Jamestown  (CSi)  One out of three Americans are officially listed as “obese,” the leading cause of death.

On the Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2 on Thursday, two representatives of the Jamestown chapter of Overeaters Anonymous(R)  (OA) Tina and Teri shared their positions with the local group, and successes they have had with weight loss.

The ladies are prohibited from using their last names in public.

The Overeaters Anonymous is a 12 step  program,  and not a ‘diet club,’ which is free of charge, offering physical, emotional, and spiritual  recovery for those who suffer from obsessive eating habits.

The program may include members who are extremely overweight, or even morbidly obese, moderately overweight, average weight, underweight, still maintaining periodic control over their eating behavior, or totally unable to control their compulsive eating.

The only requirement for membership in OA is a desire to stop eating compulsively.

The group is open to all ages, including children.

Tina said she became a member of OA in April of 2015 when she weighed 335 pounds, and by August of 2016 she had lost 135 pound, weighting 200 pounds. She said she’s still working on more weight loss.  He pant size went from a size 30 to a size 18.

She pointed out that she became a ‘compulsive overeater,’ after experiencing a personal trauma in her life as a child.

In addition to her weight loss she said she is no longer a Type II diabetic, her blood pressure is back to normal, and her cholesterol is back down to an acceptable level, and she’s no longer on medications.

She stressed that a weight loss program is also a matter of accepting a lifestyle change, adding that the Jamestown group meetings offer support to members.  Tina is OA Red River Valley Intergroup Public Information Officer.

The organization also supports those with other eating disorders.

Teri also experienced an eating disorder as a child, and then in her 20’s became aware of OA, and met with success in the program.

She has become the Chairperson of Overeaters Anonymous, Red River Valley Intergroup, covering North Dakota and parts of Minnesota, and South Dakota.   Region four  covers a large portion of the Midwest.

Teri Pointed out that the web site  www.OA.org  has more information with links to the Jamestown organization along with podcasts along with links to their Facebook page, and includes information for family and friends.

Tina pointed out that Overeaters Anonymous meets in Jamestown weekly on Thursdays at 5:30-p.m., at 518 10th Avenue, SE.

For more information contact Tina, at 701-269-9048.