Cause or Effect

Is excess fat the problem or the effect of a problem? I wanted so badly for it to be THE problem.

When I was a kid and was put on diets, this idea was reinforced over and over again. The fat is the problem.

So, when I finally decided to turn my life around, that is how I approached it:  Reduce my excess fat and I will reduce my problem. But the problem remained even after a reduction of fat, not to mention the fact that the fat always came back.

There were brief periods when I would make the problem carbohydrates or processed food. I believed that if I excised those from my life, their effects would be solved. It wasn’t until I looked inward, at my relationship with food, my habits, and compulsions, that I was able to begin to attack the actual problem and the cause for it.

Today, I see excess fat as a symptom of an entire ecosystem that had taken over my life. Disentanglement has been long and complex, and I continue to get a fuller picture of it almost every day. What’s helped me most, was changing how I looked at and thought about the situation. Today I register things like lethargy, excess weight or physical discomfort to be symptoms of a problem, rather than THE problem itself.

I focus on the things that I can improve and aim to take fully responsiblity for the entire ecosystem of my life.