Overeaters Anonymous and MFP

kbessey04

I recently attended an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. I was worried it would be everything I had expected it to be, which scared me, because I expected it to be all about how god can help you stop eating. Boy oh boy was I wrong!! The people were wonderful, there was only talk of a higher power and no one mentioned god. I was relieved and after 30 minutes of everyone else talking, I felt completely comfortable talking about myself and realized I needed to keep doing it. I need that support.

Well my point. I found that the support of just one single OA meeting helped me to realize I can do this and I shall and I want to do it with the help of MFP which I have successfully used in the past. Has anyone else been to OA? If you have had you had success?? I would love to hear stories and see what others think, and if anyone chose to have a sponsor. I skipped out on that for my first meeting, it seemed a little overbearing at first.

Thank you everyone :-D

Cortneyrenee04

I've never been to one but that's great that you liked it! I've gotten a lot more comfortable talking about my weight and why it's there. I have always had a hard time opening up about that, but it's very therapeutic! Being overweight is so much more of a mental thing than people realize.

kbessey04

I completely agree! I never honestly realized how much I eat as a therapy or a celebratory way of doing things. It's scary to think of how food dominates your life! I love food, so much. I just wanna be able to have a "healthy" relationship with it and not want to punch the person with the last piece of cake lol.

MaryJane_8810002

I do better when I do not attend OA meetings surprisingly.

kbessey04

Do you find that they bring you down? I was a little worried that they might because none of them had very positive stories, mostly how they failed, but being my first meeting I was hoping it wasn't the norm.

AquabearGO

I personally think of MFP as my OA. Ive never been to a meeting, but i feel more comfortable being able to talk to people on here about weight issues than in person. I feel like I just want to work on losing the weight and getting fitness info than just sitting around talking about why Im overweight, but that is just me. If this works for you , then STICK with it. Use anything and everything that helps you in your battle. What works for you is going to be different than what works for others and vice versa.........good luck

kbessey04

I had tried just using MFP before and did quite well for almost 8 months, I lost 40 pounds, I felt fantastic. Then for one reason or another, and of course, I can't remember any of them, I just stopped. I started eating, gave up exercise, and just didn't care anymore. I think the meetings give me some kind of... I can't even think of a word for it. My hopes are that I will make friends with them and feel the need to see them each week and have some kind of accountability for myself. Again, it was only one week, so my hopes are huge in comparison to what may really happen, but I'm sure it'll be just like everything else and you get what you put into it.

MyFoodGod

I've been going for more than a year. Recently my blood test results were not too great and after meeting so many successful "losers" who have kept their weight off years and decades, I realize I need to give up the sugar. This is day 20 for me and it hasn't been that bad. I realize food has been too important to me and I need to change that.

A lot of people come in as self professed atheists. OA says define your own higher power and name it what you want. I realize there is a power greater than me - I can't make an ocean, mountain, forest. So I initially decided Mother Nature could be my higher power.

If you are curious, check out the podcasts online and check out some meetings. You owe it to yourself to at least listen with an open mind. The door is always open if you want to leave - or return later.

Our stubbornness is our own biggest enemy. OA is full of lifetime Weight Watcher members and we learn that our food issues are often more complicated than having the willpower to stay on a " diet."

jenifo11

I've been thinking about attending an OA meeting. I spoke on the phone with the rep of my local meetings, and she seemed really nice. I was worried about the same things as you, that most of it would be about a higher power being able to help you to stop bingeing. I think I will be able to attend a meeting in December and I'm kind of looking forward to it. Thanks for your post, it helped me get the nerve up to decide to go.

HardyGirl4Ever

I haven't been to any meetings, but have considered going to them in the past year. I even looked up where they are held in my city. Problem is, it's far from where I live, and I don't drive. I'm sure I could walk there, or take a bus. But the church it's held in makes me kind of uneasy. It's a Christian Reform church (I think that's the correct name). I had a friend who belonged to it when I was in elementary school, and their beliefs are the opposite of mine. eg. When the end of the world comes, good Christians will be taken to a heavenly new planet to carry on life, and others, especially gay people will stay on earth which will become a fiery pit and they will die burned alive. Needless to say, I have stayed away from that church. BUT I will go to it for OE meetings if they are helpful! It's really great reading about your positive experience with it, and now I'm considering it again.

