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Mill Creek OA 100 Pounder Speaker Meeting
Speakers who have lost 100 pounds tell their stories.

Elle shared with us her story of recovery.  Since she has been abstinent, she has lost 80 pounds and came in willing to work the program as suggested because she had nowhere else to turn for recovery from compulsive overeating.  She had ran out of options.  Growing up, she used outside issues instead of food, and was even able to keep the weight off due to her active lifestyle after giving up those outside issues.  Eventually, she started justifying excess food and couldn't keep up anymore.  Her higher power intervened and brought her to program instead of having her get a gastric bypass.  She resented being powerless, but kept coming back, and eventually the program worked for her.

Direct download: Elle_2011_10_23.mp3
Category:speaker -- posted at: 8:27am PST

Sharon celebrated 4 years of rededicated abstinence with us tonight.  She has been around the program for over 35 years which shows her persistence and intent to recover in this program.  She struggled with her weight since she was about 5 years old and started going to diet doctors and taking diet pills at a fairly young age. After the diet pills stopped working as a barrier between the food, she tried commercial weight loss programs for many years and never found much success.  She always struggled with self-esteem and wanted to be something that she wasn't.  Eventually, she came to the program and has not left, even among moving to 3 different states.  Over the course of her recovery, she has realized that she has something valuable to offer those around her.  In addition, she now knows that the program is about the physical, emotional and spiritual recovery.  To this day, she keeps at the forefront of her mind that her 4 priorities are Abstinence, Fellowship, Service, and Faith in her Higher Power.

Direct download: SharonP_2011_10_16.mp3
Category:speaker -- posted at: 11:20pm PST

This past Sunday was really a treat from Nancy J.  As of October 5th, she has 38 years abstinent and had a lot of recovery to share with us as a result of that.  When she got to program, she weighed 325 pounds and today she is at a normal bodyweight.  After growing up in an abusive home where food was her comfort, and after surrendering to her drug and alcohol addiction, she made it to OA.  In OA, she became aware that nothing could ever satisfy her and that she had a distorted self perception.  After 4 months of coming in and out of program, she finally let go of the punitive God she grew up with and found a Higher Power  that worked for her.  This concept blossomed out of the simple fact that God existed and she wasn't it.  Gradually, by taking the hand of those who came before her in the fellowship, she found her voice and a strong recovery.

Direct download: NancyJ_2011_10_09.mp3
Category:speaker -- posted at: 2:13pm PST

Ron shares his journey over the course of the past 9 years of abstinence and his 97 pound weight loss.  He had struggled with drugs and compulsive exercise before he came to OA, but once he put both of those down, with some help from another fellowship, he delved really heavily into the food.  He now knows that certain foods, like white flour and sugar, cause an allergic reaction in him, and when he starts eating those foods, he cannot stop.  When he finally surrendered in OA, his Higher Power put a sponsor in his life and gave him a regimented way of living, so that he could not find the loopholes at first.  He reads from the big book, does the steps, and stays committed to the program.  Along the road of abstinence, he has had to fine tune his food plan to keep his maintenance, but as long as he is spiritually connected, the physical aspect always seems to work itself out.

Direct download: RonH_2011_10_02.mp3
Category:speaker -- posted at: 9:11am PST