Many people struggle with weight loss, and sticking to your guns can be especially challenging if you feel like you're going it alone. Luckily, even if all your friends aren't trying to lose weight too, you can meet other people who are dealing with similar issues through a weight loss support group. Some support groups exist only online, while others have chapters that hold meetings throughout North America.
Overeaters Anonymous
The Overeaters Anonymous (OA) Program of Recovery is designed to help people recover from compulsive eating. It uses 12 steps and 12 traditions. Meetings are held worldwide and, as the title implies, members' anonymity is respected. OA is supported through member contributions and charges, rather than dues or fees. Members of OA vary from underweight to morbidly obese and work together to help each other take control of eating habits and abstain from compulsive eating.
Food Addicts Anonymous
Food Addicts Anonymous (FAA) believes that food addiction is not a moral issue or a character flaw, but a "biochemical disorder that occurs at a cellular level and therefore cannot be cured by willpower or by therapy alone." FAA is a twelve-step program that involves following a food plan and eliminating addictive foods from your diet. FAA recommends you attend six meetings before deciding whether or not you are a food addict.
TOPS Club, Inc.
TOPS stands for "Take Off Pounds Sensibly." TOPS was established in 1948 and calls itself "the original, nonprofit, weight-loss support and wellness education organization." The TOPs philosophy is defined by a healthy diet and regular exercise, information about wellness, awards and recognition, and support from others attending weekly chapter meetings. The annual membership fee for TOPS is $26 in the United States and $30 in Canada. Local chapter expenses are paid for by small monthly fees that average out to about $5 a month. TOPS offers its members retreats and rallies, a lifestyle guide and a membership magazine called "TOPS News."
First Place 4 Health
First Place 4 Health is takes a "biblical approach to weight loss and overall health management which puts Christ first and improves every area of a person's life." The organization started as a ministry of Houston's first Baptist Church in 1981. Since then, groups have sprung up in over 12,000 churches across the United States and over a half million members have taken part. First Place 4 Health says it has "guided hundreds of thousands of people to a healthy lifestyle and a closer walk with the Lord." The program aims to address the whole person, taking into account body, spirit, emotions and mind.
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