>Accountability< Week of June 7 to June 13>

[amadeus4313]

Good morning everyone!
I am in my 11th day of freedom from the insanity of compulsive overeating. I am down 6.4 pounds and I feel great. I am totally amazed at how this goes beyond the issue of food and affects every area of my life. I never realized how often I used food (and in the past, cigarettes) as a tool for procrastination. Now I get more done. I am not distracted by wondering if I'm hungry or not.

I went out running today. Monday is usually a "Firm" tape, but I just felt like running this morning. It is beautiful out. In four days school lets out for the summer. I still have to go in for a couple of weeks, but it's quieter and more peaceful when the students are gone. It's also a sad time because the seniors I have grown to love over the years are also gone.

Have a great Monday and a great week everyone!

Mary/Amadeus

[doodles]

Good morning all. Am at work, but wanted to check in. Have a great abstinent day!

[MaryMary]

Hi everyone,

Checking in and sending greetings and gratitude for another abstinent day. It is nice out today and I actually got some gardening done. A little bit each day. Gets the blood moving to warm me up.

Mary Amadeum - Way to go, girl! One day at a time.

doodles - Hi there!

[loves2sing]

Today was my weigh-and-measure day at Curves (once a month). I've lost 6 pounds, my body fat % went down, and some of my measurements went down.

My clothes are looser for sure.

Since a month ago, according to my scale at home, I first gained 3.5 pounds. Then I became abstinent - today is my 21st day of recommitted abstinence - and then released weight.

However it happened, it feels great!

I'm off to have dinner with the family of one of my 10-year-old daughter's friends. I told the Mom about being on a plan of eating, and she was very accepting.

I will eat abstinent food. If there isn't any available, then I'll wait and eat when I get home.

Later tonight I'll have my women's singing group. I really enjoy that.

Amadeus, what kind of work do you do? At a high school? I teach at Juvenile Hall, kids who are in trouble.

Thanks for being here,
Cindy

[amadeus4313]

Cindy, I have 2 jobs. My main job is as music director at my church. The other is education assistant in a media center at the high school my kids went to. Sheesh, it's hard to believe that the last one graduated from there 3 years ago.
Good job on the pounds and inches!

Mary, we actually had a hot day today. My wildflower patch under my west window is truly something to behold. I've never been able to get anything to grow there!

Hey doodles, good to see you. Post when you get time.

ooops, Raymond is on.

TTYL

Mary/Amadeus

[amadeus4313]

Well, I'm closing out my 11th day. I have to be up and out early tomorrow. My baby turns 22 so I have to stop at the florist and send something embarrassing to his place of work. tee hee. I'm not posting my food here anymore because I have found someone email it to to keep me accountable. I have tomorrow's menu planned and sent out. I'm grateful to be here with all of you and to be free from the insanity of compulsive overeating for this long. The first thought I have every morning is "Thank you, God, for leading me one day farther away from the insanity that used to have me in its grip.

Good night all,
Mary

[amadeus4313]

Good morning, everyone!
I have now completed 11 days of abstinence as I am defining it. For me, abstinence is writing down my food plan for the day, sending it to my accountability partner, and following through. I eat only what is on my plan and only at mealtimes. I do not eat between meals. Nothing!

I'm between workplaces, but still doing terrific. Hope you all are too!

Mary

[MaryMary]

Hi everyone,

We have some heat here in New England today for the first time in quite a while. Yeh! Went to a meeting this morning and then did the grocery shopping. I haven't had my yocheese in three days and really missed it.

Congratulations, Amadeus on your vigilance to your new plan. I am really glad you found an accountability partner. I really enjoy reading your postings.

Have a good day y'all.

[loves2sing]

Originally posted by amadeus4313
ooops, Raymond is on.

TTYL

Who is Raymond? (just curious...)

TTYL - ?

[loves2sing]

Hi, Everyone.

Staff meeting today... three hours, much of it boring... Lots of my colleagues eat and eat and eat their way through these meetings.

