@Fuzzybear: At the moment, i have decided against Overeaters Anonymous (OA) because i feel it is fat-shaming. However, i have gone back-and-forth on the program many times in the nine weeks i have been attending so i'm not sure what will happen. I like the camaraderie and the groups seem to me to be to be like very tame parties with seven people i don't know at all! I like all the women and enjoy looking at them and listening to them.

My meeting isn't til Friday and it is only Wednesday so i might change my mind. If i just plain LIKE going i will allow myself and just try and dismiss the aspects of the program which i feel are more anti-fat than pro-health. The groups have elements of ceremony and ritual and the catechism of my childhood and prayer and i find it all very meaningful and pleasant, it's just that i'm getting stuck on certain phrases in the text which are clearly very negative and harmful and i am particularly concerned about the messages they send to our young ladies, all so vulnerable to images of ideal beauty in the mass media, that thin is the only way to be beautiful.

There is one young lady who i think is so big and beautiful and sexy and her look just screams FERTILE WOMAN and i feel bad when she talks about losing weight. I feel so sad that she may not be enjoying her youthful beauty. I might try and find a way to talk to her gently about whether she is in OA for health reasons or not because if it's something like diabetes then i am totally down with that. Perhaps i am also talking about myself and my own concerns over why *i* am attending, am i doing it for health reasons or out of fat-shame.

Anyways, thanks for the inquiry, FuzzyBear. I appreciate the interest!

Be well my friend!