Daily Devotions for Overcoming Anorexia and Bulimia

[Done_With_It]

OHHHH Slaps Head..... I DID post the right post the first time....
omg, am I fired yet?
I'm going to bed now.
Nite.

[Done_With_It]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

God Is Here

The Power, which restores us to sanity, is not something remote and abstract, which we must search for by reading books and performing great feats. Our Higher Power is with us constantly and is involved in the minute details of every day. We do not have to wait and work to become acceptable to God. He accepts us now, just as we are.

What gets in the way of our awareness of God is self. If we are narrowly focused on the concerns of ego and self-will, we ignore the presence of a Higher Power. Then we become weak and confused in our aloneness.

To be aware of the presence of God in our lives every day, all we need is the willingness to be open to Him. We find that He is indeed "closer than breathing and nearer than hands and feet." What we may have spent years searching for or denying turns out to be the ground of our existence and the Power that sustains us every minute.

Increase my awareness of You, I pray.

[Done_With_It]

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Bad Days

There are some days when we wake up in the morning knowing with a sixth sense that the day is going to be a hard one. These are the days when it is difficult to get out of bed, when we would prefer not to face whatever awaits us. There is no way around these days; we must get through them the best way we can.

Our most useful tool for coping with a bad day is abstinence. Nothing is impossible when we are abstaining from compulsive overeating. Often our problem lies not in the external events of the day but in recognizing a part of ourselves that has been hidden and repressed. We resist facing honestly what our Higher Power is revealing to us about our inner life.

When we are determined not to escape into food, we will come out of a bad day stronger than we were before. We reinforce our new way of living, which is to turn difficult situations over to our Higher Power and then act as He guides us, step by step.

May I be closer to You during the bad days.

[Done_With_It]

A New Self-Image

As we lose weight, our self-image needs to change along with our body. We may have had a mental image of our self as a thin person, but this image probably did not go beyond the physical. If we continue to think of our self as the same confused, compulsive, childish person we once were, we are not facilitating our emotional and spiritual growth.

The OA program gives us the power to become a new person. If we see ourselves as daily growing saner, more serene, more confident, reality will reflect our inner vision.

Perhaps the most important change in our self-image involves our relationship to our Higher Power. Before, we probably saw ourselves as the center of our world and devoted our energies to protecting and building up our fragile ego. We were all alone in an unfriendly world. Now, we see ourselves as God's creation, subject to His purpose and plan. As we yield to His authority and accept His love, we find strength, security, and peace. By losing ourselves, we find ourselves.

Create in me a new self-image.

[espresso]

Hi there Done, Am new to SRC and can't fathom out how to leave a message on your visitors' list! Your posts are truly inspirational - Thank You!

[Done_With_It]

Originally Posted by espresso

Hi there Done, Am new to SRC and can't fathom out how to leave a message on your visitors' list! Your posts are truly inspirational - Thank You!

To leave a message you can click on that persons name.

Thank you for your nice comment.
These aren't my personally writings, they are from either the book
Food for Thought or The Daily Devotions book.

(just wanted to make sure no one thought these were my own)

Welcome to SR Espresso! So glad to have you!!

[espresso]

Hi again,
I think there are probs with leaving visitor's messages at the moment - spam stuff. When I clicked to leave a message I was only given the option of sending you a private message. I'll have another look. You have a really cool personal page (profile page or whatever it's called!) Lots of color and pix!!

No, I could see your affirmations are from Food for Thought or The Daily Devotions book but YOU post them and are clearly really dedicated to your recovery and helping others via your posts. That's inspirational.
:ghug

[Done_With_It]

[QUOTE=espresso;1917400]Hi again,
I think there are probs with leaving visitor's messages at the moment - spam stuff. When I clicked to leave a message I was only given the option of sending you a private message. I'll have another look. You have a really cool personal page (profile page or whatever it's called!) Lots of color and pix!!

No, I OH yea, I forgot about that, we are having problems with spammers so the message thing is on hold. Thanks for my page compliment, it is really bright, hu! lol,

could see your affirmations are from Food for Thought or The Daily Devotions book but YOU post them and are clearly really dedicated to your recovery and helping others via your posts. That's inspirational.
:ghug

Ahh thanks so much, You made my night/day (tomorrow)

[Done_With_It]

Sunday, September 21, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Trusting Gut Reactions

Since we could not trust ourselves where food was concerned, we had trouble trusting ourselves in all aspects of life. We became divided internally and unsure of what we thought or how we felt or how we should act. We may have depended on other people to tell us what we liked, what to do, and how to do it.