I just stayed away from the "snacks" table, and kept my hands busy.

Today is my 22nd day of recommitted HOW abstinence. I'm really grateful for the peace of mind I've had around food.

Yesterday I tried some sugar-free fruit-flavored syrup, mixed in with the oat bran I include in my meal plan each day. The syrup seems to have upset my tummy... It didn't last long, but it was uncomfortable... I usually just have my fruit with the oat bran. I have fruit once a day. But I wanted to experiment... No more of that.

In a little while, I'll be going to my daughter's Hip Hop dance class. We parents get to watch them dance on the last class of each season. It's fun to watch - she enjoys it so much.

Then I'll go to a meeting, and then home to confront a very big pile of laundry...

Bye for now...
Cindy

[amadeus4313]

Originally posted by loves2sing
Who is Raymond? (just curious...)

TTYL - ?

Sorry - Everybody Loves Raymond - one of my favorite shows.

TTYL - talk to you later

Sounds like you have a busy night ahead of you. I have a date with laundry too. Never ends.

[amadeus4313]

Good morning, everyone!
I have now completed 12 days of abstinence as I am defining it. For me, abstinence is writing down my food plan for the day, sending it to my accountability partner, and following through. I eat only what is on my plan and only at mealtimes. I do not eat between meals. Nothing!

Today was the last school mass of the year. I work with the kids who want to lead the singing at mass. I usually only work with one group at a time, but today we decided to combine them all to make a choir. They were terrific. The sixth graders are graduating to other schools - St. Mary only goes up to the 6th grade. I will miss these little shining lights. One girl has decided that she wants to join us at weekly mass, helping to lead the singing.

Now I'm heading off for the high school. We have a half day today and a half day tomorrow and then the students are gone for the summer and I get to get caught up on all the junk on my desk.

Have a great day all!

[loves2sing]

Originally posted by amadeus4313
Good morning, everyone!
I have now completed 12 days of abstinence as I am defining it.

Awesome!

[amadeus4313]

Just a drive-by to say that I'm closing out day 13 still going strong!

Have a great night everyone,
Mary/Amadeus

[loves2sing]

A quick check-in from me, too... I'm exhausted, big "crisis" today, okay now, but emotionally worn out...


I didn't eat over it!

(I was tempted, briefly, but I picked up the phone instead. I kept calling program friends until I reached one.)


Finishing up my 23rd day of recommitted HOW abstinence tonight. Very, very grateful.

Sleep tight...

[amadeus4313]

Nuts, I just posted and lost it. I'll have to come back later.

Cindy, good on you for hanging tough last night!

It is day 14 and I am still going strong.

[loves2sing]

I've lost 10.5 pounds. That feels really good.

Pulled out pants in the next size down, and they fit fine... I'm wearing them now.

I'm also wearing a blouse that used to be too small to button.





It's not just about the weight loss for me, I love feeling healthier, sleeping better, and having more freedom for LIFE.

But the weight loss sure feels good.

Have a great day,
Cindy

[amadeus4313]

Now, officially posting for the day. I am in my 14th day of freedom from the insanity of compulsive eating. I wake up grateful to God every morning for my many blessings. Among them, finding this forum and the wonderful support here.

Cindy, what a great feeling to fit into smaller clothes. I have a stack that I try on every Monday - my official weigh-in day. 10 1/2 pounds is wonderful! Is that all in the 24 or 25 days of recommitment?

Mary/Amadeus

[amadeus4313]

Good morning, everyone! Today I am celebrating 2 weeks of freedom from the insanity of compulsive eating. I have dropped 8.4 pounds and am totally amazed at myself. This feels very different from when I was counting my "cheat free" days. I think when I was doing that I was counting toward the day I would cheat. Sounds weird, I know, but that's how my mind works. This time, instead of moving toward a cheat, I am moving away from insanity. The farther I get, the more natural this feels.

