I know all about emotional eating, but knowing it doesn't stop me from a chocolate binge. In fact, I often think, "Sure I'm eating because I had a bad day. But so what? I deserve some chocolate." Any suggestions?

Let me liken your response to that of a smoker who says, "Yup, I know it's bad for me, but I've had a bad day and I deserve a cigarette." If that's the case, there isn't anything anyone can do to stop you. You should go ahead and have whatever food you're craving. You've certainly got my permission, and in my experience, any attempt to make you stop just meets with more resistance.

If the food you crave, like a drug or a cigarette, is associated with more pleasure in the immediate moment than it is with pain, it's going to be hard to stop eating it. So now the question has to be: How does that short-term pleasure stack up against the long-term pain of eating food that keeps you fatter than you want to be?

If you really want to stop, there are tricks you can use. One is to restructure what constitutes a "reward" for a bad day in your mind. If you choose to not binge on chocolate, instead of thinking of that as a deprivation, trying seeing it as a gift -- because in turning down that binge food, you're actually giving yourself the gift of good health and a leaner fitter body. Sure, that body isn't going to arrive tomorrow, and the chocolate is here right now, but think of it as you do frequent-flier miles: Save up those little gifts, and after a while you really have something worthwhile.

Another trick is to find some other reward, something that really makes you happy. Some people have found taking a really luxurious bath and pampering themselves with quiet time works real well. Yet another trick is to simply wait 15 minutes. Most cravings -- at least the worst part of them -- have a short life and will diminish significantly if you can hold out for just a while. Drinking a lot of water helps, as does eating something salty or spicy.

Since these cravings don't seem to come at random times -- most people have them later in the day, for example -- I've found that a contract or journal is a great tool to remind you of how you really feel about food and body weight. Find a time when you're not feeling any cravings, and write down how you really feel about food and body weight and what your commitment and goal is. Then read it to yourself when you're feeling weakest.

Some people recommend having "just a little" of the food you are craving. The problem is that if you are indeed sugar-sensitive, a "little bit" just primes your brain chemistry to want more. It would be like an alcoholic having one drink. If this sounds like you, having "just a little" is really not a great solution. On the other hand, if you are the kind of person who can really have just a drop of the craved food and be done with it, then I say go for it. However, I haven't met many people battling weight and sugar addictions who can really do that. Our brain chemistries are just not set up for the kind of "moderation" that works with people who are not wired the way we are.

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