The sunday night meeting I go to gives out coins to celebrate abstinance. For over a year I worked to get a 30 day coin and could not do it.

Sunday was 30 days. I was so nervous to stand up and announce 30 days. I'm not sure why. It feels great, and also scary .

Just wanted to share.

C.

Hi Christy,

Thanks for sharing. Congratulations!! What an awesome feeling.

We're in the same boat. I, too, celebrated 30 days last Weds and got my coin at the Saturday meeting

Here's to 60 days !

Charlene

Yahoo!!! Hurray! 30 Days!!! That coin means a lot. I still have my 30 day coin on my key chain. It will be there forever. That was the hardest.

It is scary to speak up in a meeting and claim your 30 days. We compulsive overeaters sometimes have a hard time accepting compliments, having people cheer for us, and speaking highly of ourselves. You did it. You were abstinent for 30 days. They were hard days. They were days you spent living with a sneaky disease that was fighting you the whole way. They were days that you spent trusting in a program, others, and a higher power. You lived 30 days differently than you've lived the entire rest of your life. That's a big freakin deal.

I'm really thankful that you gave me the opportunity to write about this. I'm getting my 90 day coin in AA tomorrow night and I've been poo pooing it like it's no big thing. But it is! It's huge! And I see now just how huge it is. Incidentally, I'm getting my 9 month coin in OA next week-- I'm much more excited about that. I wonder why I feel so differently about the two programs. Maybe I should do some writing on that. So, thanks for getting me thinking.

Thanks, you guys are fabulous!

Congratulations Charlene! And your so right, here's to 60 days!!!

Marny, your words brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for understanding. And thank you for sharing your achievments! Congratulations!

I have been doing alot of talking and reading. I feel more centered today, still a little confused, but better.

Thanks.

Christy,

I'm glad you are feeling better.

I also struggled some with my 30 days. Not before the meeting. I love the kudos HA! But because when I heard of someone else's abstinence, particularly people describing their version of abstinence on Thanksgiving at the same Saturday meeting, I questioned my own plan of abstinence. I then started to compare theirs abstinence/food plan as "better than" mine and my actual deserving of the chip. I made myself kinda crazy.

This was eye opening for me because I realize I do this in so many areas of my life. I make a decision, even one that's right on for my own life and then when I see someone else doing differently I question myself and rack my brain with insecurities about my decision vs. theirs. Noone even knows about it. It's like my own private ****. I will be working on this!

Last night I read somewhere online about someone's description of their OA recovery and I copied down this quote from her: "I also began to really trust myself. That took awhile, but I had to learn to trust ME, not be what I thought others wanted me to be."

Charlene

Marny,

IT IS A BIG FREAGIN' DEAL!! We are working our butts off and learning to live life differently and passionately authentic to us.

Hurray for Christy's 30 days!!!!!!!!

Hurray for my 30 days!!!!!!!

Hurray for Marny's 90 days in AA & 9 months in OA!!!!!!!!

We ROCK!!!!!!!

Charlene

p.s. for some reason I can't post those little smilies. When I drag one over it's a link to click on ????????

Thanks Charlene, I think that was/is my reason for all the fear in Sun. night.

This is going to sound so weird, but I was relieved that no one criticized me. I half expedted someone to jump up and yell, "No, you did it wrong!" And that is totally crazy! I have been to enough meetings to know that everyones abstinence is specific to themselves.

Anyway, I am feeling better. Thanks.

Try putting the curser where you want the smilie, then click the smilie, no draging.



And Yeah!!! We Rock!!!


(ok I'll stop, got a little carried away )

I have been a compulsive overeater for so very many years -- trying to hide it from family & friends, of course -- I simply cannot imagine going an entire 30 days without binging. It would be the culmination of all my dreams --

I've prayed -- I've committed -- I've failed. What was the catalyst that finally got any or all of you on the road to success? I am already in my middle age years -- I don't want to spend my entire adult life battling my compulsion to stuff my face.

In my rural Oklahoma region, we don't have ANY OA groups -- and thus far, I've been unable to access the online meetings -- but will try again this evening when I finally reach home.

Any help you might offer would be much, much appreciated.

Hi there-

Can you make any of these even once a month? It's worth an hour's drive to regain my sanity. I drive 30 minutes to a meeting. My mom drives an hour. Some people travel even further. It's worth it. You are worth it.

ALTUS OK USA Monday 7:00PM JACKSON COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
ALTUS OK USA Wednesday 1:30PM PRINCE OF PEACE CHURCH
BARTLESVILLE OK USA Sunday 4:00PM DISCIPLES CHRISTIAN CHURCH

BARTLESVILLE OK USA Tuesday 7:00PM OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH

CANTON OK USA Monday 7:00PM CANTON METHODIST CHURCH

CLAREMORE OK USA Thursday 5:30PM FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

CUSHING OK USA Thursday 6:00PM CIMMARON HEALTH CARE CLINIC

GROVE OK USA Monday 7:00PM FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

LITTLE AXE OK USA Saturday 9:00AM WHITE HOUSE

MCALESTER OK USA Tuesday 5:30PM OK INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER

MIDWEST CITY OK USA Friday 12:00PM WICKLINE METHODIST CHURCH

NORMAN OK USA Friday 12:00PM LOCATION
NORMAN OK USA Monday 6:00PM ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH
NORMAN OK USA Tuesday 12:00PM ST THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY PARISH

OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Friday 5:30PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Friday 12:00PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Monday 12:00PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Saturday 10:30AM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Saturday 12:00PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Saturday 9:15AM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Sunday 7:30PM THE WELLINGTON OF OKLAHOMA CITY
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Sunday 4:00PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Thursday 5:30PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Thursday 12:00PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Tuesday 12:00PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Tuesday 6:30PM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Wednesday 10:30AM INTERGROUP OFFICE
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Wednesday 7:30PM THE WELLINGTON OF OKLAHOMA CITY
OKLAHOMA CITY OK USA Wednesday 12:00PM INTERGROUP OFFICE

OOLOGAH OK USA Monday 7:00PM OOLOGAH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Congrats to all of you!
You should all be so proud of yourselves.
I am a total beginner on staying away from sugar and not real sure what your oa food program is. Could someone direct me me to a dos and donts of there daily food consumptions.I have checked into to food addicts anonymous but they dont seem to list any of the what you can have! It sounds like you all are losing and that is what i need to keep inspired. I have followed sb but never stay on it liong enough and always gain the weight back. This time i have been good for 4 days and relly need to make this a way of life. Please help
thanks for reading.

Hi Keen-

A good place to start is www.oa.org. There you can find out about OA, begin to determine if you are a compulsive overeater, and find out where your local meetings are.

OA is a 12 step program modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous. It is a way of life. The program does not tell you what you can or cannot eat. That is something that you determine with the help of a sponsor.

I recommend reading over some of the past postings on this board and getting to a meeting. If you have any specific questions about program let us know.

Glad you are here!

Keen, Thank you. One of the first things I learned about OA is that it is not a diet plan. I, too, was waiting for someone to impose yet another diet on me after going to a few meetings, but it never happened. OA is really a life cleansing that helps get to the bottom of your eating (and many other things in life I am learning). You choose a food plan that is best for you with the help of a sponsor.
Like Marny said, go to the website www.oa.org and see if it is something you may be interested in. Come back if you have questions or want support.

Lizzy, we know your pain about food. If someone had told me just over thirty days ago that I would not be bingeing anymore, that I would get up everyday and take a long hike with my dog, that I would be making time to meditate and pray, to meet others and make friends with my same problem and that the fog would be clearing for me to live a passionate life...I would not have believed you.
I can't say it's been easy these last thirty days. But for once, I am beginning to love the feeling of freedom from food more than the food. Something I've never experienced as I have been a compulsive overeater since childhood, bingeing, even purgeing, dieting, obsessing about food throughout my life.
The one hour drive like Marny said may be worth it. The online meetings are really great and I log on weekly. But the face to face meetings are where you SEE and HEAR the pain that you know so well in other people...and the best part...you see incredible recovery. People living free of their food compulsion. For people like us, it's a flippin' miracle.

Charlene

First off I want to say I LOVE coming to this board and reading what every one has to say. Every post in helpfull and motivating and inspiring. Thank you!!

Keen and OKLizzy, to the OA board

Ok Lizzy, you asked what was the catalyst? I don't know if I can pin point it. I had been attending OA meetings for a year or two, on and off. Then I decided to get serious. I got a sponser, a food plan and worked on the steps every day. I eliminated sugar and white flour and I had my first taste of abstinence. It lasted 3 weeks. Then I ate for a few days, then mellowed out for a few days. Then back to abstinence.

I repeated this pattern for many months, never making it to 30 days. But I did lose almost 30lbs. Then I decided OA and abstenance were too hard, so I stoped going to OA. That was October 2005. I then spent a year trying to find a ballance. Trying to be abstinent most days and allow myself to eat on others. Well I gained back 25lbs, and realised again that I am addicted to sugar.

So October 2006, I am thinking about returning to OA. I find this board again and start reading in the OA section. I was thinking I need to do this. I have lost so many years to this disease. I have lost my will to live. I have lost all hope of a joyfull life.

I tried and failed so many times before. Last year in OA I failed every time I tried for 30 days. My sponsor said I just need to commit. I didn't know how. One time I was 2 days away from 30 days and I said 'I don't care, I want to eat'. One thing that is very different for me this time in OA is that i have come to peace with the thought that i need to do this for the rest of my life.

My last time in OA I thought mostly of 'today', that was all I could handle. I would 'just for today' my way through the days. Then I would reach a day where I would think "well I'm not going to do it forever, so I might as well eat for today, and then be abstienent tomorrow".

This time adstinece started with a quote and a commitment. The quote was posted by Slimlindy on another thread here on the OA board. It was, "Commitment is more important than motivation. Commitment is not the ambitious drive for something, it is the faith that sticking to a path will eventually produce results."

I looked at my life and found an area where I was commited. I DID know how to commit. Then I decided that I would face abstinence with the same commitment I give to my marriage and my kids. But why I could not do this last year, I don't know, but it was impossible for me.

I know this is very long, I know that every one has a different path to follow, even in OA. But thank you for letting me share my experience. It helps me to remember why I am here, and how I got here.

Keen, early on in OA I was refered to the pamphlet "Dignity of Choice". It has sample plans of eating and lots of information about individual trigger/binge foods. If you go to some OA meetings, they should have one there.

I can relate to your need for a food plan. My first sponsor put me on her food plan and I struggled. It turned out not to be the best plan for me. I found a plan in the pamphlet (there are 6 sample plans) that works for me. It is the basis of how I still eat today.

Please ask if you need any more information.