Different groups offer a 12-step diet and there are many variations of the diet, most of which are based on the 12-step recovery program made famous by Alcoholic Anonymous. Overeaters Anonymous offers a 12-step diet program that combines weight loss and maintenance with improving the emotional and spiritual health of its members. Like the original 12-step program, Overeaters Anonymous and similar diet programs encourage adherents to work their way through the 12 steps of addiction recovery.
15 Questions
The Recovery Group, a support group for Overeaters Anonymous members, provides the 15 questions newcomers are instructed to answer to determine if they are compulsive eaters or if they need a 12-step recovery program to guide their diet efforts. The questions include whether you have eating binges, experience guilt after eating, anticipate eating alone, have short-lived dieting attempts, experience food cravings at odd times and eat to alleviate uncomfortable emotions.
12 Steps
The Overeaters Anonymous 12-step diet program has several numbered guidelines for members, including the 12 traditions, the 12 spiritual principles and the original 12 steps revised to reference eating disorders. The 12 steps for overeaters include admitting powerlessness over food, belief in a greater power, making amends, asking forgiveness and taking a personal inventory. By working your successfully way through the steps, you gain control over habits that cause over-eating and weight-gain.
Support and Recovery
Overeaters Anonymous, and similar diet programs based on addiction and recovery programs, provide local support groups as part of the recovery plan. Other 12-step programs that focus on behavior are Compulsive Eaters Anonymous and Food Addicts Anonymous. Support groups are intended to help you stick to your plan and advance through the steps to a successful resolution to your issues with food and weight.
Dieting through 12 steps
The 12-step diet plan, as designed by Overeaters Anonymous, involves abstinence and rejecting the idea of willpower. The program does not offer meal plans or dieting tips and instead focuses on behavior. Members are encouraged to use any eating plan that is medically approved and to consult nutrition professionals for assistance.
12-Step Dietary Plans
Some 12-step diets are not based on the Alcoholic Anonymous program and instead promote lifestyle or dietary changes, such as vegetarianism, restrictive diets that cut out sugar or any foods that are not organic or diets intended for athletes or other targeted groups. Many of these programs require you to join, pay membership fees or purchase a product.
