Step One: 

We admitted we were powerless over food -- 

that our lives had become unmanageable.

(Spiritual Principle: Honesty)

 

In OA we learn that a lack of willpower isn't what makes us compulsive eaters. In fact, compulsive eaters often exhibit an exceptional amount of willpower. But compulsive eating is an illness that cannot be controlled by willpower. None of us decided to have this disorder, any more than we would have decided to have any other disease. We can now cease blaming ourselves or others for our compulsive eating.

Clearly, if we are to live free of the bondage of compulsive eating, we must abstain from all foods and eating behaviors that cause us to eat compulsively. But this, too, has proven impossible for us to do by our willpower alone. Before we found OA, every diet or period of control was followed by a period of uncontrolled eating. This is because our malady was not just physical in nature; it was emotional and spiritual as well...If we were to stop eating compulsively, and stay stopped, we had to find another power, stronger than ourselves, for relief."

Once we honestly examine our histories, we can deny it no longer: our eating and our attitudes towards food are not normal; we have this disease...Only an honest admission to ourselves of the reality of our condition can save us from our destructive eating. The same principle applies to unmanageable lives. As long as we believe that we already know what is best for us, we cling to our habitual ways of thinking and acting.

In Step One, we acknowledge this truth about ourselves: Our current methods of managing have not been successful, and we need to find a new approach to life. Having acknowledged this truth, we are free to change and to learn.

Tradition One:

Our common welfare should come first; 

personal recovery depends on OA unity.

(Spiritual Principal - Unity)

The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition