overeaters anonymous anyone?

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sherambler
sherambler Posts: 303 Member
in Motivation and Support
Has anyone attended OA? I've been on the fence about it. I know that the religiousness of it can vary from group to group, but I'm looking to add some extra accountability to my routine and there are several groups in my area to try. What can someone expect as a newbie? How are the groups generally stuctured? Did you find it helpful?

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  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    This is actually a thing? :huh: :indifferent:
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    There are meeting for all types of addictions. I would say why not check it out. If you are thinking about it then you feel that I might help right. That is the first step. You are powerless when it comes to food.
  • kiralu76
    kiralu76 Posts: 28 Member
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    I have also been debating attending these meetings. There is one on Saturday mornings near me. Every Saturday I find some excuse not to go.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    I have also been debating attending these meetings. There is one on Saturday mornings near me. Every Saturday I find some excuse not to go.

    There are a few groups on MFP for overeating and emotional eating. The thing about those meetings is that I have notice that who can help you better then someone who has been there before. Even better when someone is struggling right with you for the same issues. If you feel you should go then go. If you are afraid then go and just listen. BTW some meetings have the newbies introduce themselves to the group.

    Source: I have been to AA and NA meetings. I knew that when I changed my mindset that nutrition would follow since some people did recommend I go to OA.
  • let1179
    let1179 Posts: 58 Member
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    I have been before, attended and had a sponsor, it was a starting point for me. More than anything I gained spirituality with the meetings. I don't use it now, MFP is enough. I would suggest going just to try it, just like on here, there's inspiration and motivation.
  • mangogirl272727
    mangogirl272727 Posts: 95 Member
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    If you truly have a compulsive/addictive relationship with food, you should consider going. But only if you feel like you are out of control with food and need spiritual and emotional help to overcome your problem. If you became overweight because you were really busy/really stressed/have a metabolic disorder/were injured/were ignorant of nutrition or something like that and are looking for some weight watcher's type accountability, I don't think OA would be a good fit. It's not just a weight loss group, it's for people who truly are slaves to food. If you think you fit into that category, OA could be really helpful.
  • lessismoreohio
    lessismoreohio Posts: 910 Member
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    I attended OA weekly for about 18 months. It gave me an understanding of my (dysfunctional) relationship with food and it gave me the motivation to step out of that relationship and to set some objectives for myself and to begin to track my food intake and my exercise.

    I didn't find OA overly religous; I consider myself to be a religous (spiritual) person. I did find OA a little antiquated; the books and meeting materials were from the 1940's through 1980's. Although, ultimately their approach is on target and helpful to millions of people (over the years) like myself.

    As a newbie, I found the other people in OA to be wonderful and warm and receptive. If you truly have a compulsive/addictive relationship with food, you should consider going.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
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    I am a devout athiest and have no troubles with the spiritual aspect of OA. If you are on the fence, there is no harm in going to a meeting. No one will ask you to sign a 2-year contract when you walk in the door. I use food to stop feeling, to fill a void, for comfort, for punishment, for reward, for anything and everything but fuel. OA, more than mfp, gives me a community of people that can understand sitting and shaking in internal conflict between the difficulty in an emotional (good, bad, doesn't matter) and the ease or numbing that sensation with food. I still don't know if OA is the right program for me, but the sense of relief knowing there are others that understand and experience what I do is invaluable. It takes a special kind of brain to be uncomfortably full and continue eating despite every rational thought. OA has those people-and they are actively looking for a way to help themselves. If you're really on the fence, I suggest an online meeting (there are lots).
  • LianaG1115
    LianaG1115 Posts: 453 Member
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    OMG!!! I can tell you!! Pick me, pick me!!!

    I was "convinced" by my FORMER personal trainer that I needed to go to OA! Me, OA?! I thought she was crazy when she suggested such an absurd thing! I am NOT a food addict, I do not have a problem!! But what I realize through this past year is I DO HAVE A PROBLEM!! But everyday I work through those struggles and recognize my own weaknesses and what "triggers' a food craving.

    With that said, however, I went to OA and I realized that those people (I went three times!!) have SERIOUS problems!! Now I'm not dissing anyone, really I am not! But what I found by going to those meetings was that they were STAGNANT in their progression, griping about the same thing every meeting, praying, just STUCK and I WASN'T!! They did NOTHING to better themselves and just rambled about how they "wish" they could change!! I recognized that I needed help, I knew I needed to do something, and I responded and reacted, THEY WERE NOT!! It was the same thing each meeting aside from the prayer of the day!! Look God ain't gonna help me lose this weight, sitting around praying isn't going to help either!! Finding what makes you do the things you do, respond the way you do is ONLY FOUND IN YOU!! I believe as a former 275 pounder I can say these things from my OWN experience!! Take it however you want, but I can tell you, it hasn't been easy and it won't be when you realize it yourself!! I have cried, I have been angry, I have had many different emotions because I have allowed myself to get to that point before and wouldn't see it!! That whole denial thing really makes the reality become fictitious!!

