OA-FA-SMART

A discussion with a member dipping into the FA program, brought about this post.

I am doing similar, however, with the SMART program. (Ref: http://www.smartrecovery.org/resources/toolchest.htm) It is a non 12 step group, with a brutally and effective methods, not for the faint of heart, and not adapted specifically for food-eating issues. Two meetings plus their book (and web site) has changed me more than a long time in OA. But, OA offers a softer highly social approach. The SMART modules on understanding the addiction, motivation, urge control/dissipation, life problem resolution, were effective. I think we  each need to look around and explore, learn, and take what works. Exploring does not prevent sponsoring. We all have different approaches, at different stage of recovery, and we need to keep searching until we find a solution, and not close any doors.

As you will note in my closing, I am no longer calling myself a compulsive overeater, as my current struggle - problem - issue is impulse related, not a compulsion. I also have a compulsion and a chemical issue (No SGO6EEH),  but the impulse issue is the worst currently. The SMART cost benefit time analysis has brought me around to a losing abstinence again, but I would not be able to maintain it without the habits I developed in OA. Ultimately, I think that none of the programs have the total solution. I need a total solution, so I will keep exploring until I build myself one.

The biggest single effect has been shifting my attitude form wanting to lose weight to wanting not to eat. How about that?

I think that food knowledge is also important, but difficult to obtain. There is much discussion on calories, low fat, and many irrelevant and even wrong topics. What we must do is eat a food plan that we can stay on, for life, that allows fat out of the fat cells for bio-available energy, and does not slow our metabolism.

I would not sponsor without taking anyone through the cost benefit time analysis, as motivation is so important.

 I am Fred, and I have a behavioral addiction condition, and for today, I choose to not use and live in recovery.
food plan- 301, 19th century, only traces of SGO6EEH, No processed foods, no acellular carbohydrates.

Want and Aligning our Will

We want to be thin and we want to eat what and when we like. Cognitive dissonance or what? We have two mutually exclusive wants.  We must make a choice, and decide to align our will one way or the other.

After we eat our mind says more? We have a opportunity to make a decision, use, do not use, or defer making the decision for a while. Doing nothing is also a solution, but that is just deferring the  question and hoping it will go away. If we choose to use, the more grows to a craving to a want, the terrible 2 year old, jumping up and down, screeching "more, more". We still have a choice, use, don't use, or defer.  Ultimately, we must take internal control and say NO if we want to recover to health. The other choice is to use, and die. Here is where I have a difficulty with those who do not like the diet, for they have a choice, do it or die. I need to align my will with the proper amount of good food. QED.

But to who's will are we aligning our will to? It is with reason, assuming we want a healthy body and mind, going forward from here. This ends cognitive dissonance on this point: it is a simple decision: use or don't use.

I am Fred and I have a behavioural addiction, and for today, I choose to not use.

External or Internal

With respect to food, are we each externally regulated or internally regulated? If we had no problem with our food regulation, we would not need to know. The OA program works well for those who can accept  external control, and have learned to live with it and work it. Those that can accept 301 and never question or deviate from that are externally controlled by a set plan. Good for them.

Some of us though, cannot accept external control, due to our very nature, and that is not going to change. We need to understand and develop the ability to go along with our nature, and develop internal control. The result will likely be the same, 301. But the mental process is different, and we internal controlled persons must go through the process, and learn to be internally controlled at the proper food intake level.

So I need to learn to be an internally controlled person, driven by self motivation, at the proper moment before excess consumption has occurred, food craving, urges, and the like.

It is a cycle, ever expanding, as the process goes. It starts with a natural hunger for food, to the act of eating, to wanting more, and if I choose to eat more, the wanting more cycle carries on to obesity and death. I think at a single sitting, I could eat myself to death. Or I can choose, at the first want more to apply any one of many techniques of cutting off that more-craving-urge and continue with my day.

I am Fred, and I have a behavioural addiction with food, and for today, I choose to not use.

A.B.C.D.E. + F.

ABCDE is a method of ferreting out and correcting wrong concepts in our mind. Irrational thoughts, things that have not happened (yet), beliefs with no underpinning, and similar useless and troublesome thoughts. This can be traced to Albert Ellis.

A = Activating event
B = Belief system
C = Emotional Consequences of A and B
D = Disputing irrational thoughts and beliefs.
E = Cognitive and Emotional effects of revised beliefs, aka Educate yourself to a rational solution.
I will add  F = Find a solution.

We see the similar thing in Buddhism, with the circle of event, our input, our reaction (which we control), our volitions if required, and resumption to life or return to our daily life, ready for the next event. We know that some of what we believe is wrong, and we should correct wrong thinking.

We see a similar group of thoughts in Stoicism, some things are up to us, some things are not, we are troubled not by events but our thinking about them, people do wrong through lack of knowledge, not through intent... (except for socio-paths, and those that do "it" for money) etc...

I needed to modify my belief system, and when this gets systematic, it becomes an easy thing to do. Jesuit John Powell had a similar idea with his misconception theory, although he likely high-graded the idea from elsewhere, although expressing it as his own way, and never getting to the solution.

