I have been in the rooms of OA for five years. I have been relieved of 91 pounds (41 kg). I have been in and out of relapse and have heard many stories of fellows who suffered terribly in this disease. I did not understand the phrase “we use food to stuff emotions we do not want to feel” until …

I have experienced the 100-pounder (45-kg) status twice: first as a newcomer, and three years later after a six-month relapse. Recovering, I reached a 30- to 40-pound (14- to 18-kg) loss and then plateaued. I felt like nothing was working. Desperate people are willing to take desperate measures. I finally admitted I needed help from a food sponsor, who was willing …

I began the most recent chapter of my OA journey by facing the futility of a sixteen-year relapse. I admired nothing about myself, least of all my body. I had weight-loss surgery in 2001, yet I’d managed to gain back all the weight I’d lost plus 25 extra pounds (11 kg). I weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg). I had …

Over twenty-two years ago, after six years of being in OA, I finally accepted that there were certain foods I could not begin to eat without developing uncontrollable cravings. My six years of recovery/relapse cycles and my thirty-five years of yo-yo dieting were suddenly explained. It was clear: In order for me to be abstinent, I had to eliminate those …

Before March 2014, my life was full of self-hatred, fear, and isolation. I took the phone off the hook and ate all day and night. At one point, I ate myself up to 323 pounds (147 kg). I had been in and out of OA since 1974, and I was desperate. I needed OA badly, and I am now back …