Day 89

Sayre's comment got me wondering just how many weight loss programs there are out there. I couldn't find a list, but I did stumble across a list of Anonymous programs. Holy Macaroni! We human beings have a lot of stuff going on don't we?

* AA - Alcoholics Anonymous
* ACOA (also called ACA) - Adult Children of Alcoholics
* ADD-Anonymous - for people suffering from ADD
* Al-Anon/Alateen
* AAA - All Addictions Anonymous
* Anti-Nutrient Addicts Anonymous (aka as Sucrose and/or Junk Food addicts anonymous)
* A.R.T.S. Anonymous
* CA - Cocaine Anonymous
* CDA - Chemically Dependent Anonymous
* CEA HOW- Compulsive Eaters Anonymous
* CHAPTER 9 - Couples in Recovery
* CLA - Clutterers Anonymous
* CMA - Crystal Meth Anonymous
* CoDA - Co-Dependents Anonymous
* COSLAA - Codependents of Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
* COSA - Codependents of Sex Addicts
* DRA - Dual Recovery Anonymous
* DA - Debtors Anonymous
* DA - Depressed Anonymous
* DDA - Dual Diagnosis Anonymous
* EA - Emotions Anonymous
* EAA - Eating Addictions Anonymous
* FA - Families Anonymous
* FA - Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous
* GA - Gamblers Anonymous
* GSA - GreySheeters Anonymous
* HCV Anonymous
* HIV Anonymous
* ISA - Incest Survivors Anonymous
* MA - Marijuana Anonymous
* MA - Methadone Anonymous
* NA - Narcotics Anonymous
* Nar-Anon - family groups of addicts
* NicA - Nicotine Addicts Anonymous
* OA - Overeaters Anonymous
* OLGA / OLG-Anon - OnLine Gamers Anonymous
* PA - Pills Anonymous
* PIR - Pagans In Recovery
* Procrastinators Anonymous
* RA - Recoveries Anonymous
* RCA - Recovering Couples Anonymous
* RSA - Rape Survivors Anonymous
* SA - Schizophrenic Anonymous
* SMA - Self-Mutilators Anonymous
* SG - Serenity Groups
* SA - Sexaholics Anonymous
* SAA - Sex Addicts Anonymous
* SLAA - Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
* SARA - Sexual Assault Recovery Anonymous
* SCA - Sexual Compulsives Anonymous
* SWA - Sex Workers Anonymous
* SA - Spenders Anonymous
* SPA - Social Phobics Anonymous
* SIA - Survivors of Incest Anonymous
* Sex industry survivors
* VA - Vulgarity Anonymous
* WA - Workaholics Anonymous

Food, Exercise and water on track today.

B
1 apple
240 g yogurt
1/2 liter H2O

L
120g tempeh
120g beets
240g salad
1 tbls. oil
1/2 liter H2O

D
6og cheese
240g turnips
360g salad
1 tbls butter
2 tbls. dressing
1/2 liter H2O

Water: 2 liters (YEAH again!!!)
Exercise: 30 min elliptical trainer

Day 90

Things went well today food, exercise and water wise and I'm feeling great. It's wonderful talking to my sponsor every morning, the conversation is short and sweet and helps me to start my day on the right foot. I'm supposed to be attending GA meetings but there are only three in London and the times don't work for me, so I dial into the GA international telephone meetings when I get the chance. It's amazing how many people are doing this program all over the world. They were approximately 200 people on the line - mostly from the USA but also from Iceland, Latvia, Israel, Mexico ... it's incredible.

One of the things that I heard a few people saying is that they don't eat no matter what. What they mean is that they stick to their food plan and don't give into food temptations. Now when I feel vaguely tempted by some food, I hear this voice in my head saying I don't eat no matter what.

B
1 apple
56g cheese
1 liter H2O

L
120g tofu
120 g beets
240g salad
1 tbls. dressing
1/2 liter H2O

D
120 g fish
240g beans
360g salad
1 tbls olive oil
2 tbls. dressing
1/2 liter H2O

Water: 2 liters (YEAH!!!)
Exercise: 40 min elliptical trainer

Day 91

Another great food day!!!

B
1 apple
240 g yogurt
1/2 liter H2O

L
120g fish
30g wheat germ
240g salad
1 tbls. dressing
1/2 liter H2O

D
6og cheese
240g brussel sprouts
360g salad
1 tbls butter
2 tbls. dressing
1/2 liter H2O

Water: 1 1/2 liters
Exercise: Didn't get a chance to do the elliptical today.

