I'm not overweight but I have been in the past - I lost weight about 4 years ago and have continued to gain/lose the same 10 pounds. Diet down then binge up - I KNOW I am powerless over food - Food is a drug for me and it makes me SO sad I need help - I know that OA can help me but I don't really know where to start - I've admitted I'm powerless over food what's next? Do I need a sponsor? I need help Thanks in advance.

HUGS to you!

I totally get the food= drug thing. I just love to savor the sweet and the salty. I also love to chew and eat. I am and continue to battle with food constantly. Its is a never ending war.

Several tricks I have learned are listed below. None is fail safe, but in combination they work rathe rwell:

1) keep no junk or tasty easily made foods in the home
(they encourage binging)


2) find alternative low calorie versions of your favorite binge things:
cottage cheese for cheese, popcorn for chips, frozen fruit for ice pops
adding low cal yogurt to make a "cream sauce", rye bread for rolls (rye is
really low in cals), salsa as a condiment instead of mayo, frozen bananas
with yogurt for ice cream, Quaker's carmel rice cakes for cookies etc.


3) Massage. I stress eat, so going for regular massages works for me. The power of touch to release tension is profound. I also talk with friends, and cry.

4) I chew sugar free gum. Sometimes its the chewing sensation I need.

5) Journaling about your eatign habits and about life. You'd be surprised what is weighing on your mind and causing you to binge.

6) I eat lots of small snack sized low cal meals all day, so that you are constantly chewing and savoring salt/sweet flavors but not eating too much: example:

120 calorie freeze dried blue berries
110 calorie medium apple
180 calorie fat free small 2 serving size of 0 fat cottage cheese
80 calorie dannon light yogurt
90 calorie special K bar
134 calorie small banana less than 6 inches long
130 calorie small bag of pop corn
150 bumble bee fat free tuna and crackers pack (1)

you could snack all day using these items, without actually eating over 1000 calories then just have a normal TV dinner. I do that sometimes and it helps cause its the chewing sensation and different flavors that helps me.


good luck

Thank you so much for responding - It's about finding a lifestyle that I can live with - I get so stressed out and crazy when my life feels like a diet - I have a working relationship with God which for me means, meditating/journalling/reading the bible and I really feel like higher power is the missing link - submitting but I haven't figured out how that works in -

Glad you are here!

The first thing I would do is to check and see if there are any local OA meetings. I would then go to as many as you can!

You could also get a hold of a 12 and 12 OA book and start reading. It helps me a lot! Keep coming back!

Thanks Texashope - I sent myself a link to a lunchtime meeting today and I'm going to try to make it - Kinda scared....

It IS scary, but one you are there and here how others feel EXACTLY like you do, you will know that you are right where you need to be.

I've been to four meetings now and last night I found myself not wanting the meeting to end. It has become my "safe place".

I'm thinking of you today at noon! Come back and let us know how it went.