Disputing is something like Socratic questioning of the idea, its foundations, source, and de-powering the concept. We may need to replace that concept with something that is more true, better, or even accept that it is not right, and hold judgement while looking to a more true statement.  Educating ourselves as to the ideas, concepts, beliefs and thinking of role models can also be useful.  

Finding a solution is the hard part. Breaking the problem down, disaggregation model, may yield a clue. Essentially, this whole process is just that. Cut the problem into steps and look at each step. Each person can cut it up differently, and result can be the same.

references: http://www.intropsych.com/ch13_therapies/a-b-c-d-e_mnemonic.html
http://www.smartrecovery.org/resources/library/Tools_and_Homework/Quick_Reference/abc_crashcourse.htm

Smart

I went over to the dark side on Tuesday evening and went to a SMART meeting, primarily to pick up a handbook, which may contain some new ideas for dealing with overeating. It does. It contains a generic addiction recovery system, which has a number of areas to OA ignores. OA has always had the attitude that it is the last  stop. In reality, it is real the last stop much like the place where you find your keys is the last place you look. But this overeating is not a single problem, but a number of problems. The people at that SMART program meeting knew nothing about this particular condition.

Some things are up to us and some are not. (Epictetus) Understanding and increasing our motivations, short term and long term, learning to deal with cravings and urges, understanding the roots of addiction, learning to deal with impulses, and learning to deal with life are up to us. The fact that we have this condition is not up to us, so we may be better off not naming ourselves as compulsive overeaters, but apply rigorous honesty to that statement also.

Hi, I am Fred, and I have a behavioural addiction condition, and for today, I choose not to us.

This little 90 minute experience was a growth spurt in available information. At times, I think the program is holding me back by providing a maintenance level, rather than growth level support, but I am grateful that it supported me until I found more information.  Overeating is a PIG. (problem of immediate gratification).

work in progress

http://www.his.com/~washdcsmart/essay.htm

There are numerous types of overeating, many of which are driven by chemical occurring in the foods. Unless you identify and eliminate the chemicals, it is like a alcoholic trying to limit to 3 shot a day, one with each meal. The whole addiction can be compulsion driven / or chemical, / or impulse/ low impulse control / short term thinking / pleasure seeking/ emotional urge driven / food availability driven / or philosophical driven/ or as you suggest a behavioural addiction. It can also be a combination of several.

Cost / Benefit analysis of obesity

Cost / Benefit analysis of addictions recovery and overeating, which in my case leads to obesity.

This is a worth while exercise to assist the motivation of recovery. It is aimed at understanding the real cost of the disease, the benefits of the disease, and the cost and benefits of recovery. This is in effect a 2x2 matrix of  cost/benefit of recovery/addiction.

Portions that we require repeated impact on our delicate psyche could make it into our AM prayer or plan for the day secession. 

It does not look at the hell state of transition. But actually it is only a few days until we start to see results.  

http://www.smartrecovery.org/resources/library/Tools_and_Homework/Quick_Reference/cba_fourquestions.htm

Smart video

http://www.smartrecovery.org/professionals/

and in canada, the numbers are different but similar
http://michaelprager.com/content/another-pitch-rootstrikers

TOOLS
http://www.smartrecovery.org/resources/toolchest.htm

Good eating plan
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/b/2013/05/20/20-tips-from-low-carb-experts.htm

Anti Vegan

http://authoritynutrition.com/5-brain-nutrients-in-meat-fish-eggs/

http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-ten-companies-that-profit-most.html

to cultivate:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/7-characteristics-associated-with-long-life-and-how-to-cultivate-them/

Victim or Willing participant

There are no adult victims, just willing participants. As adults, we need to take responsibility for our lives. We may need to make uncomfortable decisions, and live with the consequences. We need to make our own way in the world, and step out from under the shadow of out family, and their rules and conditions.

One of the old Stoics said something like god (logos - nature's laws) only guarantee parents,  not good parents or even present parents. Once we become adults, we need to learn to run our own lives, with whatever help we can fined. We may require mentors that know how to recover from the issues we face, AA and OA program is one place to find such people, but be aware of the god concept may be a handy-cap to finding the truth.

From this starting point, we can study, learn and clean each concept, one at a time. Through out or start replacing each damaged concept, or replace with a better on more true concept one at a time.

Overeating is not a moral issue, although the 12 step philosophy has us doing a searching and fearless moral inventory, suggesting it is a moral problem. Moral issues may be contributing factors, and with some work, perhaps, we can use a rigid moral code to overcome an instinct gone awry. A strong commitment to a way of life that corrects the problem usually a good thing anyway.

Multiple Conditions

After much consideration, my current thinking is that there are multiple issues with food that I am experencing.
1. compulsive overeating... treatment... OA, Schwartz.
2. Addiction to sugar, grain, omega 6 oils, exorphins, endocannabinoids, and hormone containing foods... treatment... abstinence.
3. Temptation... Appetite disorder, over stimulation of the appetite... treatment.... remove myself from the situation/environment and cook right size meals.
4. Aging... treatment... general meal size reduction

Spiritual/philosophical growth required and changes in behavior, say what.

The first two are the easy one to beat down now. Temptation is a bitch some of the time. TV commercials. Food pushers in general. Old ladies-food pushers.