Day 92

I am going to buy shares in these light box things. They're magic. The weeks before I went to Barbados and since I got back have been just awful. I had absolutely no reason to be depressed but was. I felt so out of control, like some 'thing' was sapping the life, energy and joie d'vivre out of me and I was powerless to make it stop. Now, I've been getting up early and easily because of the dawn simulator feature on my light box and I sit by it for at least two hours every day while I work. Now I feel much more myself again. Energised and ready to make things happen.

Food wise, yesterday, was HARD but I was sooooooooo happy to finally get my food back on track. Today was much much easier. I was in such a good space that I was able to start exercising again. I did 1/2 hr on my elliptical. Yeah!!! Now I just need to work on my water intake.

To say a little more about G Anonymous. It is like Alcoholics Anon. but for people with food addictions or compulsive eating issues, which I believe I have. Now not everyone who is overweight is a food addict or a compulsive eater. Obviously, some people simply make poor choices when they eat or eat a little too much and end up overweight. Whatever the case, I got tired pussy-footing around with my weight and decided to turn up the heat on myself.

GA is not for the faint-hearted. I mean ... the program is very rigid and the people who do it are varying degrees of insane ... but it works if you work it and I'm going do my best to work it. Essentially, what is involved is: you choose someone who has done the program successfully for 90 days or more to be your sponsor. A sponsor is like a mentor. They give you the ga food plan (it's top secret but essentially it consists of protein, fruit and vegetables - no carbs, no sugar, no fun ;( and they explain how you use it.

Everyday, you select three meals (b,l,d) from said food plan, you write them down, call your sponsor and tell her/him what you are going to eat. You can then only eat what you have committed to eat. You can change your mind during the day but you have to call your sponsor or another program member and tell them the change. You can't eat anything in between meals except coffee, tea or diet soda. Everyday that you do this you count it as one day of successfully abstaining from compulsive eating. If you fail, i.e skip a meal, eat a chocolate bar, a grain of rice, one carrot too many, then you have slipped and you have to go back to Day 1 and start counting days over again. Oh and by the way you have to go to meetings (for support) and say, 'Hey, I'm Nona and I'm a compulsive overeater ...

My new sponsor a sweet French woman who lives in Paris has been abstinent for 15 1/2 years. Can you imagine? I can't but luckily I don't have to. All I have to do is get through today and I did. Yeah!!!

B
1 apple
56g cheese
1/2 liter H2O

L
112g tofu
112 g beets
224g salad
1 tbls. oil
1/2 liter H2O

D
56g cheese
224g cauliflower
446g salad
1 tbls butter
2 tbls. dressing


Water: 1 liters
Exercise: 30 min elliptical trainer

Day 93 - Back on Track!!!

So I have found a new sponsor and hopefully everything will work out well with her. The thing about this program is that you have to be careful who you choose to work with because some people are ... well ... let's just say that some people are easier to work with than others. (smirk)

My food for the day:

B
1 apple
56g cheese

L
112g tofu
112 g beets
224g salad
1 tbls. oil

D
56g cheese
224g broccoli
336g salad
1 tbls butter
2 tbls. dressing

Day 94

I still haven't gotten my computer back from the shop yet, which is making it hard to blog daily, but things are beginning to look up otherwise.

The light box therapy seems to be taking affect because I can feel a definite shift in my mood and energy level.

In addition, I think I have finally found a sponsor to help guide and support me through the GS program. I have to give her a call tomorrow so we can work out the details. Hopefully I can get back to some sort of structured approach to eating by tomorrow. With my mood shifting and energy level coming back, I can feel my motivation to eat healthily and exercise regularly increasing ... and not a moment too soon.

Day 97

I had a birthday last week and since then I've been contemplating age in various ways. What do you see in this picture on the left? The young woman or the old woman? A shift of perspective can open a whole new world.

Speaking of whole new world ... a teenager said something to me the other day which made me think, 'Gosh Nona, you know you are getting old when ...' That started a whole investigation into endings which relate specifically to my life.

You know you are getting old when:

• You've never seen a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes and you don't care.

• You don't get the whole handbag craze thing.

• Your partner is 13 years younger than you are and you aren't breaking any laws.

• Your favourite music is considered old school.

• You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.

• You notice an additional band of fat around your already thick waist that you could swear wasn't there before.

• Your late night ends at 11pm.

• You have more patience because you just don't care anymore.

• You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

• There's nothing left to learn the hard way.

Feel free to add some of your own.