Graduated HS @ 270 with 50" waist. It frightened me.

Fear ruled me. I fixed/avoided with food.

I was willing to go to ANY lengths. Alone - Every diet work for a short time... Once.

46 days in OA led to my worst binge ever. It was a turning point.

I discovered a Higher Power of "MY" understanding.

Abstinence gave me lots of extra time to do my program.

Food was my crutch when I was 12.

Even pudgy brought about massive shame.

God was for uneducated, weak- willed people.

I attended meetings without participating until somebody actually talked to me.

Not a program of feeling, thinking, wanting... It is a program of action !

lost 140 lbs first time in OA.

After a major relapse I have 17 years today.

I am a skid row compulsive over eater.

I learned to show up, sit in the front, raise my hand, be of service and tell the truth.

The Doctors Opinion nails it for me.

My program is the infrastructure for my life.

I now have someone who I love and loves me. I never thought it could happen for me.

Abstinent since 9/8/2003

My addictions does not get triggered if I avoid foods I am allergic to.

I knew the foods I was allergic to but kept buying and eating them into oblivion. and wake up with another failed commitment to do it differently.

A friend from another 12 step program mentioned OA. I went but did not work the OA  program.

I was afraid to go shopping at first.

I did all the steps in order out of the big book with a sponsor. It worked.

Today I am dependent on my Higher Power ... in a healthy way,

Growing up I looked good on the outside.  But.....

Everything I did I did compulsively, Food/ Sugar was the major negative one.

I learned to tap dance at as a child and used it  physically and emotionally for years.

I created a seemingly cool life on the outside as a designer in Europe until I can back to US. Not cool = Not OK

Women were meeting is a restaurant I worked at were having an OA meeting. Ding Ding.Ding.

I picked my sponsor because she judged like I did.

I have maintained a healthy body weight for 34 years  always participating in OA, keeping commitments, sponsoring and doing the steps many times.

Stopping my compulsive behaviors is the BEGINNING of my recovery.

I always saw myself as a fat child, but in retrospect is was not always true.

I had heard about stopping hard drugs and it sounded like my trying to stop eating chocolate. Long before I got into OA.

2 weeks into OA I discovered Fear and Resentment were the underlying issue for my compulsive eating and cravings.

Growing up I never learned how to identify and talk about my emotions in realm time.

This is my current work. I can get a resentment when things are not clear and/or consistent and I can eat over it.  The work never ends. Today I write about it rather than eat over it. Yay OA

Lonely kids. I knew all the 'Lonely' songs.

Big in elementary school.

Got sober in '75. 

Introduced to OA in '76. started on to 18 years of abstinence. Was involved, did service. did not stick.

Basic instincts went awry. 

PAGGLES  7 deadly sins On me to make adjustments with God's help

12 steps in 10 words. 1  Give up

2,3 Look up 4-9 Clean up 10, 11  Keep up 12 Show up

9 of 10 Children. Family dinners were always an adventure.

If I excelled in sports I could get Dad's attention. Led to perfectionism and people pleasing and led me to my first 12 steep program.

Sugar got me so high my face would tingle.

Anytime I step on a scale  I feel bad. So i don't step on a scale.

Once I got to  OA I never left. I didn't do the program well but I never left.

I lost my first sponsor - then fake sugar led to weight gain, changing meetings, thinking a nutritionist would be better than getting a new sponsor.

Everything changed when I really started 'Doing the Work'.

This past year has changed everything in my life for the better. 

I no longer manage people except as required at work.

Recovery can bring back memories of how bad it was. A Fat American in France

I ate violently, destructively and disturbingly.

At one point I did a cost-benefit analysis of my addiction...didn't help.

My fancy education made no difference.

Once in the program I became Miss OA. My physicality came back. 

'I got this' led to an 80 lb weight gain

I finally did get this  Nov 3 2008.

Today I have a daily ritual morning and evening which includes reading, writing, step work and A E I O U  Y

I really do have a life beyond my wildest dreams by doing a few things every day.

Grew up thinking I was unwanted as 5th of 5.

Within 3 days of joining the program there was a month long orientation workshop which gave me a deep understand on the program and what I could expect.

Unity between my program, my marriage, my higher power and my life keep all the parts working.