It is with a great sense of joy that we become aware of our own individuality and preferences. If we experience a negative gut reaction to a certain person or activity, then we need to examine our reasons for continuing the relationship or activity. We do not have to like everyone, nor do we have to do everything. The sooner we become selective, the more we develop as individuals and the more integrity we possess. If we continually force ourselves to do things, which violate our inner integrity, then we are frustrated and growth is slow.

Gut reactions need to be examined calmly and intelligently. They are there to tell us something about ourselves.

Give me a healthy respect for my gut reactions.

[Done_With_It]

Saturday, September 27, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

We Admit

Three of the Twelve Steps have to do with admitting. We admit that we are powerless over food and cannot manage our own lives; we admit our wrongs to God, ourselves, and another person; we continue to take inventory and admit when we are wrong.

Out of honest admission of our weakness comes strength. We are able to see ourselves realistically and with clarity. When we are humble enough to admit our wrongs, we get rid of the false front we had tried to maintain. This frees us to be who we are, without pretense.

When we admit our faults, we are cleansed. We no longer have to try to hide and cover up our weaknesses and mistakes. Instead of pretending to be perfect, we can be human and satisfied with progress.

We admit that we have a progressive disease, and we learn how to control it. We do not pretend to ourselves or others that we can eat like everyone else, because we are compulsive overeaters. We cannot manage our own lives, but there is One who can.

I admit that I am powerless, and I am grateful for Your Power in my life.

[Done_With_It]

Sunday, September 28, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

My Own Body

My body is where I live. Its size and shape is a matter between my Higher Power and me. No one else is responsible for my body. In the past, I may have permitted other people to influence what I ate and how much I weighed, but I now take full responsibility.

Other people may think that I am too fat or too thin, but that is their problem, not mine. I am learning what my body needs in order to operate at peak efficiency. I am learning to avoid the foods, which I do not handle well. What and how much I eat depends on my own preference and the requirements of my metabolism.

My body is a gift to me from my Higher Power. Maintaining it in the best possible condition is my response to God's gift. No one else can tell me how best to maintain my body, since no one else is living in it or receives its inner signals. If I honestly interpret the signals, which come from my body, I will stay abstinent and healthy.

Thank You for my body.

[Done_With_It]

Monday, September 29, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

The Satisfaction of Work

Using our God-given talents and abilities to do the work He assigns us brings deep satisfaction. Many of us used to eat a lot of "idle bread" which we did not need. Now that we are eating less, we find that we derive satisfaction from working more.

Work is an opportunity to give away the gifts we are given. It is sharing which requires effort and discipline. If we do not work up to our maximum level of ability, our satisfaction is reduced. As we give away our gifts, we are given more.

Maintaining abstinence improves the quality of our work and increases our output. Instead of doing just enough to get by, we are challenged to give the best that we have. Abstaining from compulsive overeating can give us the courage and confidence to change jobs when necessary.

When we are emotionally upset, turning to a task, which absorbs us physically or mentally, or both can have a healing effect. Rather than a curse, work can be a blessing, especially when we realize that ultimately we are working with and for our Higher Power.

We give thanks for the satisfaction of work.

[Done_With_It]

Thought for the Day
Tuesday, September 30, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Perspective

When our vision was clouded by self-will, our perspective was narrow and subjective. We saw people and events only as they fostered or frustrated our egotistical concerns. The world was a frightening place, since we thought that our welfare was entirely dependent on our own efforts.

Coming to believe in a Higher Power gives us a new, broader perspective. We learn the security of trusting eternal values and moral principles. When we pray only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out, we begin to see ourselves as serving rather than surviving. Particular acts may or may not be successful from our point of view, but we can move on in confidence, knowing that our past, present, and future is in His hands.

The new perspective, which comes to us as we work the OA program, enables us to accept defeats as well as successes and irritations as well as satisfactions. All experience is for our growth and development.

Create in us a new perspective.

[Done_With_It]

Thursday, October 9, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Abstinence, Not Punishment

By abstaining from compulsive overeating, we are doing ourselves the biggest favor imaginable. We are literally saving our lives, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We should never think of abstinence as punishment. Eating too much food and the wrong kind of food was the real punishment.

Each day we plan three attractive meals consisting of foods, which we enjoy. We do not exaggerate our efforts to make the meals enjoyable, since we do not want to reactivate our former obsession with food. At the same time, we choose foods, which appeal to us and do not punish ourselves with boring, unappetizing menus.

The refined sugars and carbohydrates with which we rewarded ourselves in the past are no longer a reward but poison to our systems. Overeating any food punishes us through loss of both control and peace of mind. We maintain abstinence from compulsive overeating in order to take care of ourselves and feel good.

By Your grace, may I maintain abstinence.

