Plan of Eating

[susanlauren]

At the beginning of July, I began to attend Overeaters Anonymous. I have struggled with an eating disorder most of my life -- from my teens. I have been boarderline anorexic, bulimic and a binge retainer. I am coming to OA from another 12 step program; I am not a complete newcomer to recovery.

This is my question: How does one know if one is addicted to flour and wheat? I do not doubt that I am addicted to sugar. Giving up sugar, flour, wheat and caffeine seems a bit drastic to me. Is it really necessary to go that far to become abstinent? Can one let go of sugar and white flour and still eat whole wheat and whole grain wheat? Or is this not possible?

In the interests of complete honesty, I will say that there were times (rarely) when I binged on whole wheat products. I am on a written, called in and committed, weighed and measured plan. If I give up sugar and white flour but keep whole wheat and wheat, am I setting myself up to binge on whole wheat and wheat at a later date? Your experience is greatly appreciated.
Susan

[Pony]

Hello and welcome Susan to this forum. I know that you said that you are new to recovery so I'm sure that you have heard that many alcoholics that abstain from drinking go through a period were sugar is a huge substitute for the lack of alcohol in thier system. But it is also a huge trigger food/substance for those who's body can't tolerate or process sugar or processed white flour or gluten products.

Your body does need a certain amount of carbs in moderation, which for us addicts is hard to work through. I am not a nutritionalist but have research lots of different things about foods. Whole wheats in breads and pasta's are supposted to be a better choice to replace the white flour items. I don't believe in giving up and resticting all foods unless you have some sort of reaction or trigger to those particular foods.

Following a balanced diet/ food plan and making choices in moderation is pretty much my goal.

[susanlauren]

Pony,
Thank you for your response. I appreciate any insight and experience others have had. Susan

[hnicoleanderson]

Originally Posted by susanlauren

In the interests of complete honesty, I will say that there were times (rarely) when I binged on whole wheat products.

When you binged on whole wheat products, did you binge on the whole wheat alone? I know when I binged with these type foods it was always with something that was even worse; like sandwiches with processed meats and mayo or butter.

BTW my Neal Barnard 21 day plan suggests rye instead of whole wheat bread, also whole wheat pasta has a lower glycemic index that WW bread.

[susanlauren]

hnicoleanderson,
You ask a great question. I have a bread maker, and each time I binged it was with fresh hot homemade whole wheat bread (and butter) just out of the pan. After the second time I did this, I stopped making bread because the loaf wouldn't last for the week anyway. It was pointless to make it. I don't know if it was a combination of smell, taste, physical hunger, the added butter or what. I don't think I have ever binged on a loaf of whole grain bread from the grocery store.

With the safeguards of a food plan, weighing and measuring all my foods, writing my food down/planned in advance, and committing my food to my sponsor each morning, I think it is unlikely that I would binge on whole wheat. I think my problem is with white flour and sugar -- not with whole wheat flour and wheat. Of course there are those who say white flour and whole wheat flour are no different in how they are metabolized, but I don't believe that is true.
Susan

[hnicoleanderson]

Whole wheat bread right out of the oven. That would be a real trigger for me! No wonder you binged!

So far, I have been able to consume whole wheat products for a couple months now without binging since I eliminated all animal products and vegetable oil.

[Nina Kay]

Welcome susanlauren & hnicoleanderson !!! Thank you both & Pony for sharing your experiences with the different trigger foods. I personally have to get in the habit of staying away from one trigger food at a time or I will get overwhelmed & crash with them all. That's just me though. And the warm bread coming straight out of the oven would get me to binge too. I think that it would affect most everyone like that. I look forward to hearing your progress. Keep coming back.

[Lily]

Hi Susan,

You may have attended an OA 90 day meeting that has a very strict plan of eating. The regular meetings are not as structured. I do the 90 day eating plan cuz I am a wheat and sugar addict and it works for me. It is good to find a plan though of some sort and to avoid your binge foods.

You can go to OA.org to find a list of some really great meetings. I do all of mine by conference call telephone meetings because I am very rural and they do not have many meetings here.

Blessings, Lily

[susanlauren]

Today is day 24 of abstinence. The first 14 days of abstinence, I did a written in advance, committed to my sponsor, weighed and measured meal plan with no sugar.

