Writer #13

EUREKA, I'VE GOT IT! NMW

It had to be within the first month of weighing and measuring because it was still warm enough to have lunch on the beach, and I came into GS on August 17th. My husband and I were having a picnic and two pieces of green stuff fell in the sand. We didn't have cell phones back then, just an old bag phone in the car for emergencies. Well, I started to walk up to the car and my husband exclaimed, "You're not going to call your sponsor! You're a bright woman and you know what she will say." I didn't answer and went up to the car. She told me to just let those two pieces go. When I told K that, he said that I'd known what she would say. And then from SOMEWHERE I got this answer, which is still good to this day. I told him, "Yes, you're right, I did know. But what if half my salad had fallen on the sand? Or what if the entire plate dumped over? Where on the CONTINUUM would I then decide that I didn't know the answer and would have to call my sponsor?" And he looked at me and said, "That makes sense." 

STEALING FOOD NMW

I was at a potluck dinner with women from a P.E.O. group I belong to that raises scholarship money for women. And I put my food at a card table and went to get a soda. I came back to find the nicest woman munching on two little orange things and one red thing from my salad bowl! She had thought this was for the whole table. I said, "No, I'm sorry but they're already measured" and grabbed my two dishes to take out into the kitchen. Then I slunk into the hostess's family room to surreptitiously call my sponsor. (I was brand-new at this.) She again said to let the food go, but I've always been aware of not leaving my food on a table (unless there are only GSers attending). 

MOST EMBARRASSING NMW

My high school friend was visiting with her boyfriend about 5 years ago and we were in the kitchen. My fruit (last one) was cut up in a bowl 'way on the back of the counter, and as we went by, she reached back there and grabbed a piece out of the bowl! I shrieked (I don't know how loud), "No, Midge, you can't have that" and took it out of her fingers as it was just touching her lips! She looked startled (no wonder) and I then had to explain. She was very gracious and has visited other times, but it was so embarrassing. And yes, I ate that piece. 

MOST DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND NMW

A college friend was visiting us at the beach cottage and I served (as I always do to guests) a 100% GS meal. And she probably wasn't used to having protein, cooked vegetable and a salad for lunch, so when I asked her if she would like a smoothie made from a large fruit at the end of the meal, she said no, she was stuffed. So I made one for myself (my husband having declined too). It is made from a fruit, [I get more than one fruit a day to maintain my weight], some iced tea, some sweetener and a ton of ice, and so it makes about 20+ oz. I'd guess. I get ready to have mine and you can guess what happened. She sweetly said, "Oh, I would love to just taste it to see what it's like." Well, a sip probably would have had about 1/1000s of the fruit in it, so "normies" couldn't understand, but I know GS is an all-or-nothing program. So I offered to make her another smoothie and she could just have a bit, but she declined. Again, she still loves me. 

TRUSTED ANOTHER GSer NMW

Went to a monthly GS meeting in another state and a GSer there raved about this wonderful "orange diet soda". And she gave me one she had and it was yummy. On the way home I stopped at their local supermarket to get a six-pack, and had a couple on the way home. Later that day I went online to find out where I could buy this diet soda locally, and when I read a description it said it had 10 calories! Oops, another call to my sponsor to find out what to do. (Throw out the other four and don't order any.) But that's when I started to reread the GS and saw that it says we can have "no-calorie diet soda" so I now read the labels all the time even if says a soda is "diet". When I called the woman to let her know what I've discovered, I could tell that this was NOT important to her, and I've never seen her again. 

2 MINUTES TO PACK BEFORE EMERGENCY ROOM NMW

Our grandkids were visiting and Jack (around age 3) was watching PBS in our bedroom. I went up there and found my husband's pill box on the floor with the pills spilled out by a curious little boy. BUT we didn't know if he had eaten any. Called Poison Control and they suggested I bring him (and Carly, age 1) to the emergency room to have his stomach pumped. It was about noon and I didn't know how long it would take, so I took two minutes to throw together the MOST basic lunch (2 oz. dairy protein, 8 oz. prepared raws, 1/2 oz. tan substitute for cooked vegetables, 1 T. fat and one fruit) and rushed out the door. Nutty huh? No! Because then I kept calm, could have my lunch (somehow I think I brought something for kids, snacky, but I can't remember) and was patient until we were able to come home FOUR HOURS later, around 4:30 pm. 