[Done_With_It]

Saturday, October 11, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Feeling Deprived

If I allow myself to feel deprived, sooner or later I will overeat or react with negative emotions. I am a human being, a child of God with the same rights as all of His other children. I have needs and preferences, which, if denied and repressed, will surface in a destructive way.

If those around me are eating a special meal and I eat leftovers, which I do not particularly like, I will feel deprived. I may become bad tempered and I may overeat later to compensate. I do not need to have what others are eating, if it is not on my food plan, but my meal should be pleasing to me. I do not need to have and do what everyone else has and does, but I can recognize my desires and preferences and satisfy them when doing so does not injure anyone else.

By overeating, I deprived myself of good health, peace of mind, self-respect, and an attractive appearance. By abstaining, I am making amends to myself for the deprivation. By working the program, I am learning how to satisfy my legitimate needs.

I trust You to supply my needs.

[Done_With_It]

Sunday, October 12, 2008
You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Moving Forward

Time past is gone forever, and we can never go back to it. Even our disease progresses forward. We cannot expect to control it by a return to measures, which may have worked for a time in the past. Those methods eventually failed, and trying them again will only bring us to the same point of failure.

The only way to avoid repetitious failure is to move forward creatively as our Higher Power leads us. Each day is a new creation, and each day brings new lessons and opportunities. We build on what is past, but we do not need to repeat it.

Moving forward involves risking what is unknown. The old, familiar rut, depressing as it is, is a known quantity. Moving out of it requires that we have courage and that we trust in One who knows and cares. To move on, we must act. Insights do not produce growth until they are accompanied by specific actions.

May I risk new actions as You lead me forward.

[Done_With_It]

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

New Memories

If certain times of the year and certain activities are associated in our minds with overeating, we need to create new memories to blot out the old ones. If we are hung up on past loves, hates, and hurts, we need to let go of them so that we can live in the present.

Old eating habits keep alive old wounds and frustrations. Even after we have maintained abstinence for a significant length of time, we may be troubled by unresolved conflicts from the past. The fact that we are abstaining from compulsive overeating gives us a chance to see the problems more clearly and to then walk away from them when we have done all that we can do to resolve them.

The past and the future are in the hands of our Higher Power. If we work our program now and live the best we can today, we are creating good memories, which will sustain us in the days to come.

Take charge of my memories. Lord.

[Nina Kay]

Hi Miss Done. The picture that you've added of the waterfalls just took my breath away. It's just beautiful. How I wish that I could really sit there for a while.

I'm so happy that you've continued to share these readings here. I started over to read all of them and I added my thanks to signify that I have read that one and do appreciate it. I hope you don't mind me doing that.

I really hope that all has been and is now well with you. I've been really messed up and have neglected you & all my friends here. I want to say that I am sorry for that. I have missed you. I hope that you've been taking care of yourself each day. Remember that you are very special to so many of us here. (((((((((((((Loving Hugs)))))))))))))

[Done_With_It]

Originally Posted by Nina Kay

Hi Miss Done. The picture that you've added of the waterfalls just took my breath away. It's just beautiful. How I wish that I could really sit there for a while.

I'm so happy that you've continued to share these readings here. I started over to read all of them and I added my thanks to signify that I have read that one and do appreciate it. I hope you don't mind me doing that.

I really hope that all has been and is now well with you. I've been really messed up and have neglected you & all my friends here. I want to say that I am sorry for that. I have missed you. I hope that you've been taking care of yourself each day. Remember that you are very special to so many of us here. (((((((((((((Loving Hugs)))))))))))))

Ahhh Nina......... Your so sweet...........

I got a laptop for Xmas, so I am aiming to back to doing these everyday again.
You can get back on track again, I know you can!! I'm glad to see you back and posting, I missed you!

[Done_With_It]

January 1, 2009



Food for Thought - Daily Meditations for Overeaters
You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Good News

There is good news for those of us who overeat compulsively. We do not have to be trapped by our appetites. We do not have to carry a load of unnecessary fat. We can have a new life.

Others have become free and are standing by, ready to show us the way. The more OA meetings we attend, the more we learn. The more phone calls we make, the more encouragement and support we are given in our fight to break old, self destructive patterns of thinking and acting. The more we rely on the Power greater than ourselves, the stronger we become.

Learning to live a new life requires time and patience. The good news is that change is possible. Others have done it. So can you.

Lord, make me willing to change.

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


January 2, 2009


Help!

When we hit bottom and are ready to swallow our pride, help is available. When we admit that by ourselves we are powerless, a Higher Power takes over. Most of us have tried for years to control what we eat by ourselves. Often it seems that the harder we try, the more miserably we fail. We despair. When we are truly desperate and ask for help, OA can help us.

