Food for Thought: May 30th

Be Good to Yourself

Stuffing ourselves with food which our bodies did not need was not being good to ourselves, nor did it solve our problems. Overeating simply added another problem to the ones we already had.

In the past, when we thought about diets, we may have considered them to be the punishment, which we had to undergo in order to get rid of the fat we had acquired. Taking that attitude was not being good to ourselves, either. It is one reason why diets invariably fail, since few of us are willing to endure punishment indefinitely.

The OA program is not a diet but a way of life. It is a way, which has worked because it is a positive plan, not a negative restriction. We determine what it is that our bodies need to look and function at their best, and we decide to eat that and nothing else. We are good to our bodies. We also consider what our minds, hearts, and spirits need to function at their best, and we decide that the love and care of a Higher Power is crucial. By working the Twelve Steps, we are good to ourselves.

Thank You for the life that You have given me to live.

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 What I've learned over the years is this: My life is much WORSE when I'm overeating. My food plan keeps me SANE during times of high stress, such as I'm facing right now. When I stay clear-headed through abstinence, I can listen to what God is telling me. When my head is muddled and confused with excess food, I panic........I hear nothing, except fear talking, and I am virtually useless.

Dealing with on the job stress & facing the possibility of a lay-off (and a highly toxic work environment),  it's vital for me to keep my food plan #1 in my life right now.   Otherwise, chaos WILL prevail!

If I'm not good to myself, I'll fall into the self-pity trap, anger will take over, and all I'll want to do is SLEEP.  This is the cycle of overeating for me: stress out, overeat as a result, start hating myself, feel tired & worn out, break down emotionally.

What is the point of getting such a cycle started to begin with, knowing, as I do, the result of such action?

For today, I repeat the 5th Step prayer:

God, I offer myself to Thee
To build with me
And to do with me as Thou wilt.
Relieve me of the bondage of self
That I may better do Thy will.
Take away my difficulties 
That victory over them may bear witness
To those I would help of Thy power
Thy love
And Thy way of life.
May I do Thy will always.