Before I go any further, I should tell you, I’ve never been in a real prison; not the kind you are thinking, anyway. I’ve never even had any trouble with the law. No, my prison was of my own making. I had built it up around me, one block and one bar at a time. By the time I was well into middle age, I was securely “locked up,” with no escape in sight. When I was young, as far back as I can recall, I was called “fat boy,” “tubby,” and other unkind names, more than I care to mention here. There is an old saying: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Well, truth be known, the names did hurt me; at least they hurt my feelings. The name calling got me into trouble because I would retaliate. Despite my size, I... Continue Reading
I walked in the doors of fa at 295 lbs., my physical recovery was only the beginning. At the request of my sponsor, I wrote out five gratitudes a night for several years. Writing out the gratitudes helped me develop an attitude of gratitude. Then it hit me, I became more grateful for what I had than what I didn’t have. Later, I realized I was not only grateful for life but that life was really awesome. Later still, I saw God in everything. All this was a big change, coming from a guy who was chronically suicidal. I learned I had an all or nothing attitude. I was like a light switch. When I was on, I was totally on and when I was off, I was completely off. I needed to have balance in my life. I had to work at living in the gray zone. I had... Continue Reading
I am a father of four incredible children, now between 3 and 13 years of age. Prior to entering recovery in FA four years ago, I never viewed my children as assets whom I could cherish. I saw them as a burdens for me, because they never did what I wanted them or needed them to do. They seemed to be in the habit of not listening to my wife or me. I thought of parenting as hard work. If only the children just did what I told them to do and stayed out of my way! After being in recovery for a couple of years, I was well and truly at my healthy body weight (some 45 pounds lighter), when my 8-year-old son gave me one of the most profound experiences in my short life in recovery.It happened to be the Jewish New Year, and at school my son... Continue Reading
I began life in a small Michigan mining town. I was a skinny kid for my first six years. My mom fed me and my siblings a farmer’s diet. Sweets were plentiful as well. I became a chunky, husky kid during my middle school years. The summer before I started seventh grade, my parents moved to a new home just outside the town. I believe that one afternoon changed the course of my life forever. I was biking back home from visiting friends, when a group of about ten kids started running toward me and screaming at me. I began to get away, when one swung his football helmet and it brushed by my back and hit the seat of my bike. I broke away, ditched the bike, and ran into my house. After that, I rarely left the protective walls of my home again until I turned eighteen. I... Continue Reading
As a food addict, I had no limits on anything I did. I had no structure and preferred it that way. When I was told about what I had to do in this program, I balked. I wanted to pick and choose. My sponsors, and there were many, tried to explain that the tools of this program were gifts, if only I would give them a chance. By weighing and measuring, I was assured that my nutritional needs were being met. But what I found was that the discipline of weighing and measuring my food carried into my life, helping me to find a new freedom. It was work , preparing meals, making calls, going to meetings. I was forced to realign my life , for the better. Having made a commitment to program and to a higher power, I was finally accountable. For the first time, I felt some... Continue Reading
