What Does it Mean to Be Overweight?

Posted by Freeman Michaels on May 13th, 2010 at 10:50am

Finding Meaning Is Important - Perspective In Weight Release

Many people today consider a personal quest to probe life looking for “meaning” to be a rather unnecessary undertaking. In today’s fast-moving culture, questions, such as “what gives life meaning?” and “what meaning can we derive from life’s experiences?” are often ignored. In our secular, fact-oriented, and scientific society, meaning is often deemed irrelevant. Too often, questions about “the meaning of life” get confused looks, or those who ask the question are chided for “wasting time pondering abstract philosophy.”

In Western Culture, the medical world tends to ignore the meaning of illness. However, in traditional Chinese medicine it is believed that illness occurs when a person is “out of balance.” A traditional Chinese doctor will seek to help the patient get back in energetic balance as a means of curing disease. The meaning of the illness is fundamental to the choices of care provided.

It seems clear to me that those of us in this, the fattest culture on Earth today, would be wise to consider the meaning in our obesity – both as individuals and as a culture. What is out of balance in our lives (or culture), and what do our weight issues have to teach us?

In the Weight Release program that I run we emphasize a sincere exploration of the meaning in the weight related challenges that each person faces. There must be a reverence and respect for each individual’s journey toward wholeness.

I believe that meaning can be derived from profound experiences, such as obesity, and it is meaning that makes our lives significant. I believe that many of us who have gained and retained weight have lost sight of meaning in our lives. We must get back in touch with what really “feeds us”, nourishes us and sustains us emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically. I truly believe that we can only correct our outward experience by directing our focus inward.

Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, one of the earliest pioneers in the mind/body holistic health movement, says that “meaning helps us to see in the dark.”  Meaning turns a difficult experience from a curse into a blessing. My battle with obesity gave me the most profound personal gift – it forced me to finally give up trying to prove myself to others and learn to be true to myself.

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Freeman Michaels is America’s #1 weight release expert and coach. He is the author of Weight Release: A Liberating Journey. His groundbreaking program uses personal development principles to end the “diet cycle” and help people release weight forever.

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