Planning ahead = obsession

[Savvy]

Does anyone else feel like planning their meals ahead of time just fuels their obsession with food? I am having a very hard time not eating when I'm planning, to me it's like going to the grocery store hungry. Maybe I'm just having a bad day.

[MaryMary]

Planning ahead for me equals freedom from the obsession of compulsive overeating.

Here is the logic. I write down on paper what I plan to have based on the outline of my foodplan, The Cambridge Greysheet, which I got from my 12 sponsor in GreySheeters Anonymous, a 12 step program. It is broken down with type of food and oz of the portion size. It is for 3 weighed and measured meals a day with nothing in between but water, coffee, tea or diet soda without exception. Then I call it into my sponsor the night before and symbolically surrender it to her and my Higher Power. This process is called abstinence. The next day rolls around and I don't have to guess what it is I am having because I already know. So if I forget, I pull out my notebook, and look at what I wrote down, and that is what I eat/fix. So I don't spend all day thinking about what I am going to eat, what I feel like having, what I have in the frig, what I need from the store. When I write it down, I have already said to myself, what do I have in the frig and do I need anything at the store. I plan my meals based on what I have. Because I have already planned my meals for tomorrow, I know if I need to do shopping. Tomorrow is a shopping day, but I will be buying food for Wednesday's menu. Maybe you need to experience this to understand the freedom. If I get hungry between meals, I drink water or take up another activity or pray or go for a walk or work on an outstanding project, but I don't eat no matter what happens in my life. My sponsor in GreySheeter's Anonymous is part of this plan. It gives me the accountability I need to weigh and measure my food. The structure to the planning of my food is teaching me that structure exists in life and how to go about planning for life. The 12 steps ultimately teach me how to live life - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

This may not be your way, but it works for me today, one day at a time.

Hope this helps.

[amadeus4313]

I agree with Mary. Planning ahead allows me to forget about food rather than obsessing all day and rationalizing every bite I put in my mouth. I also have this all or nothing mentality and in the past, if I was going to allow myself a certain number of carbs or whatever, if I went over - even by just 1 - that gave me license to pig out and start all over the next day. I think less about food than I ever have because I know that if it's not mealtime, IDENMW!

I plan my meals at night, at a time when I used to be arguing with myself about whether to sabotage all of my day's hard work. At this time I paste a smiley in my journal and reflect on how blessed I am to be - just for today - free from the obsessive desire to overeat. It's a nightly ritual that I have come to look forward to.
I hope this helps you,
Mary

[loves2sing]

Originally posted by Savvy
... to me it's like going to the grocery store hungry.

Hmm... Maybe it's different for me because I plan my food for the next day using a structured plan of eating.

For example, every day's lunch begins like this:
1 serving protein
2 servings vegetables

and I choose the protein and veggies from lists of possible abstinent choices.

So when I plan my meals, it's as if I go to a grocery store that only offers abstinent foods for sale.

It might be very different if I didn't have a commitment to the daily plan. That commitment makes me feel safe and comfortable, when I'm planning my food for the next day.

Also - when I follow my plan of eating, when I'm abstinent, I'm never hungry. My meals satisfy my body... If I think of eating, it's my mind or emotions, not a real need for food. So I'm learning to write, pray, make a phone call, go for a walk, etc. - to respond in other ways than eating.

After all, food will never satisfy my needs for love, affection, attention, peace of mind, etc.

Cindy