6)      Myth:  I can’t be happy unless I’m thin.

      Fact:  There are happy and unhappy people at all sizes.  Research shows that the key to having a high self-esteem is for you and your family to value who you are and respect your body, no matter what your size.

      Positive Step:  Some important things you can do for yourself, no matter what shape or body size you have, are to stay fit, eat according to your physical hunger, and develop a loving attitude toward your body. If you overeat because of emotional reasons, or generally feel unhappy, consider getting help from a therapist so that you can deal directly with the issues in your life that makes you unhappy.

7)      Myth:  Losing weight is a matter of willpower.

      Fact:  A Consumer Report study found that the promises of commercial weight loss programs are false.  The Federal Trade Commission now requires programs to qualify their results.  This indicates that individual dieters are not at fault for failures. Rather, regaining weight after initial losses is the norm.

      Positive Step:  Stop beating yourself up for the difficulties you encounter in maintaining a weight loss.  Rather than feeling shame, try to become compassionate with yourself. It is tough to live in a society that tells you that you are not O.K. just the way you are. Instead of trying to change the shape of your body, consider trying to change the messages which you’ve internalized.

8)      Myth:  People who are fat eat more than people who are thin.

      Fact:  Studies do not find this to necessarily be the case. Large people often eat the same amount of food as people considered to be average size.

      Positive Step:  Remember that your genetics plays the greatest role in determining your size, followed by changes in your physiology due to yo-yo dieting.  If you find yourself bingeing, it is likely that you are responding to deprivation as the result of dieting.  This behavior will diminish as you normalize your relationship with food.

9)      Myth:  If I understand the emotional causes of my overeating, it will stop.

      Fact:  Understanding the reasons you overeat will not change your relationship with food. While you may solve some of the other difficulties in your life, compulsive eating behaviors require direct intervention.

      Positive Step:  Read books, attend workshops or seek the help of a professional who can help you deal directly with your overeating by teaching you how to stop dieting and become attuned to your natural hunger.  Once you take this step, you will be in a much stronger position to intervene with the emotional triggers of your overeating.

10)  Myth:  Compulsive eating is an addiction which must be controlled.

      Fact:      Compulsive eating can take the form of an addiction for many people who use food to regulate their emotions.  However, compulsive eating can be cured.

      Positive Step: Unlike other addictions including cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, you cannot live without food. Therefore, rather than trying to control overeating by giving up certain types of food, the key is for you to relearn how to put food back where it belongs.  When you can do this, you will outgrow the need to eat compulsively.