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By the age of 28, Geneen Roth, author of "Women Food and God, An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything" -- who excerpted a portion of the book on Oprah.com, and appeared on the show yesterday -- had gained and lost over 1,000 pounds.

It wasn't until she was on the brink of suicide after suffering the devastating effects of what she thought were related to her roller coaster relationship with weight that she discovered the source of her problem had nothing to do with food. And everything to do with her core beliefs about herself, others and life.

The California resident and author of eight books, including bestseller, "When Food is Love," has now unlocked a revolutionary door for women of any age who have ever struggled with food -- too much or too little -- in her latest book, which is currently topping the New York Times bestseller list.

Over the course of conducting life-awakening workshops and retreats for 30 years, Roth has helped over 10,000 women discover what's been right in front of them -- on their plates -- this whole time. So we stepped off our scales and decided to sit down with this author to find out exactly what she meant.

Lemondrop: First off, why did you write this book?
Geneen Roth: I wanted to speak about what people usually don't put in words -- how the physical, psychological and spiritual (the world beyond appearances) connect. I have been teaching retreats based upon the very information in this book for 11 years. I want women to see how they use food is really a belief about themselves and their lives. How we use food is really a mirror to our inner happiness -- our feelings of love, fear, self-worth, anger and our connection to God.

What do you hope this book will teach other women?
I hope they'll become interested in their relationship with food rather than want to get rid of it and feel as if it's a curse. I want people to use their relationship with food as a doorway to freedom. What you want to get rid of most in your life is often the doorway to what you want most. If we open that door, we can address whatever issues we are using food to avoid.


So, is this book good news for those of us who like to eat and hate to diet?
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Yes! Food is a great source of pleasure on Earth. We should taste it, enjoy it and love it. I want people to love food because if you love something, you pay attention to it, and when you pay attention to something, you don't abuse it.

Are you saying diets don't work?
Diets work on guilt and shame. With 75 percent of our country overweight, the way we're addressing weight issues now is not working -- it's just getting worse. Diets may work for a while, but when stress or daily life challenges interfere, people revert back to their old ways if they haven't come to an understanding about how food influences their life.

Tell me about your relationship with food and compulsive overeating when you were in your '20s.
I started eating compulsively when I was 11 and continued that way for 17 years. Food was my hugs and kisses. It didn't talk back. I had a lot of shame and self-hatred.

In your book, you explain that throughout that time, you were addicted to amphetamines for four years and laxatives for two years. Your days were filled with fasting, throwing up and trying every diet and weight loss program out there. You even spent two years weighing only 80 pounds. Your epiphany came when you finally realized that a spiritual connection -- within yourself and your feelings about herself -- would lead you out of this hell. How is your life different now?
I realized that I wasn't going to love, appreciate and feel at peace with myself by dieting, depriving, shaming and torturing myself. I wasn't going to end up as a happy person that way. So through an ongoing refinement process, compulsive eating is not a daily struggle anymore. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I have learned that it's not about the weight -- it's about what feels good to my body.

When I was reading your book, I thought, 'Finally! Someone who gets that being overweight is directly tied to your inner happiness and peace!" Is that your main message?
It's simple really. People need to look beyond the physical and psychological reasons for their weight. There is a whole spiritual component that affects the way we treat our relationship with food -- or money, sex or even our time online. It doesn't have to be just about food.

You explain in your book that our personalities, past experiences, emotions and beliefs about who we are influence how much and how well we eat. We use food to comfort and numb our feelings -- not to nourish our bodies when they are truly hungry. That said, what role do you think Hollywood types play in today's obsessions with eating and body image?
They are sending an unrealistic message. Except for the ones who are naturally thin, many others are pressured to maintain a certain weight with diets, cigarettes and Red Bull. The physical role model they are setting is unnatural and not healthy. This leads us to feel like we are our bodies and the sum total of our self worth is based on how we look.

Very true. Are there other parts of our society that influence women's relationships with food too?
The diet industry makes it seem like losing weight is very simple. They also make people believe that when you're done, you'll be happy, and that, of course, is not true.

Any final words for fellow Lemondroppers?
Be kind to yourself. Take some time each day to just "be" in meditation so you can get to know yourself. Then ask, "What is the kindest thing I can do for myself right now?" This is how we learn to be different.