When Liz began a 12-step program for food addicts she was 31 years old, miserable and topping the scale at 200 pounds.
For the young teacher, life was a series of failed diets and stringent exercise regimes, followed by periods of self-loathing, depression and anger.
That was 16 years ago, and now Liz, comfortable in her own skin, weighs 135 pounds, a weight she believes to be healthy for her five-foot-seven frame.
How did she do it?
It certainly wasn’t on her own, and it wasn’t because of some fad diet that promised to melt away the fat with little or no effort required.
No, Liz lost her weight and gained back her sense of self and love of life almost simultaneously.
And she did it through joining a program based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous: Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous. She pays no dues and there is no weigh-in at the meetings where she goes weekly to share experiences and gain support for her recovery.
This program has worked for Liz for more than 25 years.
“At that time (when I joined) I hated myself and I hated the world. I was good at blaming everybody else. It was always somebody’s else’s fault.”
Liz tried to cure all of life’s problems — big and small — with food.
Looking back on her life, the 47-year-old recalled as far back as she can remember, she loved food. For her, one cookie was never enough.
Even in kindergarten she was overweight, and by the time she was 12, she began to have anorexic tendencies.
“I was five-feet-seven and 130 pounds but when I looked in the mirror, my eyes were broken. All I saw was this fat girl,” she said. Because she believed she was fat, she would allow herself only a piece of fruit for breakfast. Lunch also consisted of fruit. By the time she got home from school, no doubt, because of the sparse breakfast and lunch, she was starving.
“I would have a piece of bread, then I couldn’t stop. I would scour the kitchen, the freezer, and just eat and eat. I liked it when no one was home and I could sneak food. I didn’t want to eat so much in front of anyone else.”
At 17, Liz, who now weighed 145 pounds, became again obsessed with losing weight. She put herself on a 1,000-calorie-a-day diet, and pushed herself to run seven miles daily.
She went down to around 115 pounds, but after about a year of this self-punishing ritual, she snapped.
“I just couldn’t do it anymore, and I started eating again.”
As a university student studying for a physical education degree, Liz exercised four hours a day, but still her weight went up to 165 pounds.
“I couldn’t stop eating,” she said.
She knew cookies, chocolate bars and chips were unhealthy food choices, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from gorging on them.
Finally, by chance, she heard about Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous. The program turned out to be just what she needed, and within five months, she dropped 60 pounds, a weight loss she admits was faster than is usually considered healthy.
Information gained through the program helped her understand she was addicted to flour and sugar and even one bite of a product containing either one of those ingredients would cause her eating to spiral out of control.
Now, she eats sensibly, sticking to healthy meal plans, all of which are carefully weighed and measured. Her sponsor helps her determine her diet.
“My own hunger gauge is broken,” she said.
Liz also chooses not to drink alcohol, which she says is loaded with sugar, nor smoke cigarettes, which are addictive.
“I want to live my life without any substance helping me cope.”
The Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous program is designed to help men and women who are obsessed with food and their weight, and attempt several diet or food plans with no lasting success.
Food addicts may eat when they are not hungry, eat in secret, steal other people’s food or hide food to be sure there is enough. Food addicts may also exercise excessively and obsessively calculate calories burned against calories eaten. They may also feel guilt or ashamed about what they’ve eaten and feel hopeless about their relationship with food.
FA members range from being obese, to under eaters to those suffering from bulimia. Members include people who have weighed as little as 62 pounds, to those who have weighed more than 400 pounds, and others who were simply obsessed with food or dieting.
In Rimbey, Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous meetings are held every Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at New Life Fellowship Church at 5038 49th Avenue, Rimbey. For more information contact 403-843-4570 or check on line at fa@foodaddicts.org
All meetings are open.