Abstinence

I went to an OA meeting on Wednesday, and I got some good advice from a long time OA member on the phone. I am to refrain from eating anything that is offered free and is not on my food plan. I am to refrain from eating the goodies after services at church. And I will probably have to cut out some of the higher calorie foods I eat on the weekends. Abstinence is simply refraining from compulsive overeating, or even compulsive eating period. This will be a hard goal to achieve, since I like to "comfort" myself with excess food. I will pray for the willingness to do this, and keep in contact with you guys, and with other OA members. Right now, I am working the Seventh Step, which is "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings". This means that I ask God to remove all of my 16 character defects, and be willing to turn my back on these behaviors as much as possible. This step will probably take a long time, as will my weight loss. I have around 180 pounds to lose, and so far, I have been getting nowhere with my weight loss. I failed at Weigh****chers. I will only start consistently losing weight when I have true abstinence, and so far, I don't. Wish me luck! Denise Phares

Best wishes. I tried for years to loose weight, and it seemed like nothing worked for me. But I kept on trying. And one day, the motivation, determination, willpower, and opportunity all clicked at once. Keep on working at it, and you will get it right. Lynette

I'm so glad I read your post. I just went to my first OA meeting the other night and wasn't sure how the word "Abstinence" could apply to food, since we do have to eat. Your post explains it. :-)