Peaceful and Active I am 91 years old and enjoying a fairly active, peaceful life because of OA. I joined OA at the age of 51, after struggling with my weight since childhood. I’d always dieted but immediately regained the weight. I was a degreed registered nurse who knew a lot about food and diets, but that didn’t help. Since childhood, I had … Read More
Gifts “As Is” Before I fully surrendered, my life was an ever-increasing battle with food, weight, myself, and others. I was a child who didn’t like being given half a cup of juice; I wanted the full cup. After overhearing family conversations about my “puppy fat,” I decided, at age 9, to attend my first commercial weight-loss club. I only had to lose … Read More
Speaking My Feelings When I came into OA, I thought my life would be perfect if I could just lose some weight and keep it off. I thought food was my problem, but it turned out I was my problem. More specifically, my thinking was my problem: I thought if I could do the right thing and say the right thing and make … Read More
Insulin-Free It’s a red-letter day, a miracle. I’m fearful (in case this is only temporary) but elated. I’m finally off insulin. About sixteen months ago, I began taking insulin every day to control my diabetes, but now I’ve gotten to zero units per day. I cannot begin to explain how wonderful it feels. I’ve lost 82 pounds (37 kg) and have … Read More
Mouthpeace One day, I was trying out a new slow cooker recipe I had created, and I wanted to taste it before serving it to my family. The food was hot, and I wasn’t careful to blow on it. I burned my mouth. I burned it pretty bad. It dawned on me in that painful moment that I’ve spent most of my … Read More
Progressive Focus I was just prescribed progressive lenses for my glasses. If I keep my head straight and look forward, I can see. If I look up, down, or to the sides, everything is a blur. I am reminded that before my Higher Power blessed me with the gift of the Twelve Steps, I spent most of my life in a blur. … Read More
Morning Person Before OA, mornings were a chore. When my alarm went off, I wanted nothing more than to pull the covers over my head and yell “Not fair!” at a God I thought was cruel and punishing. My overeating, my bingeing the night before, had taken its toll. Once again, I was not ready to function. Finding OA and working the … Read More
From Self-Help to Sanity I walked into my first OA meeting a little over two and a half years ago. It had taken me almost forty years to recognize that my eating disorder and compulsive food behaviors were out of control. I’d spent my entire adult life climbing the ladder of success, but when I reached the top, I realized it was leaning against … Read More
Intergroup Participation Q. Are there any suggestions on what an intergroup can do to attract participation from the Fellowship? A. Yes. First, let me assure you that yours is not the only intergroup that has challenges with this issue. The good news is that there are a number of ways to stimulate growth in intergroup participation. One way to get started is … Read More
Balance in the Middle I showed up at my first OA meeting because I was exhausted from trying unsuccessfully to break the cycle of bingeing on sweets, feeling awful about my behavior and myself, restricting and exercising to compensate for bingeing, weighing myself often, and eventually bingeing on sweets again regardless of the number on the scale. I ate to comfort myself when I … Read More