dianeseattle
Member
Many people here are familiar with OA, Overeaters Anonymous. Lots of us have tried that 12-step program as a way to find fitness. But many of us have failed.
Still, there is no more hopeless a group of folks than 12-Steppers, because at the core of their beings, they've been brainwashed into believing they will never be okay, that they can't stop the obsession, that only God can help them.
So I have about a dozen 12-Step books and they do contain a lot of wisdom. But when I read them I find myself feeling small, and even though that's my problem, unique to me, a random thought or shared experience can often uplift me.
I found one today and I want to share it here:
"Daily vigilance will turn out to be a small price to pay for my peace of mind."
That's from one of the AA books but I found a lot of power in those very few words. "Daily vigilance" is something that's so out of style these days, in this world we live in where I find so many people in the news and reporting the news, looking for the nastiest, most humiliating headline they can possibly find. These people are reporters, not journalists (huge difference) who want to tear down celebrities like Britney Spears and her ilk, so if they gain a pound of weight, their failure is splashed all over the headlines, all over the world. "Peace of mind" is such a difficult state to achieve, but there's a shortcut we can take to find it and that is simply reaching out to help others before we get all wrapped up in ourselves.
Even though I lost 115 pounds after RYGB, I eventually gained back 20, which made a size difference, from an 8 to a 10 or a 9 to an 11. Why do I let myself lug those two big sacks of flour around on my hips and butt and stomach? Why don't I practice true vigilance?
I have a lot of answers for my own questions, but now I'm just going to leave these thoughts here for you all. This is such a great group, and if you weren't here to help me, I really don't think it would have made any difference to have the surgery. I feel genuine love toward you all and you give me hope, even when you're telling a sad story of failure. We are all in this together, and together, we win.
Still, there is no more hopeless a group of folks than 12-Steppers, because at the core of their beings, they've been brainwashed into believing they will never be okay, that they can't stop the obsession, that only God can help them.
So I have about a dozen 12-Step books and they do contain a lot of wisdom. But when I read them I find myself feeling small, and even though that's my problem, unique to me, a random thought or shared experience can often uplift me.
I found one today and I want to share it here:
"Daily vigilance will turn out to be a small price to pay for my peace of mind."
That's from one of the AA books but I found a lot of power in those very few words. "Daily vigilance" is something that's so out of style these days, in this world we live in where I find so many people in the news and reporting the news, looking for the nastiest, most humiliating headline they can possibly find. These people are reporters, not journalists (huge difference) who want to tear down celebrities like Britney Spears and her ilk, so if they gain a pound of weight, their failure is splashed all over the headlines, all over the world. "Peace of mind" is such a difficult state to achieve, but there's a shortcut we can take to find it and that is simply reaching out to help others before we get all wrapped up in ourselves.
Even though I lost 115 pounds after RYGB, I eventually gained back 20, which made a size difference, from an 8 to a 10 or a 9 to an 11. Why do I let myself lug those two big sacks of flour around on my hips and butt and stomach? Why don't I practice true vigilance?
I have a lot of answers for my own questions, but now I'm just going to leave these thoughts here for you all. This is such a great group, and if you weren't here to help me, I really don't think it would have made any difference to have the surgery. I feel genuine love toward you all and you give me hope, even when you're telling a sad story of failure. We are all in this together, and together, we win.