Food for Thought for Over Eaters Anonymous

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Tuesday, MAR14

From the book: Food for Thought

Power

Our group is infused with a Power that changes lives, the Power of love and fellowship. So many of us can attest to the daily miracles that God has performed and is performing as we live this program. The changes and miracles may happen slowly, and our spiritual growth may be gradual; nevertheless, the Power is real.

As we become aware of this Power, we see how weak and unnecessary were the false supports we had relied on in the past. We probably sought strength in material possessions, personal achievement, social status. These supports all failed us, and we ate to hide our weakness.

Now that we have experienced the Power of the OA fellowship, we no longer have to rely on false supports. We can grow in the program and in closer contact with the One who creates and sustains us.

May I rely more completely on You.

Found myself in my pain, and wondering why? I hadn't done the do things that I normally do daily. I think the best way to put it was, "I took my God for granted." I can't, He can, and just for day, WE can.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Thursday, MAR16

From the book: Food for Thought
Difficult Times

When we have hard things to do, we especially need our abstinence. We know from experience that maintaining it is the only way we can feel good and cope effectively.

Formerly, we turned to food to strengthen us and prop us up during difficult times. We invariably ate too much and were less able to manage the troublesome situation. Food then became an escape, and we sometimes ended up doing nothing at all about a problem, since we had eaten ourselves into oblivion.

We know now that instead of strengthening us, extra food incapacitates us. No matter how difficult the situation we face, we know that eating unnecessary food will eventually make it worse.

We have come to believe that whatever happens, our Higher Power will give us the strength we need if we will rely on Him.

May I rely on You, Lord, instead of food.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day

Saturday, MAR25

From the book: Food for Thought

Living Day by Day

"Life by the mile is a trial; by the inch it's a cinch." In the past, we got into trouble when we thought we had to have our lives mapped out forever. That just did not work.

We need only deal with the problems and joys of today. If we try to see too far ahead, we lose touch with the reality of the here and now. The Lord lets us know what we need to know when we need to know it.

What seems impossible when looked at in total --writing a book, putting the children through college, abstaining for the rest of our lives -- becomes manageable when worked at step-by-step, day-by-day.

So many of the things we worry about never happen. How much better it is to concentrate our energies on the real demands and challenges of today, insignificant as they may seem. When we turn our lives over to our Higher Power, we trust Him to manage the master plan and to direct us in the small details of living each day.

Show me, Lord, how to best live each day. I leave the years to You.

Like the first paragraph. Sometimes those little cliches are easier to remember and we can use them to remind ourselves that this is a one day at a time program. The key word for me is live. Live in today, live my life, and let go of yesterday and stay in today.

Hope you don't mind the pig images, they are a JoAnne thing. I love them and I remind myself of them quite often, especially when I am swollen and I look at it as fat.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day

Monday, MAR27

From the book: Food for Thought

Finding Our Place

I did not create this world, nor did I create myself. I do not know what the outcome of my life will be, or even what will happen to me next week. If I try to manipulate reality and arrange circumstances to suit myself, I become frustrated and unhappy I cannot control reality, but I can change myself to be more in harmony with it.

When I accept a food plan and follow it, I am slowly adjusting my body and my appetite to what is best for my health and well-being. I have tried the other way--adjusting my intake of food to the demands of my appetite--and the result is disaster and chaos in my life.

In OA, we follow a program which is sound and which has worked for thousands of compulsive overeaters like ourselves. We stop trying to make everything go according to our desires, and we start learning how to live in the real world. With the guidance of our Higher Power, we find our place.

I trust Your guidance.

Like the idea and concept of finding my own place. By learning to trust the Guidance of my Higher Power, I learned to trust myself.

[MajestyJo]

Today's thought from Hazelden is:

To be alive is to be hungry.

Our appetite for life is good. It keeps us reaching, growing, enjoying, and yearning to fulfill our potential. When our basic needs are satisfied, our hunger propels us to search for more elaborate gratification.

Here is where we often run into trouble. Instead of progressing through the hierarchy of needs to the spiritual level, we get stuck in an attempt to make quantity - more things, more people, and more activity - substitute for quality. And quantity alone is never enough.

It's good that we're hungry. Our appetite motivates us to feed our body in a healthy way and also to feed our mind, heart, and spirit. Our needs pyramid, and our hunger leads us beyond quantity to the quality experiences that fill our emptiness. We read, we share, we love, we pray, we listen, we accomplish, we dance, and we feast on the fullness of life.

Today, I will direct my appetite to quality experiences.

You are reading from the book:

Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.