    Needless to say, I fired the trainer, got a better one and he helps me with my exercise and nutrition program....the other part, my will power and my want or drive, comes from me!! OA was NOT for me...you may like it, or you may see it the way I do... Good luck!!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    The 12-step programs are amazing. But they aren't a cure, and while support is a good thing, at heart they are about personal accountability and completing the program is HARD WORK. Many people start and get stuck on a cycle of steps 1-3, because it's at step 4 that an honest facing of reality begins.

    The unexpected upside is that it can have a wonderful positive impact on every aspect of your life, not just eating.
  • Burt_Huttz
    Burt_Huttz Posts: 1,612 Member
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    These threads always make me so sad.

    OP you have nothing to lose by checking out a few different OA meetings. If it's truly problem which you cannot control, seeking help from others with first-hand experience can be helpful.

    If after visiting a representative sample of different groups, you decide it doesn't appeal to you, you can continue looking elsewhere.

    But people have spent a lot more time/money/energy on things a lot crazier, like the master cleanse or miracle plant extract du jour.
  • 111YoYo111
    111YoYo111 Posts: 213 Member
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    I have just joined OA, gotten a sponsor and done step 1. Feel free to add me as a friend and I'll keep you posted how it's going if you like.
  • pixelatedsun
    pixelatedsun Posts: 165 Member
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    I went to one OA meeting. I was the youngest person in the room by far (they were all at least 60 years old), and they were very ... resigned? It was more "Leave it up to God and you'll lose your weight" and less "Here's what I'm doing." They called each other and offered support but they only go by first names and it felt so cold and clinical. It might be better if I weren't so much younger than they all were, maybe? Anyway I got a new job months later and it turns out that one of the ladies from OA works with my boss! I don't think she remembers me, but I remember her!! :| She's so sweet though and we get along quite well. Just kind of funny how things work out.
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
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    Has anyone attended OA? I've been on the fence about it. I know that the religiousness of it can vary from group to group, but I'm looking to add some extra accountability to my routine and there are several groups in my area to try. What can someone expect as a newbie? How are the groups generally stuctured? Did you find it helpful?

    I researched it a while back myself and the religious part of it turned me off. So I didn't bother....
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    These threads always make me so sad.

    OP you have nothing to lose by checking out a few different OA meetings. If it's truly problem which you cannot control, seeking help from others with first-hand experience can be helpful.

    If after visiting a representative sample of different groups, you decide it doesn't appeal to you, you can continue looking elsewhere.

    But people have spent a lot more time/money/energy on things a lot crazier, like the master cleanse or miracle plant extract du jour.
  • mzfrizz15
    mzfrizz15 Posts: 135 Member
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    I went to OA last summer and found it to be a helpful experience. The chapter I went to weren't pushy on the spiritual aspect, as it was viewed as a personal choice. I stopped going because I got too busy to make it to the meetings on the day they meet. I would highly encourage anyone to take in a couple meetings to see if it is for them, if they feel they have a unhealthy relationship with food. :smile:
  • Workinonit123
    Workinonit123 Posts: 38 Member
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    You said there are several groups in your area. Try one.. If you don't, try another. I've been to 2 groups. One was fun people enjoying life and encouraging each other. The other was a group of gripy, mean, disgruntled people ragging on anyone and everyone. (At least that's what they did the one day I went.)
  • sanddollar
    sanddollar Posts: 192 Member
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    I just just discovered Overeaters Anonymous (OA) this fall. I have found a fabulous OA group that offers many phone meetings with members in the US and other countries. You can call and listen to recorded meetings (to check it out in a true anonymous fashion) or call a live meeting and just listen. The focus of these meetings are not about food plans, cutting out foods, or to share personal issues or complain... but to help people find out why they compulsively eat, or binge/purge, etc. and then offer the solution! You will find warm, caring people who are recovered and are eager to sponsor and help newcomers. To call a recorded foundation meeting (explains to newcomers what OA is all about) call 209-255-1099, and the code is 740111#.

    To listen to recorded meetings focusing on the specifics of the 12 steps of AA big book and how they work with OA, I suggest calling 605-562-3132, the code is 674599#. To start out, listen to meetings with a reference # of 9-12. Ref 9# is on Steps 1-3, ref 10# is on step 4, ref 11# is on steps 5-9, and ref 12# is on steps 10-12.

    For a full meeting list (mostly phone meetings with a few live meetings in several states) go to
    http://www.oabigbooksolutiongroup.org, then click on meeting list on bottom left side of the home page. Meeting times are all listed in Eastern times. A quote on the homepage says, "Compulsive eating is an illness of the body and mind, but there is a solution. By working the 12 steps precisely as outlined in The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, we have found a way to live sober from our compulsive eating with a happiness and freedom that we had never imagined possible."

    If you call a live phone meeting consider sharing your phone number with the group... you will get several phone calls with people wanting to help (after all Step 12 says we need to help others to keep us recovered). Also, feel free to message me with questions.
  • happyvalentinesday
    happyvalentinesday Posts: 47 Member
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    Support is always good. Ive been to a meeting with my old friend and it was awesome. People are so down to earth and helpful.

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