Food for Thought: March 2nd

Changing

As we lose weight, we adjust to a new self. Part of the body we had is disappearing, and this can be frightening. As our physical appearance changes, others may react to us differently. Along with the physical changes come new attitudes and expectations. Though for years we may have wished to be rid of the fat, when it actually begins to go we may fear the change.

What is new and unknown is often frightening. We may have used food and fat to retreat from uncomfortable situations. We may have spent so much time eating that there was little left for anything else. We may have expected all our troubles to vanish with the excess pounds. Now we can no longer hide behind fat or kill time with food, and our troubles may very well still be with us. What do we do?

It takes courage to change, to become a new person. We may decide at age forty to learn to play tennis. That takes lots of courage. New activities, new attitudes, changes in relationships with others--all require courage.

Change is frightening, but it is also an adventure. We are not alone. We have OA. Others have gone through the same changes and can reassure us, one step at a time.

May I not be afraid to change. 

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

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Paper Towels (Blog 12/11/12)

This journey is a lot like unraveling a roll of paper towels. At first, the roll is large & bulky...you're hungry & miserable....it seems like you'll never get to the end of the roll....it'll take forever. As each towel is removed from the roll, it gets smaller & smaller. When you first start removing towels, you don't see a change...you don't notice a difference. As the roll keeps unraveling though, you notice it's getting smaller & smaller. Every day you stay abstinent, you can imagine you're removing another paper towel from that roll. One day, you wake up & you're at the end of the roll: the tube is all that's left.

With each towel removed from the roll, you're uncovering another layer of yourself that's been buried for quite awhile. What will you find under each layer? Another facet of yourself...another exciting discovery lies beneath each layer that has effectively cushioned you from life. You realize you can walk further without getting winded. You can reach down & tie your shoes without needing an oxygen tank afterward. You can fit comfortably in the seat of a movie theater without needing the jaws of life to extract you from it.

As each paper towel comes off the roll, you're freeing yourself from a bit more of your burden. You're freeing yourself from the obsession of overeating & the pain that keeps you locked up in your self-imposed prison. While removing those layers may leave you feeling exposed, you realize it's far better to FEEL something than to be numb.

Under those layers you may find the child you once were who's ready, once again, to experience life in a carefree & joyous manner, much like you used to. Maybe you'll go swimming with your kids & let them dunk you underwater. Maybe you won't care that your hair gets messed up...because you'll be wearing a swimsuit & living life instead of watching it from the sidelines, covered up & hiding out on a chaise lounge, planning a rich & carb-filled dinner for later on. Maybe you'll glide down the water slide & hear your kids tell you what a FUN mom or dad you are! That will be music to your ears that no food on earth could possibly provide, no matter how delicious.

When your roll of paper towels is finished, you can look back at all those sheets of paper scattered around you on the floor. You can recognize that each sheet represents a piece of YOU that's no longer there, weighing you down both body & spirit.

You can then use those paper towels to wipe up the tears you've cried over the years. To wipe up the mess of discarded hopes & dreams which reappeared when you found OA. You will finally be able to dispose of those paper towels in the big old trash can outside, where they belong.

Yep, this journey is a lot like a roll of paper towels. And YOU are a lot like that roll of paper towels. Strong & absorbent, ready to soak up a whole NEW set of hopes & dreams which come along with a slim & healthy body & new eating habits which keep you free, at last, from the burden of obesity. One day at a time.