Insanity & Weight Loss; Also, More on Mirror Looking
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
HOW LONG DOES GETTING THIN TAKE? - Winnie the Pooh, (A.A. Milne)
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result."
So, does this sound familiar to any of you??? I know that many of you have tried over & over again to lose weight & fallen "off the wagon" as they say BUT eventually get it right & lose the weight after all. Others do not. I definitely think we can learn from our pasts to understand what did & did not work for us.
For many, it more a mental thing & then one day it just clicks in whether it is a bad doctor report telling you that you have pre-diabetes or that your weight is going to "take you down". For others, it just may be that picture from a vacation that shocks you into reality to say.. HOLY CRAP, is that me!!!???
But for others, it can be that they just keep trying the same thing over & over again, getting the same results or no results. For example, a person that is a carb lover is not going to survive long term, life long, on a low carb diet. The minute they are done with the "diet plan", they usually go back to eating like before & the weight comes back on! I can't tell you how many people I saw do this exact thing.
Listen, I know people that can live forever low carb but that is not me. Others, they like their carbs & have to find a way to work them into their "diet/food program" plan. If you have tried certain "diet plans or programs" and they did not work for you in the past & you felt like you could not live with them for life, why go back to that! INSANITY!!!! Like my first sentence: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result. Why would you get a different result if you have tried the same thing over & over & already figured out it was not for you!
Same with your fitness/exercise program. I have been working out for 25+ years.. different things along the way. When things stopped working or stalled, I did different things. I am one for changing it up anyway.
BUT, I can tell you that I have seen the same people for 10-15 years straight & they have made basically no change in their appearance.. these are people trying for change. They come in