Description: Not a diet plan, it's a program of recovery from compulsive overeating using the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA. Overeaters Anonymous hold 9,000 meetings in 50 countries worldwide. To find the nearest OA group, visit their web site (see below) or consult your local telephone directory. There is no cost to join OA. The costs associated with them are covered strictly with donations. Overeaters Anonymous addresses physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. It is not a religious organization and does not promote any particular diet. If you have a weight problem Overeaters Anonymous encourages you to get together with a nutritionist and figure out what would be the best plan of action for your weight loss and then get the emotional support you need from Overeaters Anonymous. Reviews (14):

My OA Experience was ok Reviewer: Helen       04-11-2004 I attended OA for about a year. We happened to have a good leader -- she said she had discovered that she liked being overweight, she felt more powerful and less likely to be intimidated by people. She was there to heal her bulimia, which she succeeded at. (as of the last time I saw her) The group became more of a Bulimics Anonymous, and didn't have any food plans or emphasis on weight loss. I think this group just happened to be a good one.

Overeaters Anonymous varies Reviewer: Sharon       03-31-2004 I have heard that Overeaters Anonymous varies quite a bit, group by group. Some groups are sucked into the diet mentality, but some aren't. Dealing with overeating is a different thing from dieting. Also, dealing with overeating is of course not always relevant to fat folks, belongs more in the eating disorders sections of cyberspace. But erecting signposts in those directions seems fine to me.

Just my $.02. Reviewer: Judy       03-31-2004 I've never been to a meeting, but their literature strikes me as very negative and guilt-inducing. I don't recommend them to anyone. However, I do prefer the Geneen Roth approach and often refer people to her books. Just finished "When Food Is Love" and found it very insightful, and lovingly written.

I attended a couple meetings Reviewer: Paul       03-31-2004 I left the meetings feeling good about myself for who i am. I am 200 pounds over weight but I now have my self esteem back and this is helping me exercise and eat right now.

OA is a great thing Reviewer: Anna       03-31-2004 I attend on a regular basis and love it. Its an escape for me. I feel i can talk to people about my weight and not feel embarrassed.

I attend once a month Reviewer: Reggie       03-31-2004 I try to attend as much as i can because it really does alot for me. I love the advice and ecouragement i recieve from everyone that goes. I recommened this to anyone.

My thoughts Reviewer: Sophia       03-31-2004 I am a very very heavy woman. I am well over 400 pounds and i am the heaviest one at all the meetings. I would feel more comfertable if there were more 400+ women in my group. I feel as if i am the freak of my OA group, i know the people there try to make me feel better and show me how to eat right and it shouldnn't be about the weight and how you look but to me it is and i can't stand going there too often. I do get some good info there though...if you are an over eater i do suggest it.

I was recommended to OA Reviewer: N King       03-31-2004 I was recommended to Overeaters Anonymous, after treatment for bulimia. However, being a big woman, everyone assumed that I binged and binged and binged, when in fact, I had been "sober" with food with more than a year. Entering OA triggered me more towards bulimia than anything else I encountered in that year. There was not ONE person in OA that I met who was "sober" around the issue of food. They all used OA to try and control their lives. If you didn't act like them and if you are a BBW and didn't loose weight then you were BAD. I don't need any more shaming in my life, especially when it is just to make someone else feel better about themselves. So I left OA. I feel sorry for the people who are in OA and not "sober" because they are desperate for some kind of stability and self-acceptance. I wish I could show them what that really means. Fat-acceptance is important. I feel sorry for people who cannot learn to love their bodies.

Here is what i have to say Reviewer: Nancy       03-30-2004 I'm ambivalent about OA myself. Yes, I think it was good for me at one time, because, I finally wanted to do something for myself. I also met my best friend there and we work on fat acceptance together too. But sometimes the group is sick. Mine was full of people who would stand up and say how great they felt after losing all this weight and I would sit in meetings then feeling like a piece of !@@!. But, true, I don't think it's a place to accept yourself as fat. At least my group wasn't. But it was the first time I talked about stuff openly, so I'm not sure it's all bad.

Not worth attending Reviewer: Grace       03-30-2004 I attended a few meetings and got nothing out of it. It seemed like the same mumbo jumbo i've heard before and didn't want to waste any more of my time so i stopped going.

Something at OA angered me Reviewer: Annie       03-28-2004 I walked in to the room and what do i see? I see a poster that gives the impression that all fat people over eat. There is nothing but fat models on the poster. I disagree with this stereotype, there are thin people out there that also over eat and are unhealthy just as there are fat people that are in shape and eating fine. That was my first time at OA and i never went back.

My experience with OA Reviewer: Martha       03-27-2004 In short, OA isn't support, its a crutch. And it only confirms the same tired message we come here to get away from.

Great Advice Reviewer: Francis       03-25-2004 The host at the meeting was giving great advice my first meeting. We made a connection from day one and have been close ever since. The best part is she is also over weight so we are in the same boat. I recommend OA to anyone over weight even if it is only a little bit over weight. You will feel better about yourself immediatly

Just another OA review Reviewer: May       03-18-2004 I attended OA for a year and we didn't have any leader which was odd i thought. It was basically members running the group by ourselves. It was fun and entertaining. I picked up alot of great info and made new friends that thought alot like myself. You also get great info on diets that others have tried. Also, when i went on a diet and lost a few pounds others noticed and appreciated it more at the group than my own friends and family.

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