OA vs. Atkins Diet?

sanddollar

I just read a book similar to OA (Anatomy of a Food Addict, by Anne Katherine) and know I need to do something about my food addiction. In the book she says to abstain from all sugar and sugar substitutes first, then several months later, also eliminate flour, etc. She mentions OA in her book so I am guessing that OA is similar. As I have only spent a day trying to figure out what all I shouldn't be eating, it seems like maybe OA is something like the Atkin's Diet. However, I don't know much about Atkins. Could someone here tell me if they are similar? Thanks!

GrokRockStar

Hi Sanddollar,
OA is a recovery program that focuses on abstaining from food addiction, such as overeating/binging, and/or purging using the tools of recovery and the 12 steps of overeaters anonymous. OA is not a diet, so what you should and shouldn’t eat is something that is defined by you, your doctor/nutritionist and a sponsor, if you choose to work with one. Some people in the program use the old-school method (known as the grey sheet), which provided a list of approved foods that eliminated processed sugar, flour, etc. The grey sheet portion of OA was removed in the mid-70s because the program focused too much of what a person was eating than the real issue of addiction, a disease of the mind. There is a program called grey sheet anonymous (GSA) that some people follow today.
What I tell my sponsees and people that I work with is that we all have different forms of addiction, so my plan may not look like yours. Some people eat sugar and flour, and 5 small meals a day, instead of the “recommended” 3 meals. I have to eat more meals because I’m type 2 diabetic, so again, we’re all different. If you would like more info, please PM me and I will be happy to share.

Grok

MichelleOnWheels

you can find more info about oa at www.oa.org

Welcome!

sanddollar

Thanks for that info! I guess it is hard to adjust my mind to this as I still have to eat each day and I am trying to figure out what I can actually eat. The book recommended eliminating all sugar and sugar substitutes for 6 months to a year and then also remove flour products after that. So I've been trying to see what actually has zero sugar. I am going to try to be brave to check out my first OA meeting in about 1 hour from now. So plz pray for me to have courage to do this! (I don't know of anyone who has done OA before).

GrokRockStar

I hope your first meeting went well, and most of us here are in OA, so we can relate walking into a meeting for the first time.