Problem with strokes on text

[Daniela5E23]

I'm trying to add an outside stroke to a text... I understand I can't allign a stroke on editable text, so I converted my text to paths and added my outside stroke. But now my stroke is covering each other up! See screenshot:

How can I get my letters to not cover each other up with the stroke, but without altering the spacing? Thanks!

[Mylenium]

You have to expand the stroke to fills and merge them into a single area underneath.

Mylenium

[Grant H · Accepted solution]

You could keep the text live by rather adding a fill in the appearence pallet with an offset underneath the character, see screenshot.

[Ton Frederiks]

You can kep your text live.

Add a stroke in the Appearance panel and drag the  Stroke item below the Characters item.

[Jacob Bugge]

Daniela,

To elaborate on the answers by Grant and Ton with Stroke beneath the Characters, since the unchangeable alignment of the Stroke on live Type is centred, (the inner) half of it is hidden and that is why you can just double the Stroke Weight.

[applepress]

Bring the black type to the front