LARGEST VOLUME NMW

The second time I was up at Bates College for a quarterly Board of Trustees meeting, I'd learned that the lovely catering staff was willing to help me get what I needed. Yay! And I was a really new GSer so I told them I would need 12 oz. of salad at this fancy-schmansy dinner they were having in the Museum of Art. I'd brought my backup, but when they brought over MY salad, it was literally in a ceramic serving bowl the size of a huge Tupperware one would use to take a salad for 10 to a picnic! And of course it was 99% greens. I panicked, but then I asked for a dinner plate and took off 6 oz., still 3x what I usually eat, and then added my 6 oz. of backup. But I was embarrassed and thought that eating this part of my meal took forever. I learned from then on to suggest that they give me only 2 oz. of greens and whatever heavy fresh vegetables to make 12 oz. (and I still brought backup and of course reweighed my food). 

HOW LUCKY COULD I BE NMW? NOT.

Seating at Board dinners isn't planned, but I was "lucky" enough :-( to be seated next to the president of the College for three dinners in a row! And he was such a gentleman and made conversation about my scale, but I would have felt blessed if I'd been seated next to someone else. And by the third time (probably 8 months later) when I'd shrunk in size, he was very nonchalant about what I was doing, a class act. I kept remembering, "Another GSer w&m'd her food in front of President Clinton", so this was easier. 

ILLNESS NMW

I was traveling alone to Colorado for the wedding of one of my best friends' son, and the day before I left I saw a black spot on my toe. Figuring it was a splinter I took an unsterilized needle, flicked it off, and thought no more about it. On the plane, my toe began to throb and by the time I was at the B&B it was RED and huge and ugly. I immediately thought, "Oh my, that might have been a deer tick" and I went to the emergency room ... but outside New England (at least in 2001 or so) no one believes in Lyme Disease, and these doctors were no exception. They gave me a VERY mild antibiotic and it didn't help. I was so sick that I went to bed in the B&B and knew that I was too sick to attend the rehearsal dinner. Instead, I slept from 2 pm until 9 am the next morning, just getting up to go downstairs and put a simple GS dinner together. I ate like this: lifted my head off the pillow, took one bite, lay back down and chewed and chewed. Got the strength to lift my head, took another bite, lay down and chewed. It took so long but I finished the meal AND I believe that the protein and vitamins helped me heal so that I was able to go to the wedding the next day. Not perking, but able to attend. And when I got home, my wonderful internist diagnosed the Lyme Disease, gave me heavy antibiotics for the next three weeks and I was prevented from having any other symptoms, thank God. 

SCARIEST NMW RECENTLY

A few months ago I was measuring some liquid protein into a small container and I'd committed 4 oz. Well, I emptied out the carton and it came to 3 7/8s oz. And instinctively I put in a few drops of water and it read "4 oz." on the scale. I used the liquid and felt fine ... until about 2 hours later when this gong in my head went off and I thought, "WHAT was I thinking of? Even though X has water in it, I did NOT measure 4 oz. of it!" And then I knew I had to tell my sponsor. I really was sure that this might be a Day One. Well, she was gracious and judged that I hadn't done it willfully, but it really raised my consciousness about how vigilant I need to be. 

WHAT-A-PAIN NMW

Three weeks ago, I had a Japanese dinner out with an old OA friend, and as our first course was served, I reached into my bag to get backup raws and realized I'd totally forgotten to pack my scale. I ran out to the car but the scale I keep there was missing too. So I drove down to a Bed Bath & Beyond store to buy another scale (unneeded, since I have many). Luckily the store was only 5 min. away, not 45 min. This woman eyeballs her meals and called in to her sponsor while we were at the table, so I am sure that "GSA" isn't looking very civilized to her at the moment! But I do it NMW and she is still struggling with the last 40 lbs. after "being abstinent" for a year and a half and losing 70 lbs. My gratitude for this GreySheeters Anonymous fellowship has no bounds.