat only at designated times,
otherwise IDENMW!

Hope to see you all soon,
Mary/Amadeus

[MaryMary]

Hi everyone,

Here's a picture from the Senior "Senior" Prom last night. We had such a great time. Dancing, door prizes, electing a king and queen, corsages and the lovely pictures they took. They even had an appetizer bar with healthy choices. But I ate before I went and stuck to water with no problems. My DH won a door prize. It was a YMCA lunch bag with a $25 gift certificate from a local supermarket. And I won a door prize of a pink stuffed poodle that said Gambling Mama on the front. Now, you have to remember the tickets cost us $6.00 each.



Have a great day.

[amadeus4313]

I have now completed nine days of abstinence as I am defining. For me, abstinence is writing down my food plan for the day, posting it here, and following through. I eat only what is on my plan and only at mealtimes. I do not eat between meals. Nothing!

Mary, what a beautiful picture! Is your sig weight correct? You sure look smaller than that. You are gorgeous. DH is cute too.

I have a couple of challenges today that I will need to be accountable for later. One is that I got an e-mail from my Sunday guitar player. (I am music director at my church). He quit on me. I feel bad because I know that in a small part (not nearly as much as he is claiming) I am responsible. I am hoping he will have a change of heart - but it was a blow I wasn't expecting.
IDENMW!

I also have a graduation open house today where I am not sure what food will be served. I will be fine, but it may be a challenge.

I am so grateful for you, Mary, and all of the people here.

See you all later!

Mary/Amadeus

[doodles]

MaryMary, great picture. You two make a great looking prom couple! Thanks for sharing.
Mary/Amadeus, sorry about your guitar player. Congratulations on nine days.
I've lost some battles the past few days, but overall I'm still winning the war. Have to find a plan and commit.
lowcarbforlife, welcome. Definitely check out OA. It's a good thing.
Cindy, how are you doing?

[lowcarbforlife]

What does IDENMW mean?

Also, I am looking up OA today to call and join a group.

I'm not clear if any of you belong to OA. I know Frances Kuffel (if you're familiar with the book Passing for Thin), mentions on her website that she never mentioned any 12 step program by name in her book, out of respect for the group's annonymity.

So, I don't expect anyone to actually talk about their group, but before I join, one thing is bothering me. In the book Frances followed her sponsor's food plan to the letter. I am very comfortable with my own food plan (low carb - from the book Life Without Bread), and want to keep following it.

I AM very comfortable with calling a sponsor and committing to a food plan each day and telling her; that is ok by me!

Also, does eveyone need a sponsor in these 12 step groups? How important is having a sponsor? Thanks in advance for your answers. I guess I'm just concerned I'll get a sponsor who is not low-carbing, and I'm wondering if I even need a sponsor at all to be successful.

Thanks in advance for any answers.

[loves2sing]

Originally posted by lowcarbforlife
So, I don't expect anyone to actually talk about their group, but before I join, one thing is bothering me. In the book Frances followed her sponsor's food plan to the letter. I am very comfortable with my own food plan (low carb - from the book Life Without Bread), and want to keep following it.

I AM very comfortable with calling a sponsor and committing to a food plan each day and telling her; that is ok by me!

Also, does eveyone need a sponsor in these 12 step groups? How important is having a sponsor? Thanks in advance for your answers. I guess I'm just concerned I'll get a sponsor who is not low-carbing, and I'm wondering if I even need a sponsor at all to be successful.

Thanks in advance for any answers.

lowcarbforlife, each person can decide for herself whether or not to say if she's in OA. We protect each other's anonymity by not speaking about anyone else.

I am comfortable posting that I'm in HOW-OA, one of the branches of OA in Northern California.

Different branches of OA have slight differences. In some of them, everyone follows the same plan of eating. In others, each member decides about her own food plan, and people have very different ones.

Meetings are welcoming places. I encourage you to go to several of them, and see what they're like.

Having a sponsor is a WONDERFUL thing. She is a friend and guide through the Steps. It's been really helpful to me to have a sponsor. I can't always see the truth for myself.

You can take your time deciding if you want to have a sponsor. Go to some meetings and listen to what people say. After a while you'll have a sense of what the Steps have given these people, and you can decide if you want to follow that path for yourself.