I can identify with this. I have to tempt my appetite at times when I don't feel like eating. When I look at myself and see fat (real or imaginary), I think two things. I) Don't eat your fat. 2) I am fat, so what is the use, I might as well eat things I enjoy. Now I can add a recovery outlook. 3) I will tempt my appetite with healthy foods that are good for me.

I also need to remember that I need food for the body, mind, and spirit.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Thursday MAR30

From the book: Food for Thought

Simple Joys


When we came into OA, we may have thought that we needed many material possessions, power, security, and great admiration from other people in order to be happy. We may have spent a tremendous amount of effort trying to acquire these things. Perhaps we were apparently successful, and yet were miserable because of our inability to control our eating. No amount of material possessions, fame, or prestige can alleviate the pain of compulsive overeating.

Abstinence is simple. It does not require great wealth, talent, or intellectual ability. It is immediately available to all of us. When we abstain, we know the simple joy of waking up in the morning feeling good. We can live without fear of our next eating binge. We find that we enjoy our three simple meals a day much more than our former overindulgences.

Through OA, we can accept ourselves and others for what we are. We do not have to impress each other. Friendship and sharing increase our joy.

Thank You for the simple joys of abstinence.

When I work the program and apply the Steps to my life, I feel better about myself. Guilt, remorse, and blame are all negative emotions that I need to change. As I shared with a member of my group today, "Just because I have a feeling, I don't have to act on it.

Eating to stuff my feelings, instead of letting them go and asking for help to change them.

[MajestyJo]

Food for Thought for April

http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/rec...od-for-thought

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Sunday, APR2

From the book: Food for Thought

Food Is Not God


Though we may not have admitted it, food was probably the most important thing in our lives when we were overeating. How many times did our relationships with family and friends suffer because of our slavery to our appetites? How often did we hurt those we loved by placing our craving above their needs?

Instead of loving God first, most of us . .

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Friday, APR 7

From the book: Food for Thought

Appetite


Appetite grows as it is fed. The more we eat, the more we want to eat. If we let any physical appetite take over - whether it is for food, sex, security, or whatever - we become its slave.

If we do not nurture our relationship with our Higher Power so that God is the ultimate authority for everything that we do and the object of our greatest desire, then we will be enslaved by one or more of our physical appetites. When God is perceived to be the greatest good and the source of all joy and satisfaction, then physical appetites fall into their proper place.

First we seek spiritual growth. Our primary desire is to do God's will for us, as He enables us to do it. When He is our Master, His love feeds our spiritual appetite and we begin to know the inner peace and satisfaction, which the world cannot give.

May my desire be always for You.

This reminds me that my drug of choice is more. In order to fill that void, that feeling of being empty, I have to fill it up with spiritual things, so I have that spiritual defense against my addiction.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day

Thursday, APR13

From the book: Food for Thought

Greed


How many of us are killing ourselves with our own greed? In spite of all that we take in, we remain empty. Excessive consumption depresses our spirits even before it destroys our bodies.

Why are we so empty? Is it because we search for fulfillment in the wrong places? Do we expect permanent satisfaction from new clothes, more food, a bigger house? When the acquisition of these things fails to satisfy us for long, we then think we must go out and get more clothes, better food, a more elegant house.

Sometimes our greed arises out of fear, fear that we will not have enough. Kahlil Gibran says, "What is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?"

We are all children of a Father who satisfies our need but not our greed. To trust Him to abundantly supply all that we truly require is to give up fear as well as greed.

Take away my greed, Lord.

This brought to mind the words of the song, "Killing me softly with your charm." That is what food does to me if I let it talk me into something I know I am not suppose to have. My drug of choice is more. Food is a drug.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Saturday, APR 15

From the book: Food for Thought

A Daily Reprieve


Through the grace of our Higher Power and by means of the OA program, we compulsive overeaters are given a daily reprieve from our disease. This reprieve, however, is dependent on our spiritual condition. If we do not stay in touch with our Higher Power and if we do not practice the OA principles each day, we lose the reprieve and fall into compulsive overeating.

Our program comes first; other concerns are secondary. OA is not something which we can tack on to our schedule when it is convenient. To be effective, it requires top priority. This does not mean that we spend all of our time involved in OA activities. It does mean that all of our activities are guided by spiritual principles.

Impossible? Only if we refuse to turn our lives over to our Higher Power. When He is in control, our work, recreation, and rest all come under His direction. We are spiritually in tune each day and safe from our disease.

Thank You for saving me from my disease today.

