The bottom line in OA is that bingeing, food, emotions, pain, loneliness, boredom, etc. are all just symptoms. The same is true for overweight, underweight, bulimics, anorexics, etc.

The problem is a SPIRITUAL MALADY that must be overcome. The Big Book says that "once the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically." In other words, treat the spiritual problem and all the rest of the garbage that is troubling us goes away or reduces to tolerable levels.

Of course, lots of people don't want to hear that. The old ideas persist that there must be a solution to my problem that I can actuate. Hence the repeated dieting, bingeing, gaining, dieting, cycle that goes on and on and on.

OA presents, through the 12 steps, a spiritual solution to a spiritual problem. NOT religion, NOT dogma or doctrine. Spirituality is the cornerstone of the program...it IS the program. Thankfully, more than 90 percent of Americans profess to be "spiritual", so the OA program is not a stretch for most.

Right...so its NOT ABOUT THE FOOD!!

We make it about the food--but it is not about the food. Sure we can be on LC, and that does reduce the binging urge...but we can binge on LC too. It is not about the food!!

Correctamundo!

...for ME. I can only speak to my personal experience.

Hey Mb21, join the group! LCarbing helps with all kinds of things...and if you are sad or depressed it will help that too!! This place is supportive and while it wont fight the fight FOR you...it sure will help you win it!

I'd say it's about both - the food, and the spiritual/emotional. Just as alcoholism is both a physical and emotional addiction (and smoking, drugs etc) Even with things like gambling, there is a physical (chemical) reaction in the brain that is, in itself, addictive.

I can absolutely binge on LC. I still have moments where I have to ask myself why I want to eat - am I bored? Frustrated? (My two triggers) It's just much easier for me to recognize these urges for what they are now, because in my case I am no longer experiencing the physical reaction that certain foods were causing...gastrointestinally and neurologically. Same as now that I am no longer physically addicted to nicotine, I can resist the mental urge to smoke a cigarette. I had to work on both to be successful and in the case of smoking, it was way more mental than physical! Food was the opposite. Strange, but there you go.

I know OA is a wonderful program that works for many people. For those who don't take to it (some don't, and that's ok!) there are other options...there is a book by Allan Carr, can't think of the title offhand (sorry) but he wrote one about quitting smoking that helped me quit; he's also written one about food/eating. I haven't read it, but if it's anything like his smoking book it's amazing. I don't know if progams like Rational Recovery have ED options. In any case, the emotional needs must be addressed; but I would add that the physical must also be addressed. At least ruled out. What can it hurt? There are doctors calling for it (Like James Braly, Ron Hoggan), but it's largely going unheard by the mainstream. I don't know why.

Hi Mb21! Welcome to our happy little thread!

I also binge eat...when I'm mad, anxious, depressed, busy, bored....I noticed that no matter what I feel is an occasion to EAT. Eat when no one's looking and didn't really happen (can you believe I told myself that?)

My mother was obese and got gastric bypass. I remember being a young adult and thinking "God, I will never get that fat!" Well, at 215lbs I'm very close. And I don't want my kids to feel the same shame and embarrassment.

I feel it everywhere I go. Men don't really look at me anymore, it's like I'm invisible. I used to get so much attention. I was always the pretty one, pretty face, green eyes, small waist and big boobs! Atleast I still have the boobs

If I don't laugh I will cry about what my life has become. I just want to be pretty and noticed again. I don't want to be the fat friend.

Hey yall,
If you would like some free advice from a shrink here it is , now day people do not realize tht we are our own worst enemy. starting form puberty we demand so much from ourselves. relationships,school, work family etc. And this can cause us to overload ourselves. and we turn to different avenues of relief. for some of us it is booze,sex,anger,shopping, and the list goes on and on but for some of us it is eating. Because eating is an instinct in us that is survival. when we eat it produces feel good hormones in out brains. so we will eat out of control letting the most primative side take over till it hurts and when we finally realize what we have done we feel horrible and disgusted with ourselves which only fuels the fire. I discovered this when going through colledge working towards my degree. because i was binge eating horribly full time student, full time job plus personal life. it was to much not to mention eating habits developed growing up. so i had to just slow my life down and adjust. i still have the urge to binge and it is strong at times. whn i have this urge i will go to the bathroon and look in the mirror at myself straight in the eye and think about what i am wanting to do. for some reason this helps me.
so anyway dont overload yourselves and when you have the urge to binge stop and think about what is going on in your life at the moment. hopefully this will help/