Has anyone tried overeaters anonymous?

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sterober
sterober Posts: 22
in Motivation and Support
Hey everyone. I have been considering going to an overeaters anonymous meeting for a few months now. I just wanted to see if any of you have gone to/gotten help from this organization or any organization like it. I'm not asking for lots of details as I understand the idea behind "anonymous". This is a really tough subject for me, so I ask that you please be respectful in your responses. Thank you so much for any help you may provide!

Best wishes to all!!

Replies

  • HardeesGal
    HardeesGal Posts: 55
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    I have never been to it but i think if u feel it would help what do u have to lose? I know some people who went to AA and it helped them. We all have certain stuff we can use a little help with so dont b afraid to ask for help. Hope that helps :-). Good luck.
  • returntorural
    returntorural Posts: 350 Member
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    I did try it for a couple meetings. There were all different sorts of people there, not just over-weight folks as you might expect.
    Ultimately I didn't stay with it because it seemed to me that there was no element of taking responsibility for your situation. The belief that they were "powerless" over food was very prevalent and that bothered me. I can see how that sense of rock-bottom or surrendering to the process might be helpful to some but for me it tasted sour.

    Best wishes with your decision.
  • cortez1954
    cortez1954 Posts: 15
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    is ther help here for overeaters i have ptsd and anxiety and thats why i overeat i need help i have gained 40 pounds in 2 years ..any thoughts:cry:
  • BBeccaJean
    BBeccaJean Posts: 453 Member
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    I did compulsive eaters anonymous in high school. I lost 30 lbs, but it was a very strict diet staying away from all carbs and sugar since they are addictive. It had positive and negative elements. Ultimately, I didn't continue, because I felt it focused too much on the negative aspects of peoples' personalities instead of focusing on the positive and bringing the best out in people. Just my thoughts...
  • SaharaZaraMorocco
    SaharaZaraMorocco Posts: 136 Member
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    I went to a couple of meetings. Like returntorural says, there are all kinds of people there, not just overweight people, but recovering anorexics, etc. Since there was only one meeting that fit in my schedule, I ultimately didn't go back because I wasn't fitting in with the group. They were very welcoming, but sometimes you just don't click. For that reason, I say be sure to look around at all the possible meeting groups - if you don't feel comfortable with one, another group might work better. It may take a couple of tries to find the right match.

    Also, they offer a lot of literature that you can use on your own. That may be helpful, as well. Good luck!
  • sheldonbe
    sheldonbe Posts: 33 Member
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    My wife and I are at a point where we have tried too many diets to count over the last 20 years, lost hundreds of pounds during that time, but always gained it back. We've had personal trainers, we've read up on nutrition, we use forums like this, we have gym memberships and we take a lot of other actions, but somehow we always "fall off the wagon" as we call it. We keep trying and trying, but we always fall in the end. I can only speak for the two of us, but we've come to the realization that we are powerless to when it comes to craving and over consuming food. That's isn't to say we haven't tried, and it isn't to say to we aren't successful and hard working people in other segments of our life. But the spurts of success we have had over the years with controlling our eating, have always come to a screeching halt. So when I say we are powerless, I mean it in the same sense as the recovering alcoholic who has X number of days of sobriety, and then "falls off the wagon"....with respect to our over eating, we are as powerless as that (formerly) recovering alcoholic.

    We have started researching Overeaters Anonymous and have listened to some of their audio segments on the Voice of America. Together we have committed to going to our first meeting this Saturday. Hopefully we find a group that fits us, but if not we are fortunate to live in an area with a lot of meeting choices, and we will simply try another.

    Of course I have no idea if OA will work for us, but we are hopeful, and we are at a stage where we have to try it. Wish us luck and good luck in your own journey.
  • Maddalen101
    Maddalen101 Posts: 307 Member
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    OA generally suggests you go to six meetings to determine whether the program's for you. It can be six in the same location, or six different meetings.

    The first time I tried OA (1989), it did not work for me. I stayed for a few months, and then left. I tried again in 1993, and it somehow clicked for me then. The concept of "powerlessness" does not mean you are a victim of your cravings, but in the Third Step, that accepting help and support will strengthen your ability to accomplish your goal.

    "Getting" the Program, for me, meant realizing that sharing about my particular craving was not going to make it go away. However, the line "it works if you work it" means putting in the work to deal with the emotional root that expresses via the craving.

    Doing the emotional work doesn't mean you lose your cravings altogether - sometimes it's physiological, and sometimes it just IS. However, the work, and the support of the rooms (if they are for you) can go a long way to helping master the urges, so that they don't control you. I used the tool of writing, and it helped me a lot.

    I no longer live near the meetings where I got my OA recovery, so I have not attended meetings in many years. I will occasionally go to an online meeting, if the timing works. Mostly, OA works best if you make it yours. The tools and traditions and steps are for you, but it's up to you to use them, and you are under no obligation to put your decisions about it up for anyone else's inspection.

    I know this is long - hope I was helpful. Anyone reading this, please feel free to email me with any questions you might have - i will answer all comers.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    I went to one meeting once, didn't like it, never went back.

    Maybe I should have given it more of a chance, though. The women there obsessed over the evils of sugar the entire meeting, and I didn't have anything to say about sugar.
  • imjusme
    imjusme Posts: 24 Member
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    I went to a few meetings. I didn't fit in at all. They were friendly and welcoming, but a very conservative group...strict maybe? I don't know but I just didn't mesh well. I would highly recommend it though!!!!!! I say give it a try, what is the worst that can happen?
  • sd_dilligaf
    sd_dilligaf Posts: 146 Member
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    Of all the posts so far, Maddelen101's description mirrors my 6 years of experience with OA. I left the program because I could not "surrender" which sounds passive, but it really means surrendering to the discipline to say no to your cravings because you can accept the help and support of a higher power. I am still addicted to sugar and should probably go back....

    As I have said before on these posts, sometimes I don't need MFP friends, I need a sponsor.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Similar to Maddalen01, I spent about 11 months going regular to OA meetings in the mid late 1980s (I was in my early 20s at the time.)

    They advise you to "take what you can and leave the rest"-- and I did "take" quite a bit away from my experience with OA, the most valuable of which included:
    * recognizing I was not alone ,and that my experiences of self-hatred, body-loathing, and shame over my compulsion to eat was not unique and that other people struggled with the same things
    * an increased awareness of the difference between "hunger" and emotional eating, and some tips and tricks to deal with my emotions other than shoving them down with food
    * recognizing that "accepting responsibility" for my food choices is not the same as "taking blame for being fat"
    * by listening to other people's tragedies and struggles, I gained some perspective on my own which had a huge influence on me in helping me get over a "poor me" attitude and instead actively focus on gratitude for the many blessings I have in my life on a daily basis (a focus I actively cultivate to this day)

    So, I did, I think, achieve a "spiritual awakening" (Step 12) and I did--as Maddalen01 says-- learn how to use some of the steps and tools to help me deal with not just my food issues, but the underlying issues that led to those cravings, and from that perspective it was very valuable to my emotional growth at a time in my life when I really needed it.


    Eventually, I left because I had to "leave the rest"-- which included the extremely judgemental Judeo-Christian focus of the particular group that I attended (even though 12-step programs are supposed to be non-denominational), and . . .well . . . I personally got bored with a few members who managed to turn the meetings into their own personal free group therapy sessions.

    But I left feeling I had gained something valuable from my time and experience.

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