Regardless of whether you need to gain or lose weight, OA can help because we are well-suited for binge eaters as well as anorexics and bulemics, alike. While OA is not a diet club, when members adopt a healthy way of eating (we have a tool called our “plan of eating”) most of us get to a healthy weight. Many members have found that avoiding the foods that trigger our cravings (binge foods) helps with our behavior around food. This has helped us to refrain from out-of-control eating. All these actions bring about a healthy weight in members who need it.

If you need to lose weight, OA can help. Although OA is not a weight loss group, when OA members adopt a healthy way of eating, most members lose their excess weight. OA members often find that when they avoid foods that trigger their cravings (“binge foods”) and follow a healthy, moderate food plan, weight loss occurs naturally.

If you need to gain weight, OA can help. Although OA is not a diet club group, when OA members adopt a healthy way of eating, most members lose their excess weight. OA members often find that when they avoid foods and behaviors, and follow a healthy, moderate food plan, weight gain occurs naturally.

Overeaters Anonymous is not a diet. It is a fellowship of individuals who through shared experience, strength and hope are recovering from compulsive overeating. OA does not recommend or endorse a specific plan of eating, although the OA pamphlet, “A New Plan of Eating” offers some suggestions on food plans. An OA member or your OA sponsor can help you get started until you see a health care professional. OA members are encouraged to work with a nutritionist or other professional for specific advice regarding their own food plan.

OA does not set rules or make recommendations about the type or quantity of food that OA members eat. Instead, it is suggested that members consult a healthcare professional (either a doctor or nutritionist) for advice in establishing a plan of eating that best suits their individual needs. When designing a plan of eating, many members exclude foods that seem to trigger cravings that lead to compulsive eating. A sponsor can be helpful in crafting a specific plan of eating based on a member’s particular needs and the recommendations of the member’s healthcare professional.

Yes. OA can help people with many forms of problem eating, including compulsive overeating, binging, purging, restrictive eating, overexercising, and others. Anyone with a desire to stop eating compulsively and to change their relationship with food is welcome at OA meetings.

Yes. OA can help people with many forms of problem eating, including anorexia and bulimia. Anyone with a desire to stop eating compulsively is welcome at OA meetings.

Yes. Overeaters Anonymous is not a diet. At its core, OA is about dealing with the issues which drove us to engage in unhealthy behavior with food. Gastric bypass surgery helps deal with the excess weight but not with the reasons for the behaviors that caused the excess weight.

OA works for anyone of any age. Teens are welcome at all meetings. There are members who have worked OA’s program of recovery from the time they were pre-teens and are still strongly committed OA members decades later.

OA has many pamphlets available that inform people about OA and how OA might help them. The OA website is an excellent source of information about OA. If you are an OA member the best thing you can do for another overeater is to continue your own recovery. Friends and loved ones may see the positive changes in you as a result of your recovery in OA and be attracted to your new ways for themselves. It’s not uncommon to be asked how you “changed” or “lost weight,” or why you seem “happier”, “calmer,” or “not so angry.” These questions present an opportunity to tell people about your experience with OA and how it has helped you.

OA does not charge any fees to its members. Per our 7th Tradition, we do pass a donation basket at meetings into which most people make a contribution.  Members are encouraged to give what they can to cover the group’s expenses and to make a donation to their intergroup, region, and world service office. Groups use the money to pay the rent for their meeting space, to buy OA literature and to help inform the public that OA is available to help other compulsive eaters.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. Sponsors are OA members who help guide other members through their recovery. A sponsor helps other members by sharing their experience, strength, and hope on a one-to-one basis. So, while a sponsor is recommended, it is not a requirement for OA membership. Members are also free to change sponsors at will.

There are no dues or fees for membership. You need only a desire to stop eating compulsively. Just find a meeting and show up. Meetings are organized by OA members. You do not have to call ahead to attend a meeting but it may be a good idea to call the listed contact and confirm the time and place of the meeting.

You may find meetings anywhere in the world at the Overeaters Anonymous World Service “Find a Meeting” page.  Consider a telephone or online meeting to supplement face-to-face meetings.

You may find meetings anywhere in the world at the Overeaters Anonymous World Service “Find a Meeting” page.  Consider a telephone or online meeting to supplement face-to-face meetings.

Each meeting location has a contact telephone number. You may call that number and speak anonymously with a member of OA. He or she can provide more information about the meeting format and location.

Yes, there are both telephone and on-line meetings available if face-to-face meetings are not available in your area or the scheduled meeting times conflict with your schedule. You can view online and telephone meetings here.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to refrain from compulsive eating. There are some special focus meetings but nobody is ever barred from attending such a meeting. Most OA meetings are “open” meetings and all members are welcome. Visitors are also welcome and we ask that they respect our tradition of anonymity.  OA meetings that are “closed” are for members only.

Every OA meeting is unique. We suggest newcomers attend six different meetings before making up their mind about OA. If you’re concerned about returning to a meeting you tried in the past, you’ll find that often the membership of a meeting changes over time. The format and tone of a meeting can change along with its membership.

A variety of OA meetings are available to help individuals with food or eating problems. Meetings vary by format: speaker meetings usually involve a talk by an OA member about his or her experience with OA; in literature meetings members read and discuss an OA book or pamphlet; step meetings involve a discussion of one or more of the 12 steps of Overeaters Anonymous. Some OA meetings have a special focus, such as women, men, gay/lesbian, anorexic, bulimic, and others. Finally, OA meetings vary in the means by which members connect. In traditional meetings, OA members meet in person at a specified location and regular time each week. In phone and online meetings, members connect through the telephone or internet at a designated time.

People continue to attend meetings after they reached their goal weight for support in maintaining their weight loss. While the symptoms of compulsive eating may have abated, the disease itself is never cured. Continued attendance at meetings allows the OA member who has lost weight to continue to grow in the spiritual and emotional aspects of his or her life. Many OA members find that the continued fellowship and opportunity for service help them to maintain a healthy weight as a way of life. Also, members who have recovery act as powerful examples for newcomers and members still struggling with compulsive eating.

No. OA has a spiritual basis, but is not a religion. Most OA members come to rely on a power greater than themselves for help with recovering from problem eating but in OA, we are free to define this power in any way that works for us. Some call this power “God,” and some members do not. Membership in OA does not depend upon a belief in God or any Higher Power. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. All are welcome regardless of personal beliefs.

No. A belief in God is not required to be a member of Overeaters Anonymous. There is only one requirement for membership: A desire to stop eating compulsively. In OA, “God” or “Higher Power” are very personal concepts. We are a spiritual program, not a religious organization. What you believe in is not important; a desire to stop eating compulsively is what’s important. That desire is common to all of us who seek help in OA.

OA is not affiliated with any medical group, AA or any other fellowship. We base our program of recovery on the book Alcoholics Anonymous, often referred to as the “Big Book.”

You may call the OA World Service Office in Rio Rancho, New Mexico at 505-891-2664.