Bottom Dollar
I
used to joke that I only had a kitchen be- wedge in the pie chart. I now realize how cause it came with the house. In the years ridiculous these games were, but at the time leading up to FA, I was eating all three I was trying to hide the evidence of my dismeals at fast food places, even if I had packed ease, not only from others but from myself. my lunch or purchased groceries to cook. I I went from being 20 pounds overweight tried to pick different places in my small at age 18 to being 200 pounds overweight town for each meal so the workers wouldn’t by the time I was 36. Financing a size 36 catch on to how many times I was eating wardrobe was not cheap, as big clothes were there. I cringed every more expensive and time the cashiers rec- I stopped using money-tracking had to be shipped. All ognized me as a reguthis spending on food lar customer. I often software because I did not and clothing preordered two meals, vented me from tryand at grocery stores, ing too many want to see how much I made up stories of commercial weightI was spending on food. big events so the loss programs becashier would not cause I just didn’t have think all the food was just for me. I stock- the money to spare. piled fast food debris in my car and waited After joining FA, I slowly started tracking to empty it when I was sure neighbors were my finances again. I no longer shielded mynot home to see how many bags I placed in self from the painful evidence of my addicthe garbage barrels. tive eating. My food plan was anything but Seeing how often fast food and groceries skimpy and as my son became a teenager, filled my bank statement was depressing. I food was still one of my largest expenses. But began to use different payment methods so I took pride in knowing that the money was the bank and credit card employees would spent on good, clean, simple, healthy food not see how much I was eating. I stopped that was actually eaten. using money-tracking software because I did I still have financial hiccups, even in recovnot want to see how much I was spending ery. After losing weight, I went a little crazy on food, which was represented with a large over being able to shop for clothes in real 10
October 2022