Here's an inspirational quote:

Abstinence from compulsive overeating is
necessary in order to stop feeding our
illusions and let the truth come through.
Knowing the truth sets us free.

It tells me that abstinence will allow me to see more clearly who I am, what I need, and what I am capable of. For me, choosing abstinence is taking a huge leap of faith - faith that whatever truth I learn about myself will be good news. I don't have to fear myself and my truth.

I may need to face some uncomfortable and possibly very sad truths about why I've been overeating for so many years. Yet with my faith and support, I can face them with the sure knowledge that they won't destroy me. Instead, I will become stronger, more able to care for myself.

Eating felt like self-love for so long. Now I realize that it is not loving myself to overeat. I'm facing the truth about the health consequences of my weight - if I put myself at risk for diabetes or stroke because of my past eating habits, that is NOT self-love. I can't hide from that truth anymore.

So I begin by being willing to see the truth about my current health status - being honest with myself about it and open with the rest of you. HOW it works: honest, open and willing.

As I stick with a healthy eating plan, I get to uncover other truths about me - that I can love myself in healthy ways, that I can own my needs and get them met somehow - as long as I do accept those needs as valid and important. I'm getting an inkling that the eating was a way to deny my own needs, or that somehow I sought to meet my need by filling up with food instead of risking rejection as I sought love and acceptance from others.

Luckily, these realizations come a day at a time. I am uncovering my truth slowly. I am not being overwhelmed. That helps me trust the process of learning a healthy way of relating to food.