Geneen Roth gets it.  Truth be told, she got it before I did.  So kudos to her.

Writing in Good Housekeeping, Roth specifically states that "wanting to change what we do with food means changing what we do without food.  And often that means taking a risk.  Breaking out of our routines.  Doing something we've never done before.  Questioning beliefs we've taken for granted, such as 'I am supposed to do this alone' and 'Asking for help is a sign of weakness.'"

I might add to her list: harboring a negative self image, dwelling on life's difficulties, feeling responsible for the behaviors of others, accepting responsibility for circumstances beyond our control, etc. etc.

Food is very frequently a surrogate -- a substitute -- for what we really crave.  The ideas is to deconstruct WHY we eat when we do, and to search out other ways to satisfy our emotional hunger.

"There is always at least one thing could do besides eating, something that would take better care of you than food does," Roth writes.  "How do I know this?" she asks.  "Because food is a physical substance, and a physical substance can only fill physical hunger.  It cannot -- and was never meant to -- provide the things that only other people can provide, things like love and contact and comfort."

Again, I would add to what Roth wrote by noting that there is always -- always -- one person in the world who you can count on to love and appreciate and be a best friend to you and that is yourself.  Whatever life delivers -- and often it is a very harsh package -- if you don't let it rob you of your own positive companionship, you can fill most any emotional void.

Those who need outside emotional help have this site.  And if we're not enough, there are many additional resources to help you get and stand happily on your own two feet.  Once there, you'll be a much happier individual with or without the extra pounds.

-- Dean Rotbart
Founder & Editor
NoDiet-WeightLoss.com