A place for those with over-eating compulsions to have a sense of community and support.
That’s what the meetings for Overeaters Anonymous are for. Member Jim Arseniadis said that the group allows members to talk openly free of judgment and weigh-ins. He said that the group goes beyond diet and weight-loss culture to get its members help.
“So as we all know there are many different types of people that struggle every day with trying to control their eating or eating compulsions,” Arseniadis said. “This is a spiritual program, a 12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, but it deals with food.”
Arseniadis said that many times conversations of disordered eating center on those like anorexia or bulimia. He said that he said it’s important to him to make those in his community healthy.
“Having a BMI of being extremely overweight, it’s just not a healthy way to be or to live,” Arseniadis said. “As I’ve always said, I’ve been to many funerals in my life, unfortunately, and so forth, but you know the obese people never make it past 70. There’s never a large person in the casket that’s 80, 85, 90 years old.”
Arseniadis said that overeating compulsions come with many stigmas. He said that the group has seen much success in its endeavors and hears positive reviews.
“I personally am a member of the Over 100 Pound club, I’ve lost over 100 pounds with Overeaters Anonymous,” Arseniadis said. “And it’s not that I’ve lost that much, it’s the fact that I’ve kept it off. Most of us have been on diets and have restricted our diets up and down and so forth. And once you go off the diet, it comes right back on.”
For those interested meetings occur every Mondy and Thursday at the St. Michael’s Episcopal Church from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. He said that the free meetings are free and don’t require registration.
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