anyone ever go to OA

[purtyflowrr]

I wondered if anyone has ever gone to Overeater's Anonymous. I am going to go to a meeting next Tuesday. I have had problems with binge eating and compulsive overeating for years and I am wanting to get help for it. Just going raw isn't good enough for me cause I still deal with the emotional/mental problems. I want to get help with that while doing raw. I think that is the only way I truly will be successful.

If anyone has ever gone to these meetings....did they help you?

[rawpriestess]

I went to these meetings when I weighed about 130 pounds, when I finally quit going, I weighed over 260, all they did was talk about food, how to sneek it, what they ate, and how often they ate, I never put so much energy into food in my life, I always walked out of their ready to eat anything, and I usually did.


It would be different if they had a professional counselor working with them, but they don't.

You've got people with food issues, telling you what they did, and that is not a good thing to go through, all you learn is more creative ways to binge, and hide food.

it was terrible.

the only thing that ever really helped me, was to deal with my issues with a therapist who was a certified hypnotherapist, then after he helped me, I decided to be one too.

Now I help people every day, and I'm 100% raw, and I'm working on my own stuff.

It is a process, we didn't get where we are in one year, or even 5 years, it may take us a while to get cleansed mind and body.

[jimi]

Very insightful RP and consistent with my own experience (though not with OA). When you focus on the problem, even within a framework of a positive goal - you still end up thinking constantly about the problem. When you re-frame, and focus on the solution - on what's good, right and positive - you begin to move towards the solution. As you move towards the positive, it becomes naturally reinforcing.

Accentuate the positive - eliminate the negative.

Jimi

[koffeekate]

Hi!
I have had some success with OA. I've never been to a meeting where people talked about sneeking food or how to cheat the steps. The approach as I have been introduced to it was very straight forward. So straight forward, there is nowhere to hide out....and that can be uncomfortable.
I attended OA for a year when I was compulsively overeating SAD.
I've gone to a few meetings since transitioning to RAW, but there isn't much support for it. There other websites that address food addiction in the context of living a raw foods lifestyle. There are also a few books that may be helpful. My local library didn't have any books on raw and addiction, but typing in "RAW" to a place like half.com will yield results.
I would suggest you try a couple of meetings in your area. Every meeting has a different personality, so don't be discouraged if the first one isn't your cup of tea. Good luck. -Kate.

[JMD]

I have been in OA for 11 years. I have NEVER heard things such as what RP has spoken of--that musta been tough...
. You can read my journal some of my process is in there. I found it very helpful...It addressed for me yrs ago WHY i overate...once that is dealt with AND i removed trigger and bindge foods I have had yrs of peace around food. I mean i DO have my days but I have so much more enegry to LIVE for LIFE versus live for food. No one can define your process go try it for a week or two then maybe inventory where you are at then. To me as a past committement phobe :p I either have to be all in or all out and give myself 100%--to what i am in.

Best wishes to you and your steps to health:)
JMD

[pamojamo]

I have been a member of OA for many years. Thankfully, I have not had an experience like RP has described. I try to get to three meetings a week, I call my sponsor at least 5 days a week. I also do service work for my local OA "chapter." I consider raw foods to be my food plan, and I work the 12 steps for emotional and spiritual recovery.
OA is based on Alcoholics Anonymous and the Big Book of AA is our main text. While there are many alcoholics who do not find success in AA, there are countless individuals with years of sobriety thanks to AA. I have found it to be the same with OA. It works for many people, for others, it may not. I have to respectfully disagree with statements such as "the only way you can recover is by working with a therapist." There are many paths to recovery. You will never know if OA will work for you unless you give it a try. Where I live, we have some weekly meetings specifically designed for newcomers. Perhaps there are such meetings in your area.
I wish you all the best as you give OA a try. I'm glad you posted this question.

[meinleben]

RP's post was one of the worst i have EVER read on this forum....

like someone above here posted....OA is based on a 12 step spiritual framework...with membership stemming from attraction not promotion....

there are so many people that have benefited from OA and i think purtyflower has courage for taking a step as powerful as this one....

eating raw is NOT the cure all....

eating raw is amazing and will change your life...

[rawpriestess]

Please do NOT misquote me,

I did NOT say, the only way you can recover is by working with a therapist as pamojamo stated, I said that It helped ME, if you look at my post it says "the only thing that ever really helped me, was to deal with my issues with a therapist who was a certified hypnotherapist,

and this may not be a fun post, but it was my experience, and not just one time, I went to OA for 13 years, in 3 different meating groups, and every one of them was into the challenges, NOT the cure of overeating

evidentally I pushed a couple of food buttons, having an emotional response, is a fear response.

therapy helped me, it might help you, it might not, but NOTHING will help UNLESS you do it. including eating raw food.

[meinleben]

i did not misquote you because i did not quote you....

i just did not care for your post...and my response was/is not really emotional...or fearful or whatever you implied....just stating my opinion like you did...hope there is nothing wrong with that....

this post is to support purtyflowerr...which is what i want to do...

