Overeaters Anonymous (OA)

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How exactly does OA help you?

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casi_ann
casi_ann Posts: 423 Member
in Social Groups
Do you find OA helpful in your journey to eating healthy? How?

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  • MyCoachNYLA
    MyCoachNYLA Posts: 158 Member
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    Thanks for the question.

    I always feel a sense of relief of some sort when I walk into a meeting and know I am not alone. It takes away any heaviness I feel around the food.

    I have to say that I have moved away from OA meetings lately and for a while. I am in AA and stay connected to AA but I know it is important for me to be with other food addicts in recovery.

    The steps are the meat and potatoes (sorry for the pun) for me, of course.

    By the grace of God, I have been in recovery for 20 years. My abstinence has changed over the years or I should say my attitude toward it. I know a sugar, wheat and flour free plan for me is truly the best plan for me chemically. I have tried over the years to put certain foods back in to only take them out again when the depression and irritability, lack of motivation and crummy attitudes re-appear. LOL - you would think I would learn after all this time.

    I used to weigh and measure my food when I went out to eat and if I did not, I would freak and feel guilty or worried. Now it is not an issue. I know my portions and I keep it simple.

    I do enjoy the fact that OA does not endorse any particular food plan but they have implemented suggested food plans as a tool, so it seems to be a balance there for others.

    I am grateful for OA and other recoverying food addicts and again, appreciate your topic.

    Nyla
    Sarasota, FL
  • vatblack
    vatblack Posts: 221 Member
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    Right now, OA is the power that is bigger than me that helps me do what I cannot do myself.
  • casi_ann
    casi_ann Posts: 423 Member
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    Thank you for responding Nyla and Vatblack. I have now been abstinent for 4 weeks following the MFP food plan with the OA program. I just started the steps and am on step 2. I have been mostly going to online meetings 1 to 4 x week, reading the literature, journaling and doing service. I belong to oa recovery group for my online meetings. I know I really need to try to get to a f2f meeting as soon as possible. Now that I've been in OA for one month I think I am able to answer this questions as well. I agree that the 12 steps are very important as I have found out that the goal for me anyway isn't really to lose weight but to give up my negative attitudes and thinking and to learn to enjoy life and let go of expectations. By doing this I become less and less compulsive about not only eating but what i think, say and do. This gets me in less trouble and my mind isn't so much on what i'm going to eat in the next hour but what i can do for others or what I can do to be one with my higher power. I don't think as much about food while i'm in oa as i did when i wasn't. Anyway, that is what it has done for me so far in my little 4 weeks anyway :).
  • raggyanndoll
    raggyanndoll Posts: 176
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    I walked into my first OA meeting almost 10 years ago. I credit the OA program for literally saving my life. My weight has gone up and down over the years, as unfortunately food continues to baffle me some. But I have done well in the program often enough to know that I cannot rest on my laurels and think the program is going to work for me. It will be a constant, persistent effort that will keep me abstinent.

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