The Twelve Steps are the heart of the OA recovery program. They offer a new way of life that enables the compulsive overeater to live without the need for excess food.

The ideas expressed in the Twelve Steps, which originated in Alcoholics Anonymous, reflect practical experience and application of spiritual insights recorded by thinkers throughout the ages. Their greatest importance lies in the fact that they work! They enable compulsive overeaters and millions of other Twelve-Steppers to lead happy, productive lives. They represent the foundation upon which OA is built.

The Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous

1. We admitted we were powerless over food — that our lives had become unmanageable.
   
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
   
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
   
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
   
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
   
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
   
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
   
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
   
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
   
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
    
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
    
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

This forum has been so helpful to me. Thanks so much for adding it. It gives me hope

Just wanted to say- I am banded and feeing great. It has been done and I am not sorry that i did. Now....the journey begins.

KatW

congrats on your band Kat :cursing:

HI everyone,

I haven't been to OA for about 4-5 years, I am planning to start with a meeting and a sponser here in Sac this week. Wish me luck!

I still find myself waffling on Step 1 - sometimes I'm absolutely sure I have no control over my compulsions, sometimes I'm too stubborn to admit it.

I'm having some major problems with Step 2 this week. I have been having the most horrifying thoughts of telling God to get out of my way - I've never done that before. I really am a mule-head. I refused to go to church Sunday because I wanted to clean my house. I told myself that the choir music is boring, nobody cares, I don't know that many people at church anyway, yadda yadda yadda. My group meeting this week was all about "letting go and letting God", believe it or not. Coincidence? The strangest thing is - I know how to do that, and I've done it before. Unfortunately, I always seem to grab my personal crap back and stubbornly try to handle it all myself because "it's my responsibility".

:confused2:

Maybe I should move on to Step 3, and start taking a good, long look at who I really am. Sometimes when I do that, I can finally deal with it. It's kinda like when I realized some of the major factors driving my compulsions, then my compulsive eating stopped being so much fun. And yet - I find myself not wanting to give up that part of me yet. I get something out of my compulsive eating I'm not quite willing to completely let go of yet. I crave the unconsciousness of it, the escape from my lousy life, the carb and sugar highs.

I hate this disease. I hate the aloneness of it. I hate not feeling "normal". I hate being "broken". Most of all, I hate being fat.

Hugs,

Donna

Compulsive Overeater

Wow Donna, your post really touched me, I saw a lot of myself in it.

Weight problems go so much deeper then people give credit for. I've stopped going to church, heck I've even questioned God, my faith and everything I've believed my whole life. I know most of this insecurity and uncertainty comes from my weight. I've never been like this before.

I am a spiritual Christian. I go to church about half the time these days. I know I am a compulsive overeater. My question is: specifically how is God going to stop my behavior. What do I need to do with my faith in order to trust God to fix my behavior.

donna, my thoughts and prayers are with you even though i find that i dont do nearly enough anymore. praying that is. your post touched me also and sounded so much like how i feel. thing is, theres a whole bunch of US out there. maybe we can all help each other and just maybe thats how GOD gets back in the picture...........my computers on the blink and i have really missed getting on here and seeing how every one is doing. should be up and running next week i hope cause if i am out of touch with you all i dont seem to do as well myself. hope to talk again soon and everyone try and stay positive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!jenhay

Fluffycat,

This coming from someone who is stuggling so much may sound hypocritical, but I think what we all have to do in order to "let go and let God" is SUBMIT. That word has a lot of Biblical connotations, many of which really rub me the wrong way as a woman. When I think about submitting, I think of falling to my knees and saying "Ok, Lord, I give it all to you." Now, that's scary, especially for me because I have major trust issues stemming from previous relationships and marriage. Every now and then I can do it, when I'm feeling particularly weak and tired and helpless. But somehow, when God does lend His helping hand to me and gives me strength, I suddenly tell Him "go away, I can do this myself," like some stubborn two-year-old. Back to square one. Again. And again.

Submitting is so against everything I've ever learned in life.

Hugs,

Donna

Jenhay - thank you so much for the prayers!!!

Hugs,

Donna

Life is tuff but God is tuffer. Let's all pray for each other and enjoy God's roller coaster.

Kudos to that, MyTurn.

hey, where did everyone go? my computer has been back at the factory for over a week now and i have missed out on so much. just want to hear from some one. jenhay.

Hello DOnna;

Thanks for your honest post. I'll read more later

Well, I want to start posting my food for the day. I need to put it out there. My breakfast was 16 oz crystal light with protein liquid. Lunch was 8 oz non-fat milk with one cup yogurt, blended with one scoop of protein whey. Afternoon snack was medium banana. Dinner was the big fall out. Burger King, burger with FF, and diet coke; then two devil dogs. That's it for the day. I was close today, but tomorrow is another day for success. Good luck to us all.