Your Fat Belly Is Not Toxic

It seems that over the past few years more and more detox and fasting systems have appeared on the market. Another thing I've noticed is that more and more people are looking at detoxing and/or fasting as a good weight-loss solution.

It isn't.

The reason it is so appealing, however, is that we don't like our extra fat. And just like most things we don't like, we treat it like the enemy. So if we remove the "disease" -- which, in this case, is our belly fat -- that we will be "cured." The problem will be gone if we just fast for 10 days. An easy solution.

Our fat doesn't need to be rooted out and removed like a heavy metal. It's actually part of us. Maybe a part we aren't psyched about -- but still part of us. We don't need to get rid of our belly, we need to change how it works. If we want our body to store less fat there, then we need to do things differently in general. Like eat different foods, and get more sleep, exercise, and generally reduce our stress levels.

But to admit that this belly is part of us is to admit we aren't exactly who we wish we were. And we don't like that. Why? Because we would rather think of who we wish we were than who we actually are. This made-up person is totally awesome: six-pack abs, perfect hair, can play piano, and makes the best martinis ever. In a way, when we decide to detox we're also deciding that we'd like to know how to play piano, or be closer to an ideal self. But will a bottle of quick-fix get you there?

Perhaps put the detox kit back on the shelf, have a slightly healthier dinner and sign up for piano lessons. By doing this we will become a lot closer to our perfected self without wasting our time suffering through another not actually transformative experience.

Listen to a sample audio clip from Brandt's upcoming CD Being at Peace with Food here.

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