hi i was talking with a non banded friend of mine this past weekend about food issues, addiction etc. my family is full of alcohal, drug addiction. my addiction is to food she has basically the same story.

so neither of us have been to OA just wondering what its like? i have been to AA and NA meetings before (wild youth, parents sent me to rehab) and dont really care for the 12 step based programs. is OA based on the same 12 steps? did you get anything out of it?

It is a 12 step program. I have not been but my mother-inlaw has. She was really into it but stopped going.

When I was young I went to a alanon meeting for teens, I thought it was like a cult. They had these hugging execrsises and I was really uncomfortable with it. I think some people need to be in a supportive group like this - my Uncle has been in AA since I was a kid and does really well with the support of his AA pals.

I am just not one to belong to groups, no sororitys, no clubs, no nothing. Not that it is a good thing, just my own issues.

Good luck to you Shelly!

i am not usually one for that kind of thing either but i thought if i got something out of it it would be worth an hour of time...i have been to al-anon too. i didnt care for any of them and the 12 steps are a bit of a turn off for me!

i think if me and my friend talk about our food issues then that alone may help.

i am not someone who binges and purges. i dont even feel like i binge that much- more like just overeat in general. now that my band is empty i am afraid this will become a problem!!

I tend to binge too. Like I will have a bite or two of EVERYTHING I just brought home form the store. I think I need another fill because I can really eat a lot right now.

I went to an OA meeting many years ago. It seemed like it would have been good but once I told my story. I felt so ashamed, I cried and that was my last visit.

terisita! thanks for sharing your experience with OA. you did the hardest part...sharing your story. why did you never go back? just embarrassment at the showing of emotion?

i think i am gonna go to the library and get some books on eating disorders and things of that nature and maybe my friend and i will just talk about what we are reading.

It is hard to admit that you can't control your eating. There were only 3 or 4 people there and with that small number, I just felt I was the focus. I can get lost in a larger group and feel more comfortable. With that embarrasement I thought I could go and lose some weight on my own. But of course that was short lived. Anyhow, I do belong to TOPS now and they are an excellent support group. Take Off Pounds Sensibly

is tops a gym?

i dont even know if theres a meeting in my town. i wouldnt want to go to a group that was 3-4 members. actually having a 'group' of different people increases the chances of someone having something to offer me. (or you or whoever!)

I haven't been to OA, but it is a 12-step program. I believe you get out of them what you put in them. :biggrin1:

kelli

is tops a gym?

i dont even know if theres a meeting in my town. i wouldnt want to go to a group that was 3-4 members. actually having a 'group' of different people increases the chances of someone having something to offer me. (or you or whoever!)

http://www.tops.org/

TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly is a weight loss support group. Kinda like WW but they don't sell you anything. They support you in your wl journey. They teach good eating habits and exercise. They do a lot of fun incentives to lose weight. They have the best loser weekly and monthly. They don't care if you have had any kind of surgery. They journey is hard and we all know it. click on meetings to find one near you. After you have lost your desired weight, you become a KOPS Kept Off Pounds Sensibly.

I have been to OA. Was forced to go while in rehab for an eating disorder.

OA is for any one with food issues. Overeaters, bulimics, anorexics, compulsive eaters... anything. I went while I was in treatment, and then stopped. I still have the books and they are a 12 step program. I just could not handle the whining and complaining. I know we all have issues, but the woman celebrating her 10 year anniversary was wider than me, and just a miserable woman... so I figure it must not work.

Have thought about going but I kind of like the conditions here better. You can't really judge a pirate stalking poodle. :love:

:hungry: ShellyJ,

I'm a long-term OA member, having joined in 1990 because I was desperate after other attempts at weight loss and this program is free. It was a Godsend for me. It literally changed my life. OA taught me so much about how to live life in an emotionally healthy way. Working through the steps helped me rid myself of a lot of crippling emotional baggage. I really did experience a personality change & as a result, my husband agreed to try for the second child I'd wanted for so long. The result? A beautiful baby girl when I was 47! She was my recovery baby.

There's a great deal of wisdom in 12-step programs. The key to benefitting from it is to "take what you like and leave the rest".

My "home group" has about 70 members, in all stages of recovery from compulsive eating. I experienced substantial weight loss - 43 pounds kept off for 3 1/2 years, and later 90 pounds kept off for over a year. Unfortunately, I experienced severe depression and regained all the weight. As you know, relapse is common with compulsive overeating. That's why I'm being worked up for a lapband!

Give it a try if you're open-minded. It can be a terrific opportunity for growth and support. You don't have to believe in God to join, just to believe in a "Higher Power", a power greater than yourself. For me, it was nature.

I am not near any face to face OA meetings but I use the online meetings at times. I also like their literature. With any of these type of support groups it can really depend on who is there unfortunately. So, I use what I can get out of it via online meetings and their literature. Ya never know unless you give it a go

Sharyn, I showed this thread to a friend of mine and she is interested in the online meetings. Would you have a link to the website?

Thanks.

I went for years. It is the same 12 steps as for alchohol. It is not weight loss based so technically, you could be morb. obese and succsessful with food. I do believe it is heartfelt, and the people involved really believe in it....but lets just say, if it worked I wouldnt have had to get the band.

Parts of it are helpful, like get out of yourself, and accept the things you cannot change etc, but it is not `the` magic answer to obesity or eatting disorders.