It's been a wonderful thing in my life, sharing with others who really understand what this addiction is like.

Don't hesitate to post questions.

I'm not posting much this weekend, am very busy... I'll try to write tonight... I'm abstinent, going to meetings and having fun with my Sweetie and with friends.

Blessings to all,
Cindy

[MaryMary]

IDENMW = I don't eat (off plan) no matter what

It's the message I give myself when food thoughts enter my head. Then I drink water and find something else to do.

25 years ago I went to an OA meeting, got a diet and did it on my own. It was a great support group, but by my not being willing to add the sponsor, it was really just a diet. And we all know diets don't work. I stayed for a year, lost my weight (to goal 30 lbs) and went about my life. 15 years ago, I went back to OA, got a sponsor and followed her food plan. Lost a lot of weight (about 80 lbs but didn't get to goal), worked the steps some, but after 4 years went about my life.

Last Dec 23rd, after nearly 3 years on Atkins (lost 106 lbs), I realized I was eating the low carb food compulsively, and I knew if I didn't want to gain back all my weight and then some, I would need to do it the way many successful compulsive overeaters had done it before me. This time I bit the bullet, decided on GreySheeters Anonymous because for me, it was more closely aligned to the low carb plan I was on. I do go to OA meetings as well.

When you feel ready to find a sponsor, it is suggested you look for someone who has what you want and ask them how it was achieved. I do a lot of listening right now, trying to keep an open mind and a willing spirit in an honest attitude. We each have to figure out what works for us. It is all part of the journey.

[amadeus4313]

We're back from the graduation party. It was great. My SIL actually had the foods that I had committed to. What I planned was pretty standard grad party fare. Veggies, cheese slices, lunchmeat and fruit salad. It was great not having to argue with myself over whether to have a piece of the graduation cake. I went to the food line, homed in on the foods from my list and never looked at anything else. Took my plate outside and after eating, actually forgot about food for the rest of the day. I did it just for today!

Here is my food plan for tomorrow:

Breakfast
Mocha latte
Easy Cheesey egg bake - 1 piece

Lunch
Mocha latte
Michael Angelo Ham and cheese lowcarb wrap

Snack
Yocheese blend - 1 cup

Dinner
2 cups Romaine lettuce
1 Tbsp dressing
1 serving spaghetti al burro

Before Bed
1 cup Carb Countdown - chocolate
Zcarb chocolate almond bar

Just for today:
I am committed to making my food plan
I eat only what I have committed to
I eat only at designated times,
otherwise IDENMW!

Have a great evening all!

Mary/Amadeus

[loves2sing]

Hey, MaryMary, what a great picture! You guys should have been Queen and King of the Prom!!

MaryAmadeus, you rock! Congrats on doing so well, even eating at parties. You are keeping food in its right place, and getting to live life in between meals.

I had a lot of fun this weekend... My daughter went to her Dad's house...

I worked out at Curves on Friday after I finished my teaching day. I've been going there for 2 months now, and it feels really good. I feel healthier, and I'm sleeping better.

Friday night, I had dinner & a video with my Sweetheart, Daniel. I cooked, so it was easy to eat just what I'd committed to my sponsor.

I went to a great HOW-OA meeting yesterday morning. I'm very grateful for the fellowship.

Then Daniel & I drove over to the coast (90 minutes' drive) and spent the day with friends. We had a potluck lunch. I brought a big salad and slices of cheese - that would be enough for me to have an abstinent lunch. A friend had made a big pot of homemade veggie soup, with all abstinent veggies, so I got to have that, too.

When I eat away from home, I commit to my sponsor that I will be eating out, and that I will make abstinent choices. I don't have to know ahead of time exactly what will be available. I just commit to eating only foods that are allowed on my plan of eating. This approach works really well for me.

Church this morning, then quiet time at home, doing a few chores. I went over to Daniel's house for a little while, and we practiced setting up the new tent we'll be taking to a music festival in a few weeks. It's very big, with criss-crossing poles, but we eventually figured it out.

Then I went to another meeting... then picked up my daughter and had a quiet evening here at home, doing some chores, some Step writing, some email...

Off to bed with me.

Best wishes to all -
Cindy