[KellyZ01]

Hello everyone!! My name is Kelly and I'm new to this forum.
A little about me: I have been dieting since I was in my teens, currently 23 yrs. old. I have tried every diet and almost every diet pill known to man. I just want to get rid of this last 15 lbs. The most success that I have had was about 4 months ago. I was on WW and lost about 20 lbs in about 8 months. I have to admit that I have had "tendencies" in the past towards eating disorders and am currently struggling with binge-type problems (not large binges, but there large to me).
I have been on other forums and I just haven't felt like I am getting the suppport from others that I need and I feel like no one can relate to me.

A few questions: Does any one know any coping skills for dealing with my binge-type issues?
Does anyone have any advice for my situation? I am grateful for any advice at all.

Thank you for listening

Kelly

[KellyZ01]

Oh and completely forgot to mention that today has been the worst binge day I think I have ever had. I don't mean little binge I mean large binge. I pretty much runined my diet for this week and I feel like I'm going to explode. I hate feeling like this!!!!
I think I have hit an all time low (feels like rock bottom)

So after doing some research on this forum, I was looking at the complusive eating disorders/ over eating disorders.
I answered the questions and I think I might be a complusive eater.
Can you be in OA without going to a meeting? I don't want anyone to know, no one knows now, I currently live at home with my parents (in college) and they can't know. Can anyone help?

Kelly

[ODAAT]

Hi Kelly and welcome!

I've only got limited experience of OA, but I do work the twelve steps to overcome my compulsive binging.

I've been a member of AA for 8 months, I'm only an online member in that I don't go to face-to-face meetings, just online meetings. I'm currently looking for an online OA meeting, but using the OA forum here helps a lot.

There are some people in AA/OA who say you can only succeed if you use all the tools - meetings, sponsorship etc. Personally, I think you should do what is right for you. If you can't face meetings, just find out a bit online and see how you feel.

Taken from the OA world service website:
"Like AA, OA's most valued tradition is personal anonymity at the public level. This means that the Fellowship itself is not anonymous, but its members are."

No-one at a meeting will ever mention anything about OA to you outside a meeting unless you tell them that it is okay. No one will tell anyone that you have been to a meeting. No one will repeat what you have said to anyone else.

A lot of OA/AA people would say that it is great that you have hit rock bottom. Many people believe you can only start recovery when you have hit your rock bottom. The only way is up!

Have you considered talking to your doctor about binging? Confedentiallity applies so your parents will not find out. Its another option open to you.

Don't worry about have a 'bad' day - we all have them. Draw a line under it and move on. Just acknowledge that it happened and learn from it if you can.

For me, the turning point has been learning that I have to avoid my 'trigger' foods. Someone in the OA forum suggested writing three lists of food - red, yellow and green. Red foods are ones you cannot eat without binging. Yellow foods are foods that can sometimes trigger a binge. Green foods are 'safe' foods. By avoiding red foods and limiting/avoiding yellow foods, I've been binge free for 27 days.

Hope something I've said has helped. Hope you stick around with us too - feel free to join in the current 'binge free' thread where we try and avoid binging for a week. You can share any highs and lows in there if you like.