Lost Half, Gained Everything

I am at a peculiar milestone. I now weigh 168 pounds (76 kg), and that reflects my 168-pound weight loss. It’s also been three years since I started my transformation. I joined OA in January 2013. The following September, I was sitting in my chair and purposefully eating myself to death. I felt done with life; I could no longer see what it offered. I weighed 336 pounds (152 kg) and could not walk three blocks. I was in constant pain and completely isolated, watching life go by from my living room window. A formerly fat friend came through town to visit and gave me a food plan that addressed the allergens in foods. I began my new food plan on September 19, 2013.

That Christmas, I bought candy for the stockings but ate it all the same day. I knew then that I could not do this alone, so I went to an OA meeting the next night. I struggled with getting off sugar until January 2014, and on January 21, I ate my last cookie. Nearly three years later, I haven’t broken my OA abstinence. I can now go to the gym four times a week and work out for an hour and a half.

When my sponsor left me and the program, I felt so alone. I started making calls and found a special-topic meeting that uses the OA-HOW structured meeting format. I have been attending that meeting since July 8, 2015.

I have lost half my body weight, but more important (if you can even believe it), is the peace of mind I’ve gained plus the strongest connection with my HP that I’ve ever experienced. I believe the inflammation in my body and brain had affected my moods, hormones, and connection with my HP, but I am as happy and free now as I was miserable before.

I have learned so much from my time in OA. I try to live my life guided by the Just for Today wallet card. Every day, I read literature, write, call my sponsor, call at least three other fellows, and take a call from my sponsee. I weigh and measure my food and call in to my sponsor with my food plan. I go to three to five meetings a week. I weigh myself once a month.

I would not have even begun this journey if I had known I’d still be losing weight three years later, but each pound lost has been a relief. I’ve done this one day at a time because I could not have handled any more. I would not be where I am right now—with the peace of mind I live with every day, the gratitude I carry for the people in my life, and all the gifts given by my HP—if it weren’t for our Fellowship. I’m a zealot, and I live the principles in all my affairs.

Thank you, everyone, for making this journey bearable and for doing it with me.

— Teresa