New Year's resolutions fallen by the wayside?

Have you already fallen off the 2013 healthy eating and exercise wagon?

Did you start 2013 full of resolve to eat better and lose 5lbs, or 100lbs?

Have you been on lots of diets over the years but with no luck?

Or perhaps you have never been on a diet but know that you need to lose weight?

Have you spent the first few months of 2013 thinking about what you are going to eat or not eat and your weight?

Do you not want to spend another year of your life suffering from anorexia or bulimia?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions then Overeaters Anonymous might be able to help you. OA is a very welcoming confidential support group for all people with eating issues.

There are no dues or fees for members; we are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. OA is not affiliated with any public or private organization, political movement, ideology or religious doctrine; we take no position on outside issues.

Only you can decide if OA is for you. No one else can make this decision for you.

We who are now in OA have found a way of life which enables us to live without the need for excess food. We believe that compulsive eating is a progressive illness, one that, like alcoholism and some other illnesses, can be arrested.

Remember, there is no shame in admitting you have a problem; the
most important thing is to do something about it.

Are You a Compulsive Eater?

This series of questions may help you determine if you are a compulsive eater. Do you eat when you’re not hungry?

• Do you go on eating binges for no apparent reason?
• Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after overeating?
• Do you give too much time and thought to food?
• Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to the time when you can eat alone?
• Do you plan these secret binges ahead of time?
• Do you eat sensibly before others and make up for it alone?
• Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?
• Have you tried to diet for a week (or longer), only to fall short of your goal?
• Do you resent others telling you to “use a little willpower” to stop overeating?
• Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to assert that you can diet “on your own” whenever you wish?
• Do you crave to eat at a definite time, day or night, other than mealtime?
• Do you eat to escape from worries or trouble?
• Have you ever been treated for obesity or a food-related condition?
• Does your eating behaviour make you or others unhappy?

Have you answered yes to three or more of these questions? If so, it is probable that you have or are well on your way to having a compulsive eating problem.

OA is a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating. We welcome everyone who wants to stop eating compulsively.

Meetings take place every Saturday 11am to noon AND Every Wednesday at 1pm to 2pm at Wesley Methodist Church, 41 Church Street, Hamilton HM12.

For further information email [email protected] or visit www.oa.org.