The "BEFORE" Pictures....



I guess no recovery blog would be complete without "before" pictures.  These pictures would have been destroyed if I had ever gotten my hands on them in my "pre-OA" days.  Addicts don't like having to see evidence that they have any kind of a problem, and these pictures do hint at the fact that I did have at least some kind of a  weight problem.

This one was taken when my kids were young.  I enjoyed those years, but I was definitely limited in some of the things I could do with them because of my weight.

Luckily I have a naturally thin face (no...I'm serious...that is the last place I gain weight.)  I have to wonder what I would have looked like at 326 pounds if my face was naturally round or if that was the first place I gained weight.

Hum.....scarry thought.

I have to take a minute to mention that even if you have a less-than-perfect figure there are some very basic fashion tricks you can use to look thinner.  For instance-- I was 30 pounds less than my top weight when I was wearing the white T-shirt...and yet I look so much "skinnier" even at 326 pounds when I am wearing the black outfit.  It was clever little strategies like that that helped me kind of "be okay" with myself for all those years.

 Take note of how happy I look in the "white T-shirt" picture above.... I was making 2,000 fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookies for girls camp.  Can you think of any better job to assign to a food addict that "having" to make that many chocolate chip cookies?  Do you have any idea how much dough you can sample and still have plenty to bake?

There are other strategies for dealing with being over weight.  For instance, did you know that if you always take time to do your hair in the morning, put on make up and wear nice clothes, people won't notice that you are overweight.  They will just see the beautiful you.  Wearing soft, flowing clothes rather than stiff, bulky clothes works too.  (not!)  

 

There is one final "before" picture I will post: Christmas morning.  Look how excited I am at my newest present--a bagel guillotine.... as if i needed a faster, more efficien way of getting bagels ready to put in my mouth!