How to do an outreach call:

Making an outreach call is really easier then you think. You call the number on the list and you say:

"Hi, my name is---------. I am making an outreach call. I am-

*new to the program do you have any suggestions

*having a hard time staying abstinent, do you have any suggestions.

*having a hard day and need some chizuk.

How is your program?

Help for Newcomers

Hi. Welcome. You made a great decision. You are on the road to recovery, and the good news is that each day gets easier, and you can't imagine how good you are going to feel.

Now for the brass tacks- how to get started.

First things you need are a digital scale and a notebook.
Every day you are going to write down your food plan and call it into a sponsor- which brings us to the next necessity- you need a sponsor. Finding the right sponsor is like finding a good shidduch-daven hard and keep looking. When you find a sponsor thank Hahsem for your sponsor and daven that it should work out. Every day you will call your sponsor at the appointed time-try your best not to be late, because your sponsor has a life too and she is making time for you.
Your sponsor will give you a food plan. How much you have to eat of each thing down to the fraction of an ounce. This is the key to success. Don't deviate at all, it will mess you up.

There are many different food plans based on your personal needs and the type of program you join. Men and women need diffent amounts of food, pregnant and nursing women need more then normal women.

I personally belong to the 90 day program and they follow a very strict plan, but I have friends who have different plans on that.

A sample food plan would look something like the following:
Breakfast: 6 ounces of fruit, 2 ounces of oatmeal, 4 ounces of protein
Lunch: 8 ounces of raw vegetables, 8 ounces of cooked vegetables, 4 ounces of protein, 1/2 ounce of oil
Dinner: 8 ounces of raw vegetables, 8 ounces of cooked vegetables, 4 ounces of protein, 1/2 ounce of oil, 4 ounces of whole grain (brown rice, barley,kahsa)

Every day you will call your sponsor and tell her what you are going to eat. For example if your plan says 8 ounces of raw vegetables and 8 ounces of cooked vegetables, you will tell your sponsor that you are going to have 8 ounces of broccoli, or 8 ounces of squash and 8 ounces of lettuce salad or 8 ounces of cut up peppers and carrots. Nothing goes in your mouth that did not go on the scale.

The food plan is in force even on Shabbos. Of course you have to weigh everything before Shabbos, but you still keep to your plan. Your sponsor will tell you what to eat on Shabbos.

Treat L'koved Shabbos

Find a fruit or vegtable that you really like and save it just for Shabbos. My sponsor lets me use sun dried tomatos soaked in water. I put it in my weighed oil and use it on Shabbos. I find it makes my salad a big treat for Shabbos. I also have a treat fruit on Shabbos.

Valuable Tips for Shabbos

I was talking to someone who is struggling and she said that she keeps on losing her abstinence on Shabbos. I shared some of my tips and she said that it really helped her.

1) Shabbos is a time of special treats, make sure that your food is special too.
2) If you don't buy enough for others, DO NOT SHARE.
3) If you do not have enough food for yourself you will loose your abstinence.
4) Taking care of yourself is self preservation, not self indulgence.
5) Teach your family that what is in specially identified containers is UNTOUCHABLE!
6) Try to get your family to feel positive about the importance of your program.
7) Buy them nosh and treats so they will not resent the program.

Dessert -OA Style

It is hard to sit there will others are indulging in various desserts, and I am not. I have found that if I leave some of my matzah for dessert and eat it while sipping my herb tea, if is a very good and satisfying dessert.

Shabbos is about Spiritual Not Physical

This Shabbas my Cholent burnt, someone likes to cover the crockpot with a cloth and thought it would cook better like that. Instead it became overcooked and hard.

I was reminded of something that someone said at a meeting. When you work the program you come to understand that Shabbos is not about food, it is about getting closer to Hashem. I was ok with my burnt cholent.

And next week no schmatah on the crock pot.

Shabbos Tips 1

2 ways that people do their cholent on OA

1) Get your own mini crock pot and put all of your measured ingredients in it. Be careful, it tends to be very hot, put a lot of water in it and some aluminum foil balls under the pot to disperse some of the heat.

2) Put you measured ingredients in the net bags for putting herbs in soup and put them in your family's cholent. Be careful when traveling to check that the host family doesn't mind you putting it in. One person was stuck when she found out that the host father would not eat the same Heckser so she could not put her cholent in the crock put. From that time on, she always brings her own crock pot when traveling.