My 12 Step Blog

SOBRIETY FACT OF THE DAY:

1946; An AA intergroup Office demands accounting of all Alcoholic Foundation money.







DAILY MEDITATION:

From; Food For Thought

Plans, Plans Not Results
Understanding that we do not have the power to control the results of our plans is an important step to controlling reality. We do make plans, based on information, experience, and insight we have available to us. The outcome of our plans, however, is dependent on circumstances which are frequently beyond our control.
When we accept the fact that the results of our plans are always in the hands of our Higher Power, we can relax and leave the outcome to Him. When we do not insist compulsively that life go according to our design, we are able to avoid the inevitable frustration produced by such and unrealistic attitude. However good our intentions, our designs are always finite and based on limited knowledge. We need to trust a Power greater than ourselves.
Our idea of what is best for ourselves and those we love might not always be right, according to gods will. The faith that He will carry out His design for us, even when we do not understand it, relieves us of much anxiety and frustration.

LOCAL MEETING:

Midnight Madness (11:00pm) - Center - 12720 Washington Blvd. - 672C5

TODAY'S STORE ITEM:

Overeaters Anonymous

"In a spirit of fellowship and support, members of Overeaters Anonymous share their personal stories. Readers will find acceptance and encouragement in the words and experiences of others who have struggled with compulsive overeating."

Our Price: $15.00






PROGRAM KNOWLEDGE:

Signs Of Compulsive Overeating

• Binge eating, or eating uncontrollably even when not physically hungry
• Eating much more rapidly than normal
• Eating alone due to shame and embarrassment
• Feelings of guilt due to overeating
• Preoccupation with body weight
• Depression or mood swings
• Awareness that eating patterns are abnormal
• History of weight fluctuations
• Withdrawal from activities because of embarrassment about weight
• History of many different unsuccessful diets
• Eating little in public, but maintaining a high body weight

Causes Of Compulsive Eating

In common with other eating disorders, there is a significant emotional element to compulsive overeating. Although there is no known exact cause, there are several likely options. Most sufferers of compulsive overeating use food as self-medication to cope with overwhelming emotions of shame and depression. Many feel guilty that they are "not good enough" and are ashamed of their increasing weight. Most have very low self esteem. Sufferers also frequently have a constant need for love and validation, which they attempt to satisfy with food.

Compulsive overeating normally begins in childhood, when eating patterns are formed. Most compulsive overeaters never learned effective ways to deal with stressful situations, and instead learned to turn to food as a way of blocking out painful emotions. Some compulsive overeaters consciously or unconsciously use excess body fat as a protective layer, particularly those who have been the victims of sexual abuse. They sometimes feel that being fat will make them less attractive, and therefore less likely to be abused further.

Although many sufferers of compulsive overeating try to combat their increasing weight through dieting, this can exacerbate the condition. Dieting can lead to feelings of deprivation, which the compulsive overeater is then driven to block out by further binging. Unless the emotional reasons for binging are resolved, the sufferer frequently becomes locked into an unending cycle of dieting and binging, with the accompanying feelings of guilt, shame, self-loathing and depression that result.

Overeaters Anonymous

There is a twelve step program called Overeaters Anonymous that offers support to individuals who are recovering overeaters. Important points of the program are:

• Spiritual faith. The program is non-denominational, in fact non-deity-specific, but faith in a Higher Power is central to the program.
• Eliminating addictive substances from the diet completely. This varies from person to person, and Overeaters Anonymous does not endorse any particular plan of eating. Some people eliminate alcohol, caffeine, sugar, white flour, all flour, and wheat, along with other items that are personal addictions, or triggers for binging.
• Not eating between meals AT ALL (3-0-1 Plan of Eating: 3 Meals a day, 0 snacks, One Day at a Time)
• Developing, with support, a food plan that is well planned and balanced, weighed and measured, and sticking to it absolutely - Not one bite more, not one bite less.
• Eating your planned meals at regular times each day
• A. Writing down a food plan each day, for the following day, so that no time is needed to think about what is to be eaten today.
• B. This planning is best done after all that day's food has been consumed.
• C. Once written, not changed.