For more information, read:

• WEEK ONE, ENDING THE WAR: a review of the first installment of Geneen Roth’s 6-week Women, Food and God Online Retreat.
• WEEK TWO, BEYOND WHAT’S BROKEN: a review of the second installment.

The Problem
A lot of people, I daresay most Americans and a growing number around the globe, have a problem with overeating. Personally, I have that very typical issue of being all-business during the workweek, followed by trashing all my hard work with dieting helter-skelter on the weekends and any time we eat out.

Most women (and more men than will admit it) battle over losing and gaining the same poundage year after year. Geneen Roth, author of Women, Food and God claims, and I don’t disagree, that this Sisyphean task is a distraction from feelings we don’t feel like feeling.

She says there are areas of our lives and corners of our brain that we want to be distracted from, and the cycle of dieting and overeating is a good escape. By the way, she says “dieting” could also be compulsive spending, alcoholism, or any number of behaviors and addictions that people take on to divert themselves.

The Solution?
Since I think the issue of overeating is a hugely important one for so many of us, I can’t quite let go of Geneen Roth and her highly-praised book. My main criticism of the book is that it’s all very floaty and pretty language, but once I put that book down and walk away, I’m going to keep behaving the way I’ve been behaving.

I watched Geneen on Oprah last week, hoping to catch another shred of information or a new concept that would help me grab onto her instruction in a more concrete way, but her appearance did nothing but make me even more curious about how her teachings work for people. I did some googling following the show, and I discovered that Geneen is holding a six-week online seminar to help us “end the war with food,” and to “eat when we’re hungry and to stop when we’re not.” From Geneen Roth’s web site:

In this “Women Food and God” Online-Retreat, you have a unique opportunity to study with and be inspired by Geneen Roth LIVE in the comfort of your home. And even if you can’t attend one or more of the live sessions, you’ll have unrestricted access to listen to the recordings of this transformational Online-Retreat whenever you want.

Since my complaint about the book was that it’s too hard to put into practice by myself, I think that this “online retreat” might address that issue and help put what I’ve learned from the book into existence in my every day eating habits. The retreat runs from May 25, 2010 until June 29th, and takes place for an hour each week followed by 30 minutes of Q&A.

So What Do You Get Out of This?
Each week, I will give a short summary of that week’s teaching, let you know what I’m learning and what challenges I experience. I would love for you to read along with my journey, and you might get a few tips or tricks from my weekly reviews.

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Do It With Me!
To take it one step further, I think it would be über-cool if you would come to the party and join her seminar and we can discuss here what you’ve learned as well. Since so many of us have goals and challenges related to fitness and eating, invite your friends, sisters and mothers that share the same goals and concerns. [There's a 2-for-1 registration discount, so you have a good reason to invite a buddy.] Maybe we can all put overeating behind us.

I will invite you to share what you learn on your own blogs or in the comments, which could help us develop more well-rounded coverage of the retreat by sharing our expertise and experiences. Or just lurk and read, it’s your choice. 

Read WEEK ONE, ENDING THE WAR: a review of the first installment of Geneen Roth’s 6-week Women, Food and God Online Retreat.