anyone here in program? i am trying to come up with a low carb food plan to use during my recovery/abstinence. anyone have any suggestions?

thanks -

nanner

Hi nanner!

What you eat, and how and when you eat would depend on what triggers you. Have you determined that yet?

Have you looked at the Schwarzbein Principle or Potatoes Not Prozac? Both of them focus on healing metabolism and balancing out brain chemistry rather than weight loss in the same way that the OA program focusses on healing rather than weight loss.

You may want to have a boo at a post from my journal.

Good on you! It works if you work it!

Karen

Dear Nanner,
I am new to this site, otherwise I would have responded sooner. Many years ago OA used an eating plan called "Greysheet". This is basically a very low carb, high protein food plan. No breads, flour products, only products that list sugar at least fifth on the label, etc. If you are interested, let me know and I will give you more details and a web site you can go to.

While this food plan is no longer a "required" part of recovery, there are still segments of OA that use it.

Hope to hear from you soon.
Eileen

sure - send me the website- i'm curious!

thanks!

There does not seem to be a direct web site to "greysheet", you will need to go through groups.yahoo.com. Look for support groups and grey sheet in particular. You will need to sign up for information. If you do not wish to do this, I can just give you a short prsentation of the do's and don'ts.

Eileen

OA groups subtitled H.O.W have grey sheets at their meetings. (HOW stands for honest, openness and willingness)
Hope this helps.

I do greysheet...you can get info at the official website:
www.greysheet.org

They do not give out greysheets without sponsors(sponsors must have 90 days back to back abstinence), and there is a list of available greysheet sponsors at the site. Also you will find the schedule for phone bridge meetings and a list of registered greysheeters anonymous groups. I hope this helps, as I notice that the original posts on this thread were some time ago.

Staceylyn

I did gray sheet and this is what it looks like:
I was allowed to eat 3 meals & one mini-meal 4 hours after my last evening meal

breakfast: 1 protein, 1 milk, 1 fruit, 1 grain (usually 1/2 cup serving of non-wheat grain)
lunch: 1 protein 1 c vegetables, 1 c salad greens
dinner: 1 protein 1 c vegetables 2 c salad greens
minimeal or metabolic adjustment: 1 milk, 1 fruit, 1 serving of grain

proteins were 4-6 oz meat, fish, or poultry or 2 eggs, 2 oz hard cheese or 4 oz cottage-type cheese, 1/4 cup beans to combine w/cheese for protein
milks were skim milk, buttermilk or plain yogurt (8 oz servings)
grains could be anything but wheat, and only a 1/2 cup serving
Fruits were just about any fruit but No bananas, dried fruits, exotic fruits. Canned fruits without added sugar were okay, usually in 1/2 cup servings.
most vegetables fine but corn and beans (green beans ok)
Allowed one baked potato a week!!!

miscellaneous: if you use commercial foods like salad dressing, sugar had to listed as fifth or lower on ingredients
vinegar & lemon juice liberal use, 3 tbs/day oil--no butter
no olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, anything with sugar like ketchup or barbeque sauce.

You have to weigh & measure--don't bother with counting calories
My sponsor at the time had me eating these foods only at the mealtimes prescribed, so i couldn't move my breakfast grain to lunch.

I lost 75 pounds in 9 months following this regimen with a sponsor's help. It was okay, but really restrictive and I had no idea how to do maintenance and fell away from the program.
I'm back in program and just started Atkins a month ago. I like it better and I don't feel so obsessed. I gave my sponsor way too much control.
Anyway, take what you want and leave the rest!
Eri

As a long time member of OA, I had the pleasure of meeting the author of the original "greysheet." (When we met in '87, he was running a weight loss clinic for compulsive overeaters in Florida. If you've ever met an OA speaker who described himself as a former "blebono," you've met him, too.) He explained that he wrote it as a joke, thinking no one could possibly take something that extreme seriously. He tried to tell people that he was not serious, but the thing took on a life of its own. Eventually, the representatives at a World Service Convention wisely got OA out of the business of recommending food plans, realizing that it was an evolving body of knowledge that they couldn't possibly keep up with, that no one plan could fit all of their members, and that trying to endorse food plans would take the focus of the program off the spiritual recovery from the addiction.

What does "blebono" mean?
Me I'm glad OA got out of the business of recommending food plans. When I was on it, it wasn't always just a tool--sometimes (and I know I must have gotten this from my sponsor, God bless her) it was my HP. Not good for dealing with life...
Eri Z, happy low-carber Atkins since June 24th 2003

Yes I am doing Atkins and I think it is wonderful for compulsive overeaters. Although we do subscribe in OA to the belief that our overeating is a "disease" with mental/emotional/spiritual aspects, we also do say there is a physical aspect as well. Read the atkins book and he addresses that there is a biological reason for why we are overeating and it is actually not due to a character defect or irresponsibility. Insulin resistance is real and has been grossly misunderstood. We have often even come to believe that our overeating is a mental disorder or a cause of our refusing to take responsibility for our own lives. It is very much a physical problem that can be fixed if we follow the program that regulates our blood sugar level and stay away from foods that trigger the addiction cycle.

After being on Atkins I now am free of those intense cravings I have had my whole life. I cannot believe that there was so much going on biologically to make this an issue for me. I was paying so much attention to the spiritual/emotional aspects that I was not addressing the physical aspects because I truly believed that I was overeating for mental reasons, not physical reasons.

I still go to OA because there are mental aspects to this disease. I highly recommend you read the Atkins book thoroughly. Skip for now the "diet" part that tells you what to eat and read the philosophy of it instead. He addresses compulsive overeating.

I brought this old thread up because I am hoping that there are others who are active in Overeaters Anonymous here on the forum. I have been to two meetings and got a lot out of it. I was very involved in OA when I was in my twenties, and although I didn't lose weight, I did learn to live with myself much better. Twenty years later, I still use a lot of the principles in daily living. It felt great to get back! Any other OA folks out there?

Orchid

I am doing the food plan from Greysheet...except I replaced the fruit in the morning with 4 oz avocado. It is helping me to stay on plan.

I'm familiar with OA as well. I did it about 12 years ago and lost 70 pounds on the HOW food plan. It is pretty restricting, so I might have to work with it and build on it based on what I know about Atkins. It's low cal and low carb, which is hard at times.

I haven't found meetings that are close and convenient for me, so I don't go to any meetings.

What did you guys think of this post about Greysheet being a joke??