A few weeks ago on her show Oprah made a casual remark that was exquisitely on point. She said she's an emotional eater, and you can tell when her life isn't going well because she picks up weight.

Are you like Oprah? Do you suspect that you are? If so, all of your elaborate diet plans and schemes and promises will be worthless, because you will always go back on them. You can't help it. If your overeating is driven by emotion, you can't stop it.

What to do?

It's not easy, as Oprah's ups and downs illustrate. But there is a way to live without having emotions tied to food. There is a way to recognize, experience, and deal with feelings head-on, without burying them under piles of extra food.

Here's the hitch. You need to know how to do the work this requires.