Why dieting does not address the problem

Why do so many people with an ‘eating problem' never seem able to master the problem and maintain the weight of their choice? The first thing to realize is that, strange as it may seem, the real problem is not an eating one. What is happening is that people use food to satisfy an internal craving. That's the hardest part to understand and accept. When people experience a craving for food it is almost impossible for them to realize that what they are craving is not what is in the food.

What is happening is that the food is temporarily filling the void, and the more they use food to fill the void, the more dependent on the food they become. Just like an alcoholic, the more they drink the more dependent on alcohol they become. The secret is to not use food to temporarily satisfy the craving and then the underlying craving can be dealt with in a more authentic way. The problem with using food to satisfy the inner craving is that, it has life threatening side effects. The most common one is morbid obesity.

If you have been using food for a long time to attempt to satisfy the inner craving, then your body and mind are totally dependent on this solution to the inner discomfort. A good way to try to understand the dilemma is to imagine you adrift on a small boat in the middle of the ocean. Without fresh water, your thirst makes you desperate as time goes by. Logically you know that if you drink the sea water your problem is worsened by the salt content but desperation overcomes your logic and you are tempted to drink it.

It's the same with food. Most people who are overweight know that eating more food only makes their situation worse but the desperate cravings override their logic and they eat. The internal cravings make them desperate and they have no defense against them. It is not their fault; it is the only solution their mind has to solve the problem. The solution to overeating is to find some defense against the craving. If you can find the willingness to withstand the craving, experience shows that the craving will lessen with time and eventually die. That is where you find freedom.

Without the craving, the body will demand only a reasonable amount of food to sustain itself or in other words, you will eat normally without effort, just like the majority of other people. ‘You can satisfy hunger but you cannot satisfy an appetite'. This is the basis for understanding where the craving is coming from. If an instinct or appetite is out of control it is impossible to satisfy the craving that comes from it.

Once the instinct is disciplined the craving will lessen and disappear. It's important to know that you are powerless over the out of control eating but when this is addressed through withdrawal, healthy eating will replace it. Trying to resolve the overeating dilemma by dieting will only temporarily work, leading to the situation known as weight yo-yo.