I Have A Confession: I’m A Compulsive Overeater

This week I came across the group “Overeaters Anonymous” (OA) after desperately searching the internet for  help. And as long as I grasped, this is how I would present myself in an OA session:

Hi, I’m Vanessa and I am a compulsive overeater.

It’s not a new problem for me. In fact, overeating has been part of my life for at least twenty years. First, I became a morbid obese teen. Then I recovered. And now I am plagued by it again, on and off. Suffice to say that my real problem with food was never solved.

I am not fully conscious of all the reasons why I am addicted to food, but I think it is a way of self-sabotage and avoid pain. Whenever I feel physical pain, I eat. Whenever I feel emotional pain, I eat. And whenever I feel totally lost, I eat even more.

Each relapse is usually worse than the previous one and each day becomes the “last day” I promise myself I will binge. However, often than not I break that promise.

Today I decided to buy the Overeaters Anonymous book, hoping it will arrive before my flight, and I posed myself a 4-day challenge. My aim is to follow a simple meal plan to gently start pulling my body towards a healthier state.

Here is my 4-day plan:

DAY 1

Breakfast: 2 egg omelette with tomatoes and avocado

Snack: Cucumber slices with ranch dressing

Lunch: Chicken, lettuce and tomatoes

Snack: Celery with cream cheese

Dinner: Salmon, salted spinach and grilled squash

DAY 2

Breakfast: shake with strawberries

Snack: cherry tomatoes

Lunch: burger with avocado and tomato salad

Snack: cucumber with ranch dressing

Dinner: Chicken, mixed green salad

DAY 3

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, salted spinach and tomatoes

Snack: cucumber slices with dressing

Lunch: shake with strawberries and banana

Snack: carrot sticks with dressing

Dinner: Salmon, streamed broccoli and chopped spinach salad

DAY 4

Breakfast: shake with strawberries

Snack: carrots sticks with dressing

Lunch: tuna with avocado, cucumber and tomato salad

Snack: cherry tomatoes

Dinner: grilled burger, baked sweet potato, mixed greens