
Who knows but I love it - I'm loving it!" she added. "I was starving and running late so I ordered McDonald's," the 42-year-old mother of four said. But researchers found those given the pep talk ate significantly less in both situations, while those who weren't given the message reported feeling guilty and ended up 'emotional' eating as a result! Most women ate some of the donuts and candies. 'Everyone in the study eats this stuff, so I don't think there's any reason to feel real bad about it.' Both groups of women were then asked to taste test candies from large bowls. 'I hope you won't be hard on yourself,' the instructor said. (Can you imagine how bad that might make you feel afterward?) But one group was given a lesson in self-compassion first. "In one study," she reports, "two groups of female college students described as 'restrictive eaters'-girls who were trying to be 'good'-were invited to sample donuts. Mindf*ck!" Her book is devoted to conquering food guilt and shame, backed by the latest science. You get fat when you feel bad about yourself.

"You don't feel bad about yourself when you get fat. "Here's the secret of all secrets," says Melissa Milne, author of The Naughty Diet.
