Tisha B'Av and OA recovery

bamamama

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 3:54 am

I'm wondering how any of you OA ladies handle Tisha B'Av. I don't fast minor fasts right now so this is the first fast to come along since I've been in recovery. I'm worried and stressed to the point that I'm thinking of going to my dr so he can forbid me from fasting because it's a threat to my recovery and my health (I was 110lbs overweight when I started). I have a pretty well-defined abstinence and a food plan but I have no idea how to deal with the meals before and after - just eat normal suppers? I'm so worried about a binge at the end.

baba

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 6:23 am

I dont have experience with OA, but I think you should treat it like any other medical condition. Ask your doctor, rav and maybe a dietitian.
Good luck and hope all goes well.
And talk to a rav who takes medical conditions very seriously.

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 7:33 am

(I'd post under my screenname if this was in one of the private forums - emotional overeating or long term weight loss struggling - just don't feel comfortable doing that on the main board...)

honestly, I am still getting over sheva asar b'tamuz. it was the first fast I've done in a while (pregnant/nursing) and it was really really bad. I binged in preparation and binged after and have been overeating pretty much ever since. I am slowly, slowly getting back on track. I am really nervous b/c this is "fast season" and I really don't know how I will handle it. I too would appreciate any tips.

Isramom8

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 7:37 am

I don't know how OA works. But when I was on a calorie counting diet, I knew that after a fast I could eat more because I was allowed to use up all my calories for the day in one sitting. Since that would be too many for me to want at one sitting, I also knew that I could eat a little more before the fast.

As long as I'd go back to my normal plan the day after the fast, it would work out.

Does this work with the OA program?

I'm not sure that a rav would understand the difficulty in sticking to an eating plan and deviating from it. maybe first talk to your OA leader about a religious fast and then take her suggestions to a rav.

Simple1

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 9:20 am

I don't have experience with OA, but I know after a fast, it only takes a little bit of food to feel restored. Even if during the fast, I feel like I could eat a whole lot, it never ends up happening as we fill up too fast.

As for before, I could see your concern, but even so, it's much more important to drink a ton of water, a few days before, much more important than eating a lot.

But I agree, if your concerned, ask a Rabbi's advice.

sarachana

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 9:40 am

before the fast its more about what u eat then how much you eat. a good quality protein combined with a high glucose starch like pasta is good for a slow release sugar over a long fast. hydration is also critical, so for one or 2 days before the fast drink a homemade electrolyte drink...not recommended long term though.

several cups of this drink after a fast could also help keep you from eating too much since most of the feeling of hunger is actually really just thirst. after getting hydrated then eat a meal with a good amount of protein, like several eggs.

(note that drinking plain water isnt going to "keep u hydrated" over a long fast since the cells need the correct amount of salt and sugar to be retained long term.)

Tova

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 10:50 am

Try "a meal and a half" - if you usually eat 4 oz. protein eat 6, etc. plus if you have fruit normally your entire fruit allowance (hydrating melon, etc.). OR - have a breakfast meal, wait 20 minutes and have a regular lunch or dinner meal. After a fast you don't need an entire day's allowance of food. You may find it's your easiest fast yet! Be careful about baking (for the family) on the fast day, that might be a trigger for you. If your family really wants/needs fresh baked goods having one of them buy it so you don't have to deal with the smells, etc. that may catch up to you later.

bamamama

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 12:14 pm

Tova wrote:

Thanks, Tova. Baking actually doesn't trigger me at all, strangely. I bake for them all the time. Thanks for you "meal and a half" suggestion. That actually makes sense.

chanchy123

Sun, Jul 07 2013, 12:29 pm

bamamama wrote:

Tova wrote:

Thanks, Tova. Baking actually doesn't trigger me at all, strangely. I bake for them all the time. Thanks for you "meal and a half" suggestion. That actually makes sense.

I don't have experience with OA. But just one tip, after a long fast, you have a drink of something sweet, a small something to eat, and wait half an hour before you sit down to a meal, which really shouldn't be that much more than a regular supper.