Stand-up comedians tell jokes about the fat guy in a tiny swimsuit at the beach or park. But a powerful lesson exists there. You just have to look hard to see it. That heavy guy is having fun with his friends and family. He’s getting some sun and exercise, and he doesn’t care about your opinion regarding his appearance or …

I came into Overeaters Anonymous more than nineteen years ago weighing 250 pounds (113 kg). I thought I was one of God’s biggest mistakes. I hated myself. I hated my body. I recall looking in the mirror and wishing I could just take a knife and cut off all the fat rolls. I got a sponsor at my first OA …

I’ve been in OA for four years now, and it has given me more than I ever imagined. I’ve lived around the world working for the US military. I started OA in Texas, got serious in Germany, and I’m coming to a deep realization here in Japan. What I’ve finally started to realize is a new sense of femininity. It’s so …

Overeaters Anonymous worked when many other attempts to control my eating did not. The proof for me is that I have maintained a healthy body weight for over twenty-two years. My previous diets always resulted in a food celebration and a return to compulsive overeating. I couldn’t successfully reach a goal weight and maintain it for more than a few …

It is an interesting question, “How have I adjusted to life at a healthy body weight?” I have almost always been at a healthy body weight, except when I was borderline anorexic or when my weight zigzagged up to 35 pounds (16 kg) overweight. For most of my adult life, I have been within a normal weight range, but I got …

When I was in the clutches of my disease, I felt so defeated that I began preparing myself for life as an overweight woman. I was only 18 and had been unsuccessfully fighting my disease since age 10. I rationalized that maybe living out my life in a fat body wouldn’t be so bad. I figured I was just meant …

My journey in physical recovery has been full of ups and downs, much like the number on my scale before I came into program. I once believed that if I could wear a size 16 in jeans (stretchy jeans, that is), then I could live a fulfilled life; I truly believed I would die happy in a size 16. My Higher …

I came into OA in the middle of 2008. At the time I weighed just over 80 kilograms (176 lbs) and was on the way up. It was the most I had ever weighed. I believed I was going to end up obese, and I didn’t care. From the age of 15, I had been experimenting with diet pills, never …

My progress in recovery continues, though not as speedy or constant as I would like. In about five years, I’ve lost 60 pounds (27 kg), and I still have close to 30 pounds (14 kg) I’d like to shed. I started as a fat, lazy diabetic who suffered from asthma and episodes of gout. My blood pressure was high. I …

The painful body images I carried for more than fifty years of my life have slowly evolved, moving from a fat girl in gym class, full of self-loathing and self-doubt, to a healthier image of a fit person who regularly exercises, and now to a triathlete. This new body and new life became possible only through working the Twelve Steps …