Overeaters Anonymous

sheeply

Anyone here in the fellowship in Ireland?

lilydonoghue

Not in the fellowship but was at one time.

learn_more

What is the philosophy of this group?

I find the term 'overeating' a bit worrying.

Most if not all people who have a serious weight problem is as a result of eating bad food, ie highly calorific unhealthy food.

In simpler terms it would be hard to find someone who is obese as a result of eating too much vegetables.

Overeating is a misnomer. Eating badly would be more accurate.

Alf Veedersane

learn_more wrote: »

What is the philosophy of this group?

I find the term 'overeating' a bit worrying.

Most if not all people who have a serious weight problem is as a result of eating bad food, ie highly calorific unhealthy food.

In simpler terms it would be hard to find someone who is obese as a result of eating too much vegetables.

Overeating is a misnomer. Eating badly would be more accurate.

It's for people with disordered eating and the purpose is to address the underlying issues that cause them to overeat.

sheeply

@lilydonoghue did you find it useful when you attended? Have been going to meetings for 2 months in another country, as I'm living abroad. Wanted to get a feel for what OA is like in Ireland as well as committing properly/long-term.

lilydonoghue

I actally did find it useful but the meeting was quite far from where I live so I stopped going. I managed to stay off sugar and white flour for 11 months. However I am not sure how sustainable it is long term. I only know 2 people who have years of abstinence.

sheeply

Thanks Lily! Did you find there was a big emphasis on abstinence/meal plans? Where I attend meetings abroad it's quite mixed, some people have food plans and sponsors long term, others are working the steps with sponsors, some like me are just starting out and getting a feel for it and are unsure about committing. Most of the longtermers meal plans revolve around 3 meals a day, no snacks or some have planned snacks, rather than cutting food groups as far as I know, although I know the sugar/flour thing is a big thing in some US groups.

lilydonoghue

sheeply wrote: »

Thanks Lily! Did you find there was a big emphasis on abstinence/meal plans? Where I attend meetings abroad it's quite mixed, some people have food plans and sponsors long term, others are working the steps with sponsors, some like me are just starting out and getting a feel for it and are unsure about committing. Most of the longtermers meal plans revolve around 3 meals a day, no snacks or some have planned snacks, rather than cutting food groups as far as I know, although I know the sugar/flour thing is a big thing in some US groups.

The woman I asked to sponsor me was very big on abstinence and on portion control. Mostly the meetings were about sharing emotions. I would have liked more solutions to the struggle. There was one woman who went to the meetings and said she was doing weight watchers. It is a huge commitment and I really don't think I could sustain it long term although I would love if I could and admire the few people who are doing it. The sponsors meal plan was ok but she had 3 snacks of fruit in it.
are you living in the states or have you moved to Ireland and have you attended any meetings here. A lot of the meetings were about spiritual recovery not physical recovery which was also not helpful for me.

sheeply

The commitment turns me off. The idea of calling a sponsor every day, committing to a food plan for life is very daunting... but then I'm acutely aware that failing to take those steps isn't going to help me overcome my issues/lose the weight either. I'm abroad and was just home for Christmas, wanted a sense of Irish people in OA and the culture here. It doesn't seem like there are many people actively engaged on boards at least. How long did you give it a go for?

lilydonoghue

I lasted 11 months. from January to just between xmas and new year. I was very aware over xmas but didn't go to a meeting for ages beforehand and then I binged on chocolate, and never got back :-(

sheeply

lilydonoghue wrote: »

The woman I asked to sponsor me was very big on abstinence and on portion control. Mostly the meetings were about sharing emotions. I would have liked more solutions to the struggle. There was one woman who went to the meetings and said she was doing weight watchers. It is a huge commitment and I really don't think I could sustain it long term although I would love if I could and admire the few people who are doing it. The sponsors meal plan was ok but she had 3 snacks of fruit in it.
are you living in the states or have you moved to Ireland and have you attended any meetings here. A lot of the meetings were about spiritual recovery not physical recovery which was also not helpful for me.

lilydonoghue wrote: »

I lasted 11 months. from January to just between xmas and new year. I was very aware over xmas but didn't go to a meeting for ages beforehand and then I binged on chocolate, and never got back :-(

11 months is still probably a good amount of time to work out if OA was right for you! I completely understand and know the feeling. It's like any progress I make with food/weight, once I have a binge it's all over and I feel like I'm at square one, and the shame/sense of failure makes getting back on the horse seem impossible and like it's just not an option.

Part of the abstinence philosophy in OA makes me nervous that abstaining from e.g. sugar would just set me up for failure, once I inevitably crack and have a chocolate/sugar binge that I would be back to day 0 and step 0.

Alf Veedersane

sheeply wrote: »

11 months is still probably a good amount of time to work out if OA was right for you! I completely understand and know the feeling. It's like any progress I make with food/weight, once I have a binge it's all over and I feel like I'm at square one, and the shame/sense of failure makes getting back on the horse seem impossible and like it's just not an option.

Part of the abstinence philosophy in OA makes me nervous that abstaining from e.g. sugar would just set me up for failure, once I inevitably crack and have a chocolate/sugar binge that I would be back to day 0 and step 0.

Coming from a slightly different angle but you kind of have to start assuming you'll have to deal with binges and getting back on the wagon.

But one thing I learned through my own journey was that you have to remember that one day is one out of 365 in a year. It doesn't mean you've undone everything. It doesn't mean anything more than you allow yourself to believe it does.

A bad day is a blip on a long journey

sheeply

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Coming from a slightly different angle but you kind of have to start assuming you'll have to deal with binges and getting back on the wagon.

But one thing I learned through my own journey was that you have to remember that one day is one out of 365 in a year. It doesn't mean you've undone everything. It doesn't mean anything more than you allow yourself to believe it does.

A bad day is a blip on a long journey

That's a great way of looking at it, thank you. And yes, you're right - I gotta deal with the binging, hence starting going to OA, but I haven't started 'working the steps' yet. Finally feeling like I'm there and that I want this enough to work at it, but the programme itself is quite overwhelming. Wish there was more 12 step stuff on boards to chat with people about!

lilydonoghue

I wish there was more as well Sheeply. My problem is that I can start to eat healthily and reduce what I eat but within 3 weeks I am back eating more than before and its a vicious circle.