MyFoodGod

The churches usually rent the spaces but that's it. The OA folks just use the room. No preaching etc. Often no one from the church is even in the building. OA members are not supposed to mention specific religions during the meeting. Although someone may mention their church affiliation when talking about themselves they do not try to convert. The do quote OA and AA literature which deals with addiction and belief from a self- defined higher power.

I've also heard if there is no convenient OA meeting, go to AA. Recovery from food addiction is the most important goal.

mockchoc

If it's anything like any of the other Anonymous places I'd rather stay fat than go.

FitnessPress

I actually attended a meeting about a week ago, but things got real busy at school and I haven't been since. I am going to make an effort to go on a regular basis since I do have a problem with food and could use time to reflect with other individuals with similar problems.

kbessey04

I recently discovered the Podcasts, I find them to be wonderful. The meeting I attended was quite tiny in comparison to the meetings in podcasts, which may have been the downfall for me. Sugar may be my enemy, but I'm certain I'm not ready to give it up yet lol

kbessey04

The meeting I went to was also in a church, but fortunately it was in one of the small rooms behind the church and no one in a priest outfit appeared. That made it a lot less odd for me as I don't believe in any of that stuff. I still plan to attend a few more meetings, just because if anything it gets me out of the house for a little while lol.

BrotherBill913

I went to a couple a few years ago. My experience with it was that I just need to gain some control. There are people there with emotional distraught or problems that use food as a coping mechanism. That was kind of a lil eye opener for me. And then there were those that were in the minority who used it as a group just to get out of the house. The one thing I have found to work for me is lifestyle changes. I go through phases like everyone else and am working at getting myself back on track right now... Good luck to you..

kbessey04

I'm a mix between someone who needs to get out of the house and someone who uses food as a coping mechanism mixed with someone who just generally loves food. Awful mix. Lifestyle changes are something I'm trying to make piece by piece. Hopefully I'll get one or two in to place instead of giving up

lindajpr1

I'm a fourteen plus-year member of OA. Before I came into program (which I tried to flee at my first meeting but I wasn't driving) I could not stay on a diet for a day. I had joined and quit Weight Watchers for 12 years in a row and ended up 50 pounds heavier than when I started. I started using MFP about three months ago as my food "tool" for program. I really love it, but I can say with all honesty that if I wasn't in program I wouldn't be able to do this for even a day.

NancyMinden

I went to my first OA meeting out of desperation and depression. I've spent 5+decades obsessed with weight and food. I've been successful many times - but still with obsession about food and weight. My first OA meeting was late April 2014. I left feeling sure that this was not for me- i did not like the approach of having a disease. For two weeks I went back into the food- slowly gaining....again. At the end of those two weeks, I got on the scale, in my clothes, at night - and decided to go to the OA meeting first thing next morning, The name of that meeting was 'Promises'. I had already been studying food plans and lots of other information about OA. on the Internet during those 2 weeks. That day, May 4 - was my first abstinent day - dropping a list of foods I'd created that caused me to overeat and binge - including all sugar, flour,-establishing a healthy pattern of 3 meals a day with no snacks. EVERYONE'S FOOD PLAN IS DIFFERENT. It has been 1.4 years (513 days) of abstinence without a break. I have maintained a 23 pound loss for almost one year. I am a healthy body weight in size 8. I weigh myself once a month, attend meetings, am using all the tools, working the steps. They say if you're going to try OA - don't form an opinion until after 6 meetings. Most people do not think its for them. I was certainly one of those people. More than my maintaining a healthy body weight, I have not had the roller coaster of obsession with weight and food that has plagued me and caused a lot of self loathing, isolating , guilt etc. I don't think I ever thought I'd lose that obsession during my lifetime. I have had a very productive life in spite of this problem- I have been in a loving marriage for 40 years, raised 3 kids, have 3 grandkids, have a bunch of degrees, and had several fascinating careers - but underneath the success has always been this very roller coaster self defeating part of me - always believing that if my weight were right, I would have perfect happiness. I apologize for going on so long. I adore this program - it is full of continual discoveries and doesn't hold a candle to the myriad programs of weight loss. I wish Id found it many decades ago. Of course it isn't for everyone.

PinkPixiexox

I've never been and I've never heard of OA - I don't think it's something we have here in the UK but it sounds truly positive! Definitely stick to the meetings if they are giving you a good boost. Best of luck!

jokiepepper

Haha you have lots of OA meetings in the UK. Www.oa.org. One of my favorite meetings ever was in Norwich while visiting my sister at Lakenheath. It's nice to meet you!