Stay ConnectedMembers of OA in San Francisco share what it was like, what happened, and what life is like now.
Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a community of people who through shared experience, strength and hope are recovering from unhealthy relationships with food and body image. OA’s twelve-step program works like Alcoholics Anonymous except it helps us deal with food.
OA in San Francisco: https://www.oasf.org/
More about Overeaters Anonymous: https://oa.org/
Forest, member since 2014, identifies as a compulsive eater. Forest's share from the Tuesday evening Century Meeting includes the following themes: childhood • religious household • control • needing to know why • being gay • health consequences of overeating • self-hatred • compulsive exercising • bulimia • feeling dead inside • accepting sugar addiction • trying OA • 1st abstinence • perfectionism • serene enough in my head • joining a bike tour • taking next right actions • showing up • family • disease is progressive/recovery is progressive
A century person is an individual who has lost or needs to lose 100 pounds or more.
Note: Speaker does not identify as a Century Person
Andrea, member since 1984, identifies as a compulsive overeater and century person. Andrea's share from the Tuesday evening Century Meeting includes the following themes: still a compulsive overeater • being a 300-lber • finding OA • food liar/scammer • sometimes quickly, sometimes sloooooowly... (god's timetable) • Tradition 3 • 12th Step Within Committee (relapse/recovery) • the 11th Step Prayer • 4th Step experience • spiritual relief • Tools of Recovery • comfort in food • making myself big & making my personality small • diets/gyms/humiliation • carrying over 100 lbs • Higher Power • fellowship in OA • finding home in SF & OA • honest but not hurtful • next right action • miracles happen here
A century person is an individual who has lost or needs to lose 100 pounds or more.
To learn more about 12th Step Within, please go here: https://oa.org/groupsservice-bodies/resources/twelfth-step-within/
Jacqui, member since 2010, identifies as a compulsive overeater, sugar addict, and relapser. Jacqui's share from the Tuesday evening Century Meeting includes the following themes: perfection • childhood • control • learning sneaky eating • not allowed to feel feelings (stunted emotionally) • discovering alcohol • college • trading alcohol for sugar • balancing dieting/bingeing/drinking/over-exercising • pregnancy • depression • finding the world of 12 Step (AA & OA) • 1st OA meeting • using OA as another diet • relapse • a Higher Power that can work for me • asking for needs & turning over the results
A century person is an individual who has lost or needs to lose 100 pounds or more.
Note: Speaker does not identify as a century person
Sean, member since 2008, identifies as a compulsive overeater, sugar addict, century person, and relapser. Sean's share from the Tuesday evening Century Meeting includes the following themes: letting go of the scale • relapse • being dually diagnosed • self-judgment • 1st time eating in isolation (sneaky eating) • commercial weight-loss • judging bodies • the binge/depression cycle • unhealthy weight-loss (pride) • consequences of under-nourishment • 3 phone calls/day • journaling • the H.O.W. program • sponsorship • mentally fat • dating • speaker-guided 11th Step meditation (17:28-25:08; includes 2 stints of silence)
A century person is an individual who has lost or needs to lose 100 pounds or more.
H.O.W. is short for Honesty, Open-mindedness & Willingness. For more information, please go to https://how-oa.org/about/
Peggy, member since 2007, identifies as a compulsive overeater, a relapser, and an exercise bulimic. Peggy's share from the 2018 Unity Day event includes the following themes: being a diverse OA member • OA not curing food problem • understanding that this is a disease • trying to control food • unmanageability • exercising to mitigate compulsive overeating • restricting • Higher Power leading to sanity • Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous • what turning over will means • inventorying • the Whac-A-Mole game • carrying the message to other compulsive overeaters • having a common solution
Toby, member since 1983, identifies as a compulsive overeater and century person. Toby's share from the 2018 Unity Day event includes the following themes: enormous shift in personality & behavior • diets • finding OA • attending first 2 OA meetings • hearing the concept of powerlessness & Step 1 • discovering the problem • 1st sponsor • OA service is critical • newly abstinent & feelings coming up • working the steps • earth-shattering Step 5 experience • discovering having character defects • learning to do 10th Steps • embracing character defects • what a sponsor does • Higher Power speaking through fellows • selfishness • giving up cigarettes • first plan of eating (3 meals/day, 3 whole chickens/day) • 1st sugar-free day • current meeting attendance • the truth is hard to hear & the truth is good • no OA graduations
Trish, member since 2002, identifies as a compulsive overeater, century person, and relapser. Trish's share from the Tuesday evening Century Meeting includes the following themes: keeping pain at bay • losing 100 lbs 3 times • people-pleasing • relapse • leaving and returning to OA • "the slow boat to recovery" • putting down sugar • can't do this program alone • being a part of the group • finding OA through Al-anon • fears & resentments • health issues bringing me back to OA • physical consequences of overeating • today's miracles • honesty versus vagueness • Step 5 • a lot to uncover • pretending to be confident • service A century person is an individual who has lost or needs to lose 100 pounds or more.
Nora, member since 2003, identifies as a compulsive overeater and century person. Nora's share from the Tuesday evening Century Meeting includes the following themes: arthritic knees • physical pain • growing up in a food culture (Italian family) • eating all day & alone • sugar addiction • drug use • body image issues • dieting/commercial weight-loss • difficulty keeping off weight • not weighing self or owning a scale • numbing out & lacking clarity • spiritual awakening/moment of clarity/surrender • discovering OA • 1st OA meeting • 1st OA sponsor • food plan • boundaries around food • working Steps • sponsoring others • current meeting attendance • having peace of mind & good health A century person is an individual who has lost or needs to lose 100 pounds or more.
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