Every thing works together for my Higher Good. Earlier when I was posting and when I shared with my sister and a friend, it was this same things, a daily reprieve. It is subject to my spiritual condition in today. Today I went to a Spiritual Center for a healing from a group of people in a healing circle. The energy was there for the taking. As the Pastor said, "It is what you are open to receive." I also believe, it is subject to my Higher Power's Will as to how much I receive. I may need more awareness, more work, and more experience before things can change. If I am not willing to receive and do the work, it isn't going to happen. Mind you there have been time my God has been there and I got what I needed, in spite of my self.

[MajestyJo]

hought for the Day
Wednesday, APR19

From the book: Food for Thought

Perseverance

We all go through periods when we seem to be standing still or slipping backwards. It is often difficult to stay with our food plan when weight loss slows or stops. We may become bored with the program if our understanding of it is superficial. There are many times when things do not go the way we would like, and we may be tempted to give up.

Let's remember where we began and how miserable we were before we found OA. If there are times when abstinence does not seem so great, let's remember how much worse the alternative is. We have been down in the depths of despair before, and we do not choose to go back there.

One day at a time, we can keep moving forward. Even when we see no signs of progress, we can know that our Higher Power is now in charge of our recovery and that His purposes never fail.

Lord, give us strength to persevere.

This is still a good message for me. The following message I wrote on another site, I think it was on the old site that crashed. This was written by me in 2010. Here it is 2017, and I still need strength to persevere.

A good message for me. I get discouraged when I am eating healthy and the weight doesn't come off. I feel better about myself and I think there are times I lose inches, but I don't think I will ever be slim and curvy again so need to find some acceptance. Part of that is that you can't defy gravity forever.

I try to tempt my appetite, not with things that aren't good for me but with things that taste good. I try to season things and make them more palatable easier to swallow.

With diabetes, I am in this for the long haul. I had eating disorders in the past, when I didn't want to eat because I felt fat because I was swollen and would figure "What is the use?" I had to come to realize that I was the use and I was worthwhile and deserved to feel good and live a healthy life.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Friday, APR21

From the book: Food for Thought

New Skills

When we stop eating compulsively, we get out of ruts that we may have been in for years. Our schedules change, since we spend less time eating. The confidence we gain encourages us to try new activities, and we discover skills we never knew we had.

Because we are no longer disgusted with ourselves, we get along better with those around us. As we learn to give up fear and self-centeredness, we find ourselves turning out better work and performing well in areas where before we had been weak.

Spiritual growth is the key to the new developments in all parts of our lives. We have become more closely connected to the source of creativity, so we are more alive. Others respond positively to our new sincerity and enthusiasm.

That we may continue to grow and learn gives us quiet satisfaction. For this, we are grateful to OA and our Higher Power.

Thank You, Lord, for newness of life.

Like this, the program gave me a new life. It is as good as I choose to work my program. I needed to get rid of the Self, and learn to love ourselves for where we are in today.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day
Thursday, APR27

From the book: Food for Thought

Food Is No Cure all


In spite of what we compulsive overeaters may have believed, food does not solve our emotional or spiritual problems. Food cannot fill our hearts with love, no matter how much we eat. Rather than erasing our difficulties with family, friends, and self, overeating multiplies them.

If our problem were that of not having enough to eat, food would be the solution. It is possible for us to be overweight and undernourished at the same time, if we are eating the wrong foods. For most of us, though, the difficulty is simply that we like to eat too much. The only cure all for that problem is eating less!

The good news for compulsive overeaters is that a life of abstinence and control is possible. We do not have to be destroyed by our disease. When we recognize that we have been using food to do what only our Higher Power can do, we are on the way to recovery. Instead of turning to food to ease our aches and satisfy our cravings, we turn to God.

Thank You for being there for me.

This is how I feel about myself. I have gained 15 lbs. a lot of it is fluid, but the rest is from my honey bun addiction. God and I are working on this.

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day

Wednesday, MAY3

From the book: Food for Thought


Accepting Normality

It is normal to eat three meals a day. As compulsive overeaters, we made ourselves exceptional by refusing to follow the usual pattern of meals. Instead, we wanted to follow the whims and demands of our irrational appetites. For some reason, what was good enough for others was not good enough for us - we had to have more.

Now that we have accepted a reasonable food plan, we can learn to eat normally. We do not need extra food. We know that our true strength and nourishment come from our Higher Power, not from an overload of calories.

When we stop overeating compulsively, we no longer need to feel guilty about our eating habits or different from those around us. We can accept the fact that we are normal people, not better than everyone else and not worse either. Like those around us, we have strengths and weaknesses, and we are making progress. It is a relief to accept normality.

May I keep a realistic perspective on myself.

We have a disease of perception, so I ask quite regularly for my perception to be healed. Not sure about normal, perhaps what is normal for me.