Is food a problem for you?
Have you been worried about the way you eat?
Do you resolve to go on a diet tomorrow, only to fail again and again?
Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?
You are not alone.
Overeaters Anonymous can help.
No dues, No fees, No weigh-ins.
What is OA?
OA is not a diet club, but a fellowship of individuals recovering from compulsive overeating and compulsive food behaviors such as from anorexia, bulimia, food addiction, and other food-related problems. If you are struggling with one of these issues, you are not alone any more.
Who joins OA?
OA members are men and women of all ages, from the United States and abroad. Some of us have been obese; others have been anorexic, bulimic, or so obsessed with food or weight that we could not freely live our lives.
Does the program really work?
Typically, OA members have tried any number of solutions to their problems with food, including (for many of us) years of diets or exercise. In OA, we have finally found an answer that is long-term. Some OA members have maintained normal weights and found freedom from obsession for more than twenty years. As more and more newcomers enter the program, the number of people with five or ten years of recovery continues to grow.
Many Symptoms, One Solution
The membership of OA is varied, both in its makeup and in the eating behaviors and experiences that brought each individual to OA.
In OA, you’ll find members who are:
Extremely overweight, even morbidly obese
Only moderately overweight
Average weight
Underweight
Still maintaining periodic control of their eating behavior
Totally unable to control their compulsive eating
There are many different patterns of food behaviors experienced by OA members. These “symptoms” are as varied as our membership. Among them are:
Obsession with body weight, size, and shape
Eating binges
Grazing
Preoccupation with reducing diets
Starving
Inducing vomiting after eating
Constant preoccupation with food
Inability to stop eating certain foods after taking the first bite
Our symptoms may vary, but we share a common bond: We are powerless over food and our lives are unmanageable. If you feel you are one of us, we welcome you with open arms.
Copyright 1991 by Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.
15 Questions:
This series of questions may help you determine if you are a compulsive eater. Many members of OA have found that they have answered yes to many of these.
- Do I eat when I’m not hungry, or not eat when my body needs nourishment?
- Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until I’m stuffed or even feel sick?
- Do I have feelings of guilt, shame, or embarrassment about my weight or the way I eat?
- Do I eat sensibly in front of others and then make up for it when I am alone?
- Is my eating affecting my health or the way I live my life?
- When my emotions are intense—whether positive or negative—do I find myself reaching for food?
- Do my eating behaviors make me or others unhappy?
- Have I ever used laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, excessive exercise, diet pills, shots or other medical interventions (including surgery) to try to control my weight?
- Do I fast or severely restrict my food intake to control my weight?
- Do I fantasize about how much better life would be if I were a different size or weight?
- Do I need to chew or have something in my mouth all the time: food, gum, mints, candies or beverages?
- Have I ever eaten food that is burned, frozen or spoiled; from containers in the grocery store; or out of the garbage?
- Are there certain foods I can’t stop eating after having the first bite?
- Have I lost weight with a diet or “period of control” only to be followed by bouts of uncontrolled eating and/or weight gain?
- Do I spend too much time thinking about food, arguing with myself about whether or what to eat, planning the next diet or exercise cure, or counting calories?
If you have answered yes to any of these, questions, then you may be a compulsive eater.
INTERESTED? CURIOUS? You’re invited to any of these meetings as a guest. You do not need to participate or say anything.
Visit our website, email or call us.
Phone: (781) 641-2303 e-mail: [email protected]
Copyright 1979, 1987, 1995 by Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.
The following PDF can be read or downloaded to learn more about Overeaters Anonymous. It includes symptoms and 15 questions to help determine if you are a compulsive eater. It also includes a meeting list for MBI meetings.
It is a tri-fold brochure that can be displayed for outreach. When printing use goldenrod color paper and make sure landscape mode is selected. Also use 2-sided or Duplex settings, flipping on short edge left.
What is OA (Overeaters Anonymous)OAMBI_Meetings02_2020 (trifold pamphlet- print in golden rod)
What is OA (Overeaters Anonymous)OAMBI_ZOOM Meetings 9_25_2020(trifold pamphlet-print in white)
What is OA (Overeaters Anonymous)OAMBI_ZOOM MeetingsFlyer2020(NOT trifold)