Gwen,

I'm sorry to hear of your experience. You do need to have a higher power even if that means that the room full of people is it. That being said, an option for you would be to start your own meeting. I actually did that too because there were no other meetings close by. The meeting has been open since October and we have 6-16 people there every week.

Cathy

I wanted to get RNY at this time last year. The place asked questions and I answered honestly. I told them that I had a history of bulimia, but was bulimia=free for 6.5 years. They did not like that answer. I had to go for psychiatric consults 3 times and then they still made me go to the diet doctor for 3 months in a row and THEN when I was done, they would make a determination. In the mean time I tried Overeaters Anonymous again. (I had tried it once before and did not like it.) This time, I stayed. On July 19, 2016 I decided that if I could lose the weight without surgery and that surgery would NOT help me keep the weight off, then I didn't need surgery, rather a program that could help me work toward a healthy body weight and stay there permanently.

Now, 9 months later I am 18 pounds lighter than the weight I told the weight loss surgeons I would be happy at. I am no longer obese, but still have 22 pounds to lose to be "normal". I have gone from a size 26W to a missy size 16 or XL. I have lost 91 pounds. I am helping lots of people too! My life has changed dramatically for the better.

OA has no dues or fees. They help people with all kinds of eating issues whether it be bulimia, anorexia, binge eating, chewing & spitting, or even "needs to lose 10 pounds". Try it out. What do you have to lose, except for the obvious- weight! You can find a meeting at www.oa.org.

Try Overeaters Anonymous! I opted for this while going through pre-surgery stuff and have lost 91 pounds in just 9 months! It is not easy, but it is very simple. You can find a meeting at www.OA.org. There are no dues or fees, you just a little bit to support the expenses of the group!

Track everything you put into your mouth using something like MyFitnessPal and a kitchen scale. This includes liquids. From there, work on reducing your calories every week by 100/day. So if you're eating 2000 calories a day now, go to 1900 for a week. Then 1800 for a week, et****il you are consistently losing a little weight each week.

Prioritize protein and calorie free liquid, avoid refined and processed carbs, move as much as you can.

I'm needing to lose weight without insurance. (surgery isn't an option bc of no insurance and high cost) What options do I have?