Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross Author of “The Emotional Eating Workbook” and “The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook”.When it comes to addiction, abstinence isn’t always the answer—and with food addiction, this is especially true. And yet, for decades nutritional experts have dissected the problem of obesity, and the result has been a series of recommendations about what and how much to eat. When “eating too much fat” was thought to cause obesity, grocery store shelves exploded with low-fat products. Next came the low carb craze that led us to fear eating all carbohydrates, and with it came another assortment of fad products and diets. This pattern has repeated numerous times—and it never seems to be helpful! If you’re struggling with obesity or food addiction, you’ve probably been told that you must deprive yourself of certain foods in order to lose weight. You may have also been convinced—by the media and by our culture—that if you finally become thin your life will be better, you’ll be happier, and your suffering will come to an end. The problem is—it’s not all about the food. It’s about how food is used to self-soothe, to numb ourselves against the pain of living or to cope with stress and unresolved emotions. Even as your waist whittles away, the problems that caused your food addiction won’t disappear.
