WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG?
I started this blog to publically document a commitment that I have made to myself. That commitment is to get as healthy as possible over the next 356 days (you can see the countdown on the homepage). I have done a great deal of work on myself spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I have also made some improvements physically. Now, I hope to bring all four of those aspects together and focus especially on changing my relationship with food. I've probably done enough research, personal experiementation and seen enough "health and wellness" professionals to least several life times. This blog is going to document me doing what I have learned works for me. It is in no, way shape or form intended to say what is right for someone else. Why document it in a blog? Because I would love to have your support and feedback as I document my journey. I will post a blog every night unless I have absolutely no access to internet. My secondary goal for this blog is for folks to find something useful for their own lives. Therefore please help keep things positive. This is not a space to debate nutrition and fitness. I welcome raw emotions about body image, relationships withe food etc. Also we will not be arguing the validity of eating disorders vs. will power on this blog. Thank you!
WHAT'S YOUR STORY?
I'm going to give you the cliff notes here. There will be more of my story as time goes on. Long story short, I have been overweight or morbidly obese most of my life. There was a short time when I was a little kid that I was a "normal weight". So yeah...food has been my friend, crutch, addiction and self-abuse tool for many years. I'm a compulsive overeater. I used to binge a lot and didn't realize it. Then I learned about eating disorders in graduate school (I am an LMSW) and knew I had one. I've been on every single diet you could possibly imagine. I've lost and gained several hundred pounds over my 30 years on this planet. I have eaten for every possible emotion, event and circumstance that comes to mind. With that said, I have made a lot of progress over the past 2 years. I began eating disorder treatement approximately 2 years ago at 5'5" and 325lbs (not my heaviest but close). The nutritionist had me doing intuitive eating. I lost and maintained at 295. I joined Overeaters Anonymous in October of 2010. Since then I have gotten down to 275 and have generally stayed there. Maintaining is better than gaining and losing. I have also been weight lifting on and off for many years now. I have been consistent for the past year and a half. I also do different cardio-vascular activities.
WHY OVEREATER'S ANONYMOUS (OA)?
The simple answer is that I needed to find a group of people who were spiritual who could understand what the hell I was going through. OA provided me with that and the 12 steps which have brought about great spiritual and emotional healing. I've been blessed with meeting great people and finding a place that can help me stay grounded. There are tools to use there. I no longer feel isolated and different. I've learned to love myself and my body more...
I have been "abstinent" on and off in OA. Currently I am going on well over 90 days. I have it written on a calendar somewhere when I will hit my 6mo. While OA does have a specific definition on abstinence (go to www.oa.org) there are differing ideas on this. My sponsor and I have agreed on no binging and no compulsive over eating. The specific foods are not part of this for me and it will continue to be that way FOR ME. Other folks mileage may vary. This is not designed for "Weight loss" but rather to stop engaging in compulsive food behaviors. Part of my problem is my body is used to taking in a lot of food because it is what I have done for years...so this alone makes it hard to lose weight. OA has tools, one of them is a food plan and I will share mine with you in this blog's second post.
WHERE CAN I FIND YOUR BODY STATS, LIFTING STATS, MEASUREMENTS ETC.?
There is a link to my bodyspace profile on bodybuilding.com on the homepage. Please feel free to click and view it if you so wish. I will talk about my weight from time to time but it will not be the focus of this blog. I may also post pictures from time to time here. The bulk of this blog will be narritive documenting a journey.
SO WHAT'S THE PLAN JOE?
This blog's second post will be more specific in regards to food and exercise. The plan is to adhere to my food and exercise goals as much as possible, one day at a time, without expecting perfection. You will see a lot on this blog about 12 steps, spirituality, mindfulness, tools, friends, family, pets and emotions. They are all part of the plan too...and so are you :D
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