Making Peace with Food: WLS and OA

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

As is often noted, when performing surgery, our surgeon only operates on our digestive tract, not our brains.

Many of us come to WLS with a long time or even a lifetime dysfunctional relationship with food and/or our bodies.

One resource for making peace with food and our bodies is Overeater's Anonymous (OA). OA is a worldwide fellowship that is fashioned after Alcoholic's Anonymous. OA uses AA's 12-step model of recovery and changes the words alcohol and alcoholic to food and compulsive eater.

If you are struggling with food and emotional eating or other issues around food and eating (anorexia, bulimia, compulsive eating, binge eating, body dysmorphia, food obsession, etc.), then you may want to explore OA.

The website (OA.org), has information about the program, literature, meeting lists, podcasts, and other useful information.

Here is a good blog post about how WLS and OA can work together: http://www.mybariatriclife.org/oa-overeaters-anonymous-after-surgery/

[mngreeneyes 674]

Thanks @@Inner Surfer Girl. This is the one area I feel like I am struggling a bit. I found a meeting near my house and will go check it out.

pam

[mngreeneyes 674]

So the meeting near my house was last night. It was exactly 1 mile from my apartment so I walked both ways, although I dodged raindrops on the way home. It was very interesting. They suggest you try 6-8 meetings of various kinds to find what works for you. I think I am going to give it a try I have been feeling like there is one part of this puzzle that I was missing. Thanks so much for the posting yesterday!

pam