Food for Thought: March 26th

Cobwebs and Illusions

We compulsive overeaters react to refined sugar and starches as an alcoholic reacts to alcohol. When we were overeating, our thinking was foggy. The more we ate, the more confused we became. We often lived in a world of cobwebs and illusions and were unable to separate fact from fantasy.

This cloudy thinking caused all sorts of complications in our relationships with others and lowered our general level of efficiency. We found ourselves becoming very angry and irrational when events did not go our way. We often made life miserable for our families, taking out our anger on them. Sometimes we escaped into a world of fantasy where we would be omnipotent and where our every whim would be indulged.

When we came to OA and began to practice rigorous honesty, we discovered that in order to be honest we had to abstain from the kind of eating which confused our thinking. It is amazing how abstinence can clear away cobwebs and illusions!

Thank You, Lord, for sanity.

From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation

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When I'm overeating, I'm not thinking or behaving rationally. Anger fills my soul as I go on the prowl for more more MORE. My thinking is foggy & confused. I live inside my head where fantasy prevails and I shut down emotionally.

There is no 'joy' in eating compulsively. It's almost like a mad quest to see how much volume I can stuff into my body in the shortest amount of time. I don't eat for taste, I eat for volume.  It doesn't matter what the food is, just that I can eat it in quantity; the quality is irrelevant.

I hear people say if you're going to eat a 'treat', make it a high quality one, and then only eat a bite or two. HAH!

In the world of food addiction, there is no such thing as a 'bite or two.'  After taking the FIRST compulsive bite, it becomes a roller coaster ride of insanity and it won't stop until I'm physically *and emotionally* sick.

For today, I choose NOT to get on that roller coaster ride into hell. For today, I will stay abstinent by sticking to my food plan, and I will not take that first compulsive bite.

Today, I will rely on my Higher Power for strength & guidance.