My Abstinence Kits When I first came to OA forty years ago, my idea of a plan of eating was a diet. OA members suggested I have three moderate meals daily with nothing in between, and of course, avoid foods with refined sugar. I was ecstatic at my first meeting when I saw the different color coded plans lying on the table. Each … Read More
The Words I Needed to Hear The very last thing I wanted to do when I came into OA sixteen years ago was use a plan of eating. I joined OA in desperation because I was working for a weight-loss company, where I had to weigh in monthly, and I could not stop gaining weight. I was trying to follow a restricted diet and could not … Read More
Ten Thousand Miracles I had prepared a salad and was fully enjoying the two sources of protein in it when it occurred to me that I don’t usually put more than one source of protein in my salads. With a start, I realized I had made a mistake: I double measured. It’s not like someone had died, but I realized that, if such … Read More
Simple Plan Following a simple fill-in-the-blanks plan of eating has been so helpful this past week while I’ve been away from home and eating in a cafeteria that offers a variety of weird and complicated foods. Just today, I was at the local outdoor market, which was full of arousing aromas, but I decided instead to get a standby lunch option from a … Read More
Building on Success I had been attending meetings sporadically for a few months and was thinking about a plan of eating. I read about the different plans listed in Where Do I Start?, but I wasn’t drawn to any of it. So, I asked my sponsor for his take on the subject. He suggested I choose a plan that I was 99 percent sure … Read More
Working Wonderfully I have been in OA now for over twenty-eight years, and I have come a long way. When I first came into the program, my food plan consisted of eating very little—I was a starve-and-binger. At the meetings I attended back in those days, there was no clear process for how to pick a food plan. I had a sponsor … Read More
Affirming Words Is it just me? The cover of the January 2020 Lifeline is so affirming. The words I so need to live by and live with are spread all over. I have heard so many say, “It’s just words” or “It’s just a slogan,” which, to me, is very sad. Those words and slogans are signposts and my way of life. They … Read More
Myths vs. Truths During my first eight years in OA, I had unconsciously created some odd expectations around my plan of eating! Thanks to the intense writing of my Fourth Step, I have identified several of my plan of eating myths and truths: Myth: I will not want to eat anything but my plan of eating meals. Truth: Physical cravings have ended. Myth: … Read More
The Sounds of Program I put my hand in yours, . . . At a retreat years ago in Melbourne, Australia, participants began with a trust walk. (A trust walk is where half the group closes its eyes and the other half leads them around.) Then, the roles were reversed so the other group could lead around the room. But one OA member attending … Read More
Stand Up and Ask Actions speak louder than words. When someone in recovery leads by example, then there is little room for debate. There are many ways to act and lead in OA, and I’ve found working my program makes it easier. For example, when I have a question but no clue how to begin the search for an answer, I first admit to … Read More
