Just starting and headaches

[flyingpenguin]

Hi

I'm on day four and I started my day which a huge headache after dealing with stomach hunger last night. i am sure this will pass no i know that it will. i am grateful for this program already and i just started. i know these are withdrawl signs my leg muscles ache, i'm forgetting words to things at times, i'm having issues with not making food attractive or food choices but with wanting what i can't have. i liken it to a child wanting its way. i know that inside my disease is throwing a tantrum wanting to become louder and louder until it gets its way.

For example this morning i have breakfast and my spouse and i will go to her doctor's appointment. i know that will be about 4 hours after i have had breakfast. i want to make sure i'll have food available so i will prepare and pack something but for now being exact i think is the issue my disease is fighting. it doesnt want to be on a schedule or measure, etc.

i know i need to find a sponsor but i want to make sure we click there are so many things on my mind. i have an upcoming trip memorial day weekend with family in north dakota. typically this would not be an issue at all. i would pack lots of sugary, fattening treats for the drive for my family to share, then we would eat as much as we could hold (and i would pretend to eat good and then binge on the foods later) for the remainder of the trip.

i would hold in any feelings and pretend to be this perfect image of myself overspending and later regretting it. then we would drive home exhausted, stuffed, and i would barely be able to keep track of what all i did to hurt my body until we got home and slept for a while and then ordered take out for dinner.

so my next thoughts are i will not have a trip like this but what are some measures i can take to prepare myself for times when surrounded by food and those who do not understand my disease. my spouse and daughter are very supportive but the rest of my family has seen me on diets since i was 14 (i'm 40 now) and they probably will think its a phase.

thank you for listening.

[Jackie]

Welcome Newbie to FAA,

I think we have all faced this at one point or another that we will encounter people who don't support us in this new way of doing things or they don't understand and keep offering us food we don't need or want us to taste their new recipe and tell them what we think. Most of the time I just try to keep any explanation very simple - I'm following my doctor's recommendations (which is true for me as I took the food plan to my doctor for his approval as I'm prediabetic and this food plan has kept the blood sugar under control and allowed me to lose weight for several years), or I just say I have allergies and I had better leave it alone (I do break out in hives from sugar items, and I do have a gluten allergy to wheat, barley and rye)...I figure the less said with most people the better...some have asked me what I was doing to lose weight and I just told them I was leaving off those foods that were bad for me - the subject quickly changed.... The bottom line for me is that I'm the only one who needs to understand this disease of food addiction and needs to take the action - my family really don't understand and even after all of these years; they still don't get it....but they don't need to get it (they can eat one cookie! and I can't) - it's me that needs to understand it and accept it. And today, I'm grateful for a way of life that allows me to more fully participate in the "dance of life".

[flyingpenguin]

Thank you Jackie I'll definitely remember that today I'm noticing that Im really feeling lots of hunger around hour 3 or 4 in between meals do you ever snack in between to get through? i saw where you can have broth maybe I'll do that but I don't want it to be a crutch.

[step3]

Dear flyingpenguin,

Thanks so much for sharing your concerns here. As Jackie said, you're not alone in this. What I'd recommend is getting lots and lots of support for yourself in these early days on the food plan. You're going through withdrawal/detox and that is not fun at ALL for most people. We need to be gentle with ourselves in the sense that if we're feeling grouchy or doubting, or anything else... it's OK. Just follow your food plan, along with the recommended hours between meals. No, the broth is not intended to get you through to the next meal. Here's what it says about broth in The Guide to Abstinence:

Clear soup is permitted before lunch OR dinner.

It's meant to be served with your meal, and I sometimes make a chicken or turkey soup with it (broth; chicken, turkey, or pork; rice, beans, or corn/peas; hot vegetables) and serve it with a salad.

Your body is adjusting right now to the food plan and to the schedule. You may have been used to snacking and that's part of why you're hungry 3 hours after your meal. Also, you're getting sugar/flour/wheat out of your body. These substances cause the addictive response of hunger, so you're still going to feel "addictive" hunger until you pass through detox.

Hang in there. When you get hungry, look and see if it's time to eat? If it's been four hours since breakfast, then it definitely is time to eat and you'll want to go ahead and do that. If it's 3 hours, see what you can do to distract yourself. Some ideas are reading the FAA literature (can be found here and ordered as hard copies, or as PDF files which are available instantly) http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/catalog/4. Another idea is to see if there's a phone meeting going on right now: http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/phone-meetings. There are 5-6 phone meetings every day, AND there is an Easter Phone Marathon going on all day today, Sunday from 8am to midnight, Eastern Time. Also, you can make Outreach Calls to FAA members... go to phone meetings and write down phone numbers of those who leave them at the end of the meeting. With your phone list you've made for yourself, make Outreach Calls to get questions answered you may have, and get support and encouragement. Another idea is to pray, or to write a "Dear God Letter", telling your Higher Power what's going on with you. If it's nice outside, you might want to go for a walk by yourself or with a family member.

Those are just a few ideas. What you don't want to do is start thinking hard about how hungry you are, because that is going to possibly lead you where you don't want to go. Most of all, flyingpenguin, know that this is temporary... "This Too Shall Pass", and you WILL get through to the other side!

Best wishes,
step3