Page 12 - Spring2012

Letters

proactive nature of WAPF members. certain foods. But my “sobriety” from for a tall girl like me!
food (which we call abstinence in OA) The reason I am writing this let-
Phil Ridley, Chapter Leader was a little more complex to figure out. ter is to reach out to other compulsive
London, UK When I first came to OA I was eaters who may still be suffering from
shocked to find people who were ab- this addiction, even though they have
FOOD ADDICTION AND WAPF DIET staining from all forms of sugar and discovered the benefits of a traditional
I am no expert in the field of nutri- flour. I would venture to say that 75 per- diet. There are over sixty-five hundred
tion. I am simply a housewife in subur- cent of the people in that first meeting I Overeaters Anonymous meetings listed
ban America, and a lifelong compulsive attended were doing just that. Of course at www.oa.org, in over seventy-five
eater. I am one of six children. I was the I felt that this was no way to live and I countries. If you can identify with my
“fat one,” the other five were “string decided to do it “my way.” Surely there story my recommendation is to find a
beans.” I will never really know why I was a way to include natural sweeteners good meeting, get a sponsor, and get
turned to excess food at such a young to my diet in a civilized way! But there “abstinent.” The finer points of the
age, and I no longer care. After thirty- was nothing civilized about the way I WAPF food plan can be implemented
eight years of eating compulsively I was eating. I did what many food addicts later. In my case I was morbidly obese
have found my recovery in Overeaters have done. I tried over and over to in- and unable to stay on a food plan, so step
Anonymous (OA) and that is enough for clude my “binge foods” in my food plan one was to arrest the food addiction. OA
me. without bingeing on them. It would work knows just how to help with that.
Three years ago a friend told me for a while but eventually I would slip When I was active in my food ad-
about the Weston A. Price Foundation. and binge. I finally had to admit defeat. diction I was never able to consistently
After reading your info, I immediately I realized that any amount of these foods implement the WAPF ideas. All of my
set out to adopt the WAPF diet for my led to a binge for me. That realization good intentions would end in disaster
family of six. I found a supplier of raw made everything really simple for me. as my whole foods and raw milk would
milk just over the border of New Jersey But simple is not always easy. It took rot in the fridge while I would binge on
in New York State. I made bone broths time for me to accept what I needed to processed foods. Or I would binge on my
and started soaking grains. We even do. “healthy” treats. I would vow to begin
baked our own bread. In April of 2011 I humbly joined the again the WAPF way, and fail. When
What I underestimated was the ranks of the abstinent OA members. It I first got abstinent I just followed my
incredible power of my food addiction. was a miracle. For the entire year prior sponsor’s advice and got some “absti-
It took me three years from the time that to my recovery I was slipping further nent” time under my belt. Now as my
I first heard about WAPF before I could and further down into the misery of recovery progresses I’ve been able to
gain my “abstinence” and consistently compulsive eating. My top weight was implement more and more of the WAPF
implement the ideas. I was naive enough two hundred ninety pounds, which was ideas in a meaningful and lasting way.
to think that knowing the “right” diet quite heavy for a woman of just over
would enable me to overcome my food six feet tall. By the grace of God I was Name Withheld
addiction. I couldn’t even put the food able to admit that my binge foods were
down long enough to detox. I was a sugar, flour and alcohol. I gave them up
slave to it. OA addressed the physical, that fateful day in April and in exchange
mental, and spiritual component to my have been given the gift of dignity and
Gifts and bequests to the
problem. Just like an alcoholic has to health. I now weigh in at one hundred Weston A. Price Foundation
admit to powerlessness over alcohol, eighty-four pounds and wear a size will help ensure the gift of good health
I had to admit I was powerless over twelve to fourteen, which is pretty good to future generations.

12 Wise Traditions SPRING 2012 SPRING 2012 Wise Traditions

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