Are you using the Blowtorch method of losing weight
- Bronwyn Fletcher
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Weight loss is not a simple fix
Understanding weight loss is often much deeper than it first appears, and that’s the idea behind the iceberg model used in this week’s blog. Icebergs aren’t just a metaphor; they’re a tool used in systems thinking to help uncover the hidden layers in complex problems like long-term weight management.
Why we wrongly focus on the diet as the solution
Most of us naturally focus on the visible tip: the number on the scales, the extra kilos, and the diets that promise quick fixes. Our brains prefer simple, fast solutions, so when weight becomes a problem, we jump to diets without pausing to consider what really lies beneath. It seems logical, but time and again, surface-level interventions only deliver temporary results.
Melissa thought chocolate was her problem
Take Melissa’s story, for example. She’s 49, a mother of two teenagers, and has spent years trying every diet and approach out there. Melissa believed chocolate was the problem, if she could just quit chocolate, she could lose weight and keep it off. And sure enough, when she cut it out, the weight would drop, for a while. But every strict regime ended in a rebound, with old patterns returning and her hard-won progress lost.
We need to look deeper into her problem
The iceberg model asks us to look under the waterline. Directly beneath the surface are the repeated food choices and eating patterns that drive results. Even deeper, we discover personal eating systems, rules, routines, and emotional triggers shaped by past experiences. At the very base are root causes and mental models: the beliefs and events, often from childhood, that set the whole cycle in motion. For Melissa, chocolate wasn’t just chocolate, it was her comfort during tough times at home, a survival tool hardwired from her earliest years.
How Melissa's chocolate problem was solved
True and lasting weight loss means inverting that iceberg, not starting with diets, but beginning at the roots. By understanding our own stories and discovering the original needs our eating patterns are trying to meet, we gain the clarity to create real change. That’s not just willpower or calorie counting, it’s designing new, healthier ways to feel safe and cared for without food.
Systems thinking hands us the tools to move beyond self-blame and quick fixes, inviting us to find solutions that match the core problem. For anyone struggling with weight, the answer isn’t at the tip, it’s waiting below, in the patterns and stories unique to each of us.
Additional resources for you
Check out the Weighting for Happiness programs for the tools and roadmap to uncover your food story. Download the free e-book
Listen to my Podcast 'Before Dieting' where ever you listen to your Podcasts or try the Apple/Spotify links below.
🎧 Listen to Melissa's story on 'Before Dieting' …
Episode 9 - Why you need more than a diet
Happy listening - Bronwyn 💚
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