We have proven that we cannot solve our problem alone. A diet is not enough. We need a program that fills our emotional and spiritual needs as well as our physical ones.

Step by step and day by day we can learn to live without overeating. We will gradually become convinced that no amount of physical food will ever satisfy our emotional and spiritual hunger. The Higher Power, which infuses each OA GROUP, becomes our lifesaver and our nourishment.

God, save me from myself.





Saturday, January 3, 2009




Responding

Many of us find it difficult to accept the OA program at the beginning. Many of us cannot believe or are afraid to believe the good news at first. All we need to start is the desire to stop eating compulsively.

If we will be open to the program, we will find that it gradually unfolds. What we do not understand at the beginning becomes clear as we become ready to accept it. We shall never achieve perfection, but we can make progress every day.

When we are willing to grow and to change, God can work His miracles. OA is filled with members whose stories attest to the Power that has changed their lives.

I open myself to Your power, Lord.

[dgtrkt]

thanks i battle w/many issues myself. a sponsor told me that bulemia is a self loathing disease?

[Done_With_It]

Originally Posted by dgtrkt

thanks i battle w/many issues myself. a sponsor told me that bulemia is a self loathing disease?

Yea, that is probably true, I think the bulimia also increases or causes deeper self loathing. Most people with bulimia in my experience do it because they have other stuff going on, and it is their response to the pain they are feeling.

Right after purging there is usually a rush of relief for a few minutes and then that lovely self loathing you mentioned starts up, which can start up the cycle.
It's a terrible way to live, I did it off and on most of my life. I was never into the binging, but just afraid to keep anything in my body.

I do okay now, but it creeps up and I have to fight it more than I would like, lol, especially around these holidays..... LOL


Have you ever gotten help besides from your sponsor?

[Done_With_It]

Daily Meditations for Overeaters
Food For Thought..
All We Have Is Now

We can only live now, this moment. We cannot erase the mistakes we made yesterday or bring back the good times we had. We cannot know what tomorrow will require of us, nor can we ensure future security and happiness. Now is what we have, and now is everything.

We can follow our food plan now. We can abstain this moment. We can deal with the problems, which confront us today as best we can, trusting God to guide us. We can be in touch with our Higher Power only in the present.

As we focus on the present moment, we live it deeper, and we derive a satisfaction that we did not know when we were regretting the past and worrying about the future. Whatever happens now is all I can manage and all I need.
Thank you; Lord, for this present moment.
From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.



Daily Devotional For Dieters
Psalm 37:18
The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

God honestly does know what we suffer through when we try to lose weight. He sympathizes with us in all our suffering, but He can also see the prize that awaits us. He knows the inheritance that is to come. Even when we have difficulty keeping our eyes focused on the goal, we can turn to God, who will strengthen us by His own strength. He always sees us as what we can potentially be: slim, trim, and healthy. It is important for us to try to see ourselves the same way God sees us. Remember, once weight is lost, the struggle is not completely over, but we need not ever return to obesity. The fruits of our labors, our inheritance, can last forever.

Today's thought:
God wants to see us achieve our goal!
Copyright © 2009, Crosswalk.com. All rights reserved.

[Done_With_It]

Friday, February 6, 2009

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

The Power of Love

Love is the best motivation. When we are plugged in to our Higher Power, we are plugged in to love. It flows through us like a current, energizing our sluggish hearts and minds.

As we work the Steps of this program, we are given increased ability to love. By turning over our lives and our wills, we become receptive to the love, which surrounds and sustains us. By taking inventory and being ready to have our character defects removed, we are able to get rid of old ways of thinking and acting which have been blocking out love.

We cannot produce love for others by ourselves, but we can receive it from our Higher Power. We can even receive love for people we don't particularly like.

Love gives energy for action and directs its course.

May I grow in Love.

From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

[Done_With_It]

Friday, February 13, 2009

You are reading from the book Food for Thought

Being Honest

During our compulsive overeating careers, many of us have been dishonest with others about what we were eating. Some of us have been closet eaters and some of us have stolen food. Most of us have eaten more when we were alone than when we were with other people.

We have almost surely been dishonest with ourselves, too. How many times have we promised ourselves to stick to a diet, only to find ourselves cheating a short time later? We tell ourselves that one small bite won't make any difference, when deep down we know that we intend to eat many more bites than one.

When we take inventory, and as our insights are sharpened, we may discover other areas besides eating where we have not been honest with ourselves.

The OA program gives us a chance to practice rigorous honesty, especially with ourselves. The light from our Higher Power will gradually clear away our confusion and darkness.

May I not be afraid to know the truth.

From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.