Is your weight problem eating you up?

Yes, welcome a new you for the new year!

It is time to let go of the baggage that we all carry: the rules that don’t work, the promises that let you down, the disappointing relationships. It is time to bring out the essential you.

Those weighty words of advice come from Dr. Rachel Heller and Dr. Richard Heller, who dish out quite a mouthful in their book The Carbohydrate Addict’s Program for Success (available at National Book Store). It’s a companion workbook to The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet.

Perhaps it’s the carbohydrate addicts whose "burden" is heavier than most, the authors note, because of the fact that they’re the most misunderstood people and are often blamed for their problem.

Rachel Heller understands because she’d been there before. Rachel was obese (weighing well over 300 pounds) and lived a life full of lies and empty promises. She confesses that she succumbed to one diet regimen after another, but each time, she lost nothing but her self-esteem. Then she came to realize that it was not the weight problem that was weighing her down.

To better understand the problem, a definition of terms is in order. The authors define carbohydrate addiction as "a compelling or recurring hunger, craving, or desire for carbohydrate-rich foods such as starches (bagels, bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes), snack foods (such as pretzels, popcorn, or potato chips) or sweets (including fruit and fruit juices, puddings, pies, cakes, ice cream, and chocolate). They add: "Carbohydrate addicts often, although not always, have a tendency to easily gain weight; if some weight is lost through dieting, they have a tendency to easily regain the lost weight. While a nonaddicted person can enjoy carbohydrates and feel satisfied, once carbohydrate addicts have a ‘taste’ of the food they love, they have a very hard time stopping. They may be able to control their cravings for a while, but sooner or later, usually without warning, they lose control."

The book notes that carbohydrate addiction affects about 75 percent of people who are overweight, as well as normal-weight people. The problem usually goes unrecognized, undiagnosed, and untreated.

• Are you often stimulated to eat when you see, smell, or even just think of food?

• Do you feel ‘driven’ to eat even though at times you don’t actually feel hungry?

• Do you feel hungry after eating a full breakfast even before it’s time for lunch?

• Do you often find yourself getting tired and/or hungry in the middle of the afternoon?

• Do you feel hungrier when you’re under pressure or stress, or when you’re depressed, angry, tired or lonely?

• Do you feel you can live on bread and butter alone?

If you answered yes to one or all of the above, you are a carbohydrate addict. The book also identifies different levels of addiction and takes a look at your addiction profile.

But don’t despair. The Hellers assert: "If you’re a carbohydrate addict, you have a hormonal imbalance (called hyperinsulinemia) that leads you to crave starches, snack foods, or sweets. This extra release of insulin takes place after you eat carbohydrates of any kind. The good news is that we know what causes this physical problem and we now know how to eliminate the cravings and remove the weight gain that goes along with them."

The couple stresses: The carbohydrate addict is the victim, not the culprit.

So, is this another one of those diet books? "This book is about freedom: freedom from pain, freedom from confusion and doubt, freedom from feeling like your life is not all that it can be," so the authors promise.

Rachel and Richard Heller learned their lessons well – "lessons learned through pain, struggle, failure, and triumph. It is the result of giving in, giving up, giving out, and trying one more time, and then, finally, succeeding."

Rachel herself lost 150 lbs., gained her self-confidence, and went from a size 24 to 6. Richard, who had the same heavy problem as Rachel, went from fat frog to Prince Charming.

Sharing their own hearty recipe for success, Rachel and Richard take you by the hand as you embark on a wonderful journey of discovering the essential you. And as you take this new road, you’ll discover it’s much more fun to travel light.