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BY JOE SYLVESTER JSYLVESTER@LEADER.NET
Tuesday, January 25, 2000 Page: 1C
WILKES-BARRE – DONNA REMEMBERS WHEN SHE COULD EASILY EAT A TRAY OF PIZZA OR
GORGE HERSELF ON SWEETS. CAROL STUFFED HERSELF WITH SWEETS, BREAD AND PASTA.
DONNA AND CAROL DIDN’T ALWAYS EAT BECAUSE THEY WERE HUNGRY. AFTERWARD, INSTEAD
OF FEELING SATISFIED, THEY FELT ASHAMED. SOMETIMES, THEY WERE JUST AFRAID. BUT
THE WILKES-BARRE AREA WOMEN DON’T EAT THOSE FOODS ANYMORE. DONNA, 30, OF
DALLAS, AND CAROL, 57, OF FORTY FORT, ARE MEMBERS OF OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS, AN
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT USES ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS’ TECHNIQUES. THE
GROUP VIEWS COMPULSIVE OVEREATING AS A PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL
DISEASE. OA IS AN ORGANIZATION FOR PEOPLE WHO TRY TO NUMB THEIR PROBLEMS WITH
FOOD.
How do you know you are a compulsive eater? “I think once you put a piece
of chocolate in your mouth and can’t stop until the whole box is gone,” Carol
said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 5 pounds or 500 pounds (overweight).”
Like AA members, people who attend OA maintain anonymity, mainly so that they
are less inhibited in discussing the emotional problems that may trigger their
overeating. Anonymity is why Donna and Carol, both professionals, did not want
their last names published. Some members don’t let family members know they
attend OA, the two women said. Donna joined the group about a year and a half
ago after unsuccessful attempts at other diets. “For three years, I tried
different diets, diet pills, was in and out of different programs, wasting
money at different diet centers,” she said. “When I realized I couldn’t
maintain my weight on different diets, I kind of hit rock bottom.”
No pressure to join
When Donna attended her OA beginner’s meeting, she spotted a scale in the
corner of the room. But when she asked if she should stand on it, the others
told her there was no weigh-in required. They asked that she try six meetings
before deciding whether to stay with the group. Meanwhile, she was given a
sponsor, someone she could talk to for emotional support. The group also
helped her develop a food plan based on her weaknesses – sugar, wheat and
flour. Many have several weaknesses, which could include sugar or flour
products such as bread and pasta. Donna now eats oatmeal, cottage cheese or
yogurt for breakfast. She can have 4 ounces of meat, plus salad and vegetables
at other meals. Instead of flour products such as bread and pasta, Donna eats
brown rice, potatoes, peas, corn and some beans. She does not eat sweets. “I
do not starve and I do not feel hungry,” she said. As with alcoholics,
compulsive overeaters can go back to their old ways if the emotional problems
that lead them to overeat flare up, Carol said. That’s why group members rely
on sponsors. “She’s one bite away,” Carol said, pointing at Donna. “I’m one
bite away.”
OA aids physical, emotional needs
Carol first went to OA in 1976, but treated the program as a diet club and
was unsuccessful. Unlike diet clubs or plans that focus on what participants
eat, OA focuses on the whole person, including the emotional problems the
person may try to smother with food. Six years ago, after hitting 213 pounds,
Carol rejoined. Since then, she has lost 75 pounds. Members depend on a higher
power, whether it’s God or some other force, but the group does not push
religion. “Whether you believe in God or not, you’re welcome in the room,”
Carol said. OA, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last week, formed in
1960 in Los Angeles. It now has about 7,500 meeting groups in 59 countries,
and is based in Rio Rancho, N.M..
Call Sylvester at 829-7219.