I feel so blessed to have been led here. Often, when I am reading the other forums, and people are talking about feeling out of control, I feel the urge to reach out and draw them here. For a while I would post and tell them about our forum. I don't do that anymore. They'll find us when the time is right. In the mean time, I am learning so much about myself and about this compulsion that, just for today, is not in my life.

Have a wonderul day, everyone.

Mary/Amadeus (who is grateful to be starting week 3.)

[doodles]

Mary/Amadeus, congratulations.
Cindy, fantastic!
MaryMary, are you okay?
I'm on track, but have been sick more often than not this week. Going to the doctor in just a few minutes.

[MaryMary]

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been three days since I last posted. Didn't realize because I am here every day reading. Been real busy going to lots of 12 step meetings. Two were at night that I had never been to before and drove someone who wanted to go. So I got home late and to bed late. So I am dragging a little.

But food is okay. Abstinent and grateful. Went swimming this morning. Felt good. It was really the first exercise in the last week. Gotta work on that.

Hope you all have a nice weekend.

[loves2sing]

Originally posted by amadeus4313
10 1/2 pounds is wonderful! Is that all in the 24 or 25 days of recommitment?

Yes. It might seem like a lot of weight to release that quickly - but I think my body was ready to let it go. Some of it must have been water weight... And also, I started working out at Curves 3x a week in April, so my metabolism has been getting healthier.

Cindy

[loves2sing]

Originally posted by amadeus4313
Good morning, everyone! Today I am celebrating 2 weeks of freedom from the insanity of compulsive eating.

That's so great!!!

[loves2sing]

Rough week here in my classroom... I teach older teenage boys who are incarcerated, in Juvenile Hall.

Most of the time I am able to connect with the kids, and most of the time I have a cooperative atmosphere in my classroom. But this week I have 4 or 5 very resistant kids (out of 18 in the class) and it's been very challenging.

I'm glad my teaching day is over.

And I'm glad I haven't eaten over this... If I binged, afterwards I'd feel stuffed and fat and discouraged, and I'd still have the same students in my class the next day.

Food can't solve problems that have *nothing* to do with food.

Forgive me for repeating myself... I need to hear this over and over, to burn it into my brain!

Today is my 25th day of recommitted HOW-OA abstinence. I'm very grateful.

Thanks for being here,
Cindy

[amadeus4313]

Good morning, everyone! Today I am celebrating 15 days of freedom from the insanity of compulsive eating.

Cindy, you must have an incredibly stressful job. That makes your accomplishment all the more impressive!

Hi Pam, Hi Mary!

A couple of years ago I found the online diary of a man named Fred Anderson. It journaled his loss of over 150 pounds. He later took the journal offline and wrote a book, but the journal had much more of what was going on in his mind as he dropped his weight. It had all of the day to day minutia that I find interesting, but which was not included int he book. I wish I had printed if off while I was reading it. His attitude toward what he was doing was truly inspirational. He didn't concentrate on losing weight, his focus was on being healthy and the weight took care of itself. I think his book is listed on Amazon, "From Chunk to Hunk." He also has a website which you can find by doing a google search on "Chunk to hunk."

Anyway, I am very grateful for all of you. You keep me sane and peaceful around food.

Mary/Amadeus

[amadeus4313]

Good morning everyone,
I have now completed 16 days of freedom from the insanity of compulsive eating. For me, this means writing down my food plan for the day, sending it to my accountability partner, and following through. I eat only what is on my plan and only at mealtimes. I do not eat between meals. Nothing!

I had hoped to get up and run this morning, but I didn't wake up soon enough. Later we are celebrating my son's 22nd birthday which was last Tuesday. I'm really excited. He bought a house last fall and DH and I are giving him a beautiful deer picture for his living room. His girlfriend picked it out at a home interiors party last winter and I have been impatiently waiting to give it to him.

Hope you all are doing well. Gotta scoot now. Late you know.

Mary/Amadeus

[MaryMary]

Hi everyone,

Just checking in. Food on plan today. Going to work in the garden and weed. Want that sunshine. Hope you all have a nice day.