Welcome to my site

Hi, my name is Cindy and I am a compulsive overeater. To get started, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I am married, with older children (over ages 25), live in WV on a farm. I have dogs, cats, and birds as pets and we raise chickens.

I have been in OA since July 2005, but am not new to the 12-step programs. I was in Al-Anon years ago, but as my sponsor would say... I thought I had graduated, so I left the program after 6 years. Even though I left, I remembered the steps and used them in my life. However, one thing I have learned through this time is that if you are not going to meetings and working the steps on a daily basis, you will lose what you had. That is what happened to me. I lost my serenity and found that I was again drowning in fear, self-hate and doubt.

The thing that brought me back to the 12-steps was the fear of death. I was told that if I didn't change my ways, I would be dead in a few years due to illnesses caused by my weight. I now have cirrhosis of the liver, arthritus throughout my body, curvature of the spin, and all those other things that fat tends to bring your way. Diabetes runs in my family, so I am sure if things don't change, that will be coming soon. Well, I decided to do something about my weight. I knew that I could not do it on my own. I needed help. So, I started looking for a plan of eating (and living) that I could live with on a daily basis.

The first thing I remembered was about an Al-Anon friend who I had seen join OA. She lost so much weight that I was totally amazed. I wanted what she had. So I called her and we connected. I started attending online meetings because there were none within my area. Then God showed me that there was a meeting here in WV. So I went to it and connected with new friends. OA is an easy program, but it isn't easy to do. I think the hardest thing for me was to let go of control of my life. I had to allow God (my Higher Power) to take over the reigns and do as He directed. When He controls my day, my food eating is good. I don't overeat or eat the wrong things. If I do eat the wrong things, they don't taste as good as they used to, so I spit them out. If I am in control, chaos reigns. I find stressful situations happening, anxiousness comes back into my life, and just fear everywhere.

I hope that this short welcome will give you just a small idea of what OA can do for you. If you want to lose weight, feel like a million bucks, and feel proud of yourself... give OA a try. It really works if you work it!