Who amongst us with weight issues, hasn't tried quite of few of these, plus many more ?magic ingredient or combination? food plans.

Yet we are still in need of another try. Maybe the next book will have ?The Secret? that will make it easy, fast, and effective. Maybe we will not be miserable that time. Maybe we won't end up cheating and getting discouraged.

We all know ?The Secret?: Stop eating junk and move around more. For most of us, our weight would drift down without a problem if we were able to lay off the yummy processed snacks and the excessive quantities of our favorite comfort foods.

But we can't do it, not for long. And it's puzzling, maddening, humbling, discouraging, and frustrating. So we look for the next diet book to save us.

There are many great books with valid information and nutrition. For me, there is no point in choosing a diet made of ingredients that I don't enjoy and won't be able to stick to for long.

But?maybe if I chose a diet full of things I don't like, I won't eat too much and my cravings will go away. Tried that approach. Didn't work. Though to be fair, some people find that they have better success eliminating a few of their main food triggers. For others, the feeling of deprivation drives them to eventually down the forbidden food like their gasping for air.

So how do we decide what works?

First key as awareness, which is really hard to do for most overeaters. Because we eat to run away from our feelings, and/or because we are disassociated from them in the first place.

We have to make ourselves feel safe enough to be willing to be aware. Learn emotional coping tools that will allow us to be fully functional emotionally.

And that will usually mean accessing more than our conscious thoughts. What's lurking underneath?

Changing our thoughts to more empowering ones involves more than insights and re-framing. It means changing the energy around beliefs and experiences. Defusing the tension around dealing with an overflowing buffet table, for example. Or around feeling vulnerable at work.

There is a lot of work to do beyond choosing a food plan. But the good news is, you'll then have the key to not being a slave of food (or afraid of it) for the rest of your life.