[Spectatrix]

RP's post may have been negative, but she was just relating her own experiences, not bashing OA as a whole. It's obvious that some people here have had positive experiences with OA and I think that's great. purtyflowrr, I'd recommend going to your meeting and judging for yourself what the atmosphere is like and whether you think it will help you out.

[karenisraw]

You may have a problem absorbing and utilizing nutrients or other problems which require high amounts of certain nutrients for fix the problem which causes you to have urges to eat constantly.

In my case it looks like I may have problems absorbing nutrients, especially B-12. Also, I may have a problem other things which require B-12 methylcobalamin to resolve the problem. Possibly. I am going to be getting a series of tests to find out the problem. At this point I need several suppliments to get enough B-12 especially.

I would find a good licensed nutritionist or nutritional scientist who will talk to you and recommend the correct tests to find out why you have a desire to eat so much. I had this problem my whole life and mistook myself for being a little piggy when the reality was I had a nutritional problem. I was obsessed with food and thought about it all the time.

k :) :)

[JMD]

I must say that we must all remember recovery is not a ONE SIZE FITS ALL....

I think all the above suggestion work together. I also 100% agree raw food IS NOT A CURE all for those addicted to food. Raw food is a much healthier and nutrient dense way to eat that may soothe the hunger for a bit. I think that the only cure for addicts--real addicts is some form of surrender, emotional healing through various modalities, a continued support system of sorts, and Higher Source. I have seen hundreds of people recovery in a 12 step program but some do well without one too. It is ALL PERSONAL....

I say GO check it out and form your OWN opinion.

Blessings:)
JMD

[rawpriestess]

i did not misquote you because i did not quote you....

i just did not care for your post...and my response was/is not really emotional...or fearful or whatever you implied....just stating my opinion like you did...hope there is nothing wrong with that....

this post is to support purtyflowerr...which is what i want to do...
I DIDN'T SAY you quoted me, I said Pamojamo quoted me.

and yes, we do all have a right to our opinions, there is nothing wrong with that at all.

And I did not imply anything, I stated what my beliefs are, plane and simply, no implication at all.

[pamojamo]

RP, I apoligize that I paraphrased what I interpreted as your opinion, put it in quotes, and led you to believe I was directly quoting you. I should not have done that and I am sincerely sorry.

Here is a direct quote from your post:

"It would be different if they had a professional counselor working with them, but they don't.

You've got people with food issues, telling you what they did, and that is not a good thing to go through, all you learn is more creative ways to binge, and hide food.

it was terrible."

When I read this, I read the word "you" and I no longer read it as only your experience but an assumption about others' experiences. I guess that's just a downside to message boards. The technology is wonderful but at times those of us who post can be misunderstood. As I stated before, I feel there is more than one path to recovery. I am glad you found yours and I have found mine.

[Larue]

I had a similar experience to Raw Priestess, but in a different context. When I first started going to OA, I was amazed to listen to people discuss all the dysfunctional ways they used food: The buying huge quantities of food, having remorse and throwing it away; sneaking food from friends and family; binging on the way home after going out with friends, pouring coffee grounds in bags of food to make them uneatable, then poking through to find parts that *were* eatable-lol But this was all before attempting recovery. I remember feeling so much better, that I wasn't a freak (ok, some of that behavior *is* freaky!) knowing that other people did weird things with food. But those discussions were all in the context of recovery and that most of them didn't do that anymore. Hey, having an eating disorder is not pretty..... :o

The way the meetings are set up, you get to talk with no cross-talk, which means you just get to say what you feel with no one criticizing you. That is is so important, just admitting to another soul how hard and what a struggle it all is without immediately being given advice, like our friends and family want to do.

I haven't gone in many years, because of the philosophy that you are always going to be 'sick'. However, the benefits from the time I went were enormously helpful to me.

I think you should give it a try and I wish you well.

[Purl]

purtyflower-I just started going a few weeks ago. I'm currently working on a food plan that works for me. At first I surrendered ALL of my choices to my sponsor and just let her tell me what I needed to eat. She didn't pick out my food, but told me to eat meats, cooked grains, etc and I just went along with it. I felt SICK for weeks. 2 days ago I told her I was going to either have to eat raw or quit OA. I, as usu, saw only balck or white. Raw or OA. My sponsor was totally cool-and together we are transitioning me over to 99% raw. I say 99% 'cause there will be days when I'm going to want cooked veggies and I'm not gonna set myself up to "fail" by being a prefectionist. "Progress, not perfection", that's my new mantra.

[Sarah]

I have not personally tried OA, but my mother has over many years, and has successfully lost 130 pounds. According to her it wouldn't be possible any other way.

Undoubtedly it depends on the individual, the "tone" of the particular group, and probably other variables, but it may be worth a try, as some people certainly have experienced success.