Then my sponsor told me that I need to abstain from flour, wheat, and caffeine if I want long-term abstinence. She says that white flour is metabolized just as quickly as sugar. She also says that white flour is no different than wheat flour in terms of how it is processed by the body and wheat is what comprises both white and wheat flours. In some ways that explanation makes sense to me.

What I am questioning is why I would be able to eat flour and wheat for 14 days without losing control and/or binging. If I were going to have a problem with flour and wheat, wouldn't I have had it within that 14 day period? Or does it take longer than two weeks to really know if something is going to be sustainable or not?

Anyway, I am following advice and directions. Not liking it particularly, but doing it. So I am on day 10 of not eating sugar, flour, wheat and caffeine. My sponsor would like me to go 90 days with no sugar, flour, wheat and caffeine and see how that works for me and see how I feel. Honestly, the thought of 90 days seems like an eternity.

It is only by God's grace that am I doing any of this. I certainly cannot keep myself abstinent, so a power greater than myself is doing for me what I cannot do for myself.

With a set food plan, with no binge foods whatsoever, with meals planned in advance and committed to my sponsor and with all foods weighed and measured ... I feel stripped and vulnerable and naked. Of course I used food (i.e., restricting or binging) to soothe out the rough edges of my emotions and of my life.

What exactly is an OA 90 meeting? I've not heard anyone use those words about any of the OA meetings I have attended. My sponsor identifies herself as a "food addict". I haven't figured out the difference between "compulsive overeater" and "food addict". I don't know if there is a difference or if the words are interchangeable.

Anyway, today is day 24. I wasn't lasting a week with my own willpower on any diet, so it is nothing short of a miracle that I have been abstinent for over three weeks.
Susan

[butterfly175]

I'm pretty sure that I'm addicted most carbs, like bread especially sweets. I always lost that craving once I stuck to a plan that eliminated my trigger foods. I've been in relapse in food for a while, but I still go to OA meetings and 3 AA meetings a week, which the alcohol and drugs seem to easier to stay away from than food.

[TigerLili]

Then my sponsor told me that I need to abstain from flour, wheat, and caffeine if I want long-term abstinence.

That is your sponsor's opinion. It's not a rule of OA. If you think it would be helpful to you, then go ahead and do it, but OA doesn't require people to follow a specific diet plan or exclude specific things from their diet. It's not your sponsor's job to tell you what to eat. Her job is to work through the 12 Steps with you. Is she doing this?

If you are diabetic or insulin resistant, you would find it beneficial to exclude wheat, flour and most grains because of the effect they have on your blood sugar and insulin. If you AREN'Tt diabetic or insulin resistant, unless you overeat these foods (or have allergies to them), there is no reason not to include them in a balanced diet.

I am working on abstaining from trigger foods and having a food plan. I do have insulin resistance so I avoid wheat/grain as much as I can.

[spondiferous]

I am just in the process of putting together a food plan, which I then plan to go over with my nutritionist and hopefully (if I can find one before then) my sponsor. So I have no experience with committing a food plan to anyone thus far, and therefore do not feel comfortable commenting on that piece.

However, what I have come to realize is that, if I want recovery, I have to be willing to give up everything that's a trigger to me, or that I even suspect may be a trigger. I have binged on so many foods over the years that there's more binge foods than not, so I'm a little intimidated by a plan of eating. But I also am tired of living my life the way I have been. I have seen it said here on this thread - and I agree - that if wheat and caffeine are not problems for you, there's no reason not to include them in a healthy diet. But if they trigger you to want more, or remind you of certain binge foods, it may be best to avoid them. This is my plan for myself, anyway. I will update on how it goes.

[saam]

hello, I'm new to this forum. I have been in AA for awhile and have been 21 months sober. I tried Oa meetings for a time but found it too hard to get to them and just commited myself to aa. My Bulimia has got worse lately and wanted to try this for support. I hav't got an Oa sponsor because there is noone available where I live.

I'm aware of my trigger foods suger, flour and dairy so I would like to try and stay abstinent. I have oa and aa literature and practice active meditation and live with my god as much as possible but having real problems with bulimia. So I'm hoping this may help.

Love

S

[LifeRecovery]

Welcome spondiferous and saam-

I am sorry for your struggles, but glad you are here.