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Fat Clothes / Skinny Clothes

I have often heard it said that a good food addict has an entire closet-full of clothes that range from their smallest size to their largest size because they never know what size they are going to be from year to year (or sometimes, from month to month).  That was me.  I had everything from …Continue reading →

How I Became Abstinent (This Time)

For seven years (2002-2008), in addition to being a raging compulsive overeater, I was a raging workaholic and I stopped attending all OA meetings.  Sometimes I tried to restrain my compulsion to overeat, but as the stress at work grew, so did my size.  Not only did I eventually regain all of the 96 pounds I …Continue reading →

My Last Diet

Without mentioning any names, I want to share with you what it was like during my last attempt to lose weight through dieting.  (This was about seven years ago, during one of my OA “vacations.”)  It was through the use of a famous program that I’m sure has helped thousands of people.  I just happened …Continue reading →

Drunks At Meetings (Myself Included)

About 2 years ago I started going to AA as part of my food addiction recovery.  A few months in, an obviously drunk man showed-up at one of my regular meetings.  I was appalled.  I mean, I could see if the person just smelled like booze and sat there quietly, but this guy was loud-mouthed, slurring …Continue reading →

Step 2, Part 1: “Came to believe…”

When I first came into program, I considered myself to be an atheist.  Through going to meetings and reading The Big Book, I discovered that I was really an agnostic.  This meant that I believed that the existence of God could not be proven, but that I was at least open to the possibility that …Continue reading →

I Can’t Blame My Family

Coming back to OA after a 100-pound-plus weight-gain was not easy – I’m not going to lie.  But once I was there, because I was a lot older and more worldly (I can’t honestly say “wiser”), I found it to be much easier this time to make friends.  Due to the inherent stunting powers of this …Continue reading →

“ONLY one pound?!” – Pt. 2

After writing “Only ONE pound?!,” I realized that, if I said that same sentence with the emphasis on the first word rather than on the second (“ONLY one pound?!”), then I would have the opposite side of the same coin.  If I got on that same scale and GAINED a pound rahter than LOST a pound, …Continue reading →

Beauty And “The Beast”

In 1990, I got my first teaching job at a wonderful local preschool.  I was so excited.  But on my first day, I was scared to death that the children wouldn’t like me.  Luckily, my best friend (who just happened to be the person training me) told me exactly what I needed to hear – …Continue reading →

Gum-Chewing (And Other Abstinent Obsessions)

The very first time I became abstinent, I developed all kinds of other weird obsessions without even realizing it.  The first one was eating sugar-free mints.  I specifically remember asking my mom to get me a whole bunch at Christmas & Easter time so I would have something to pop in my mouth instead of …Continue reading →

“Only ONE pound?!” – Pt. 1

My abstinent food plan calls for me to only weigh myself at my counselor’s office.  Since I only see her roughly once every six-to-eight weeks, I have been forced to give-up the majority of the obsessive behaviors related to getting weighed, like getting on the scale daily (or more), using calories to try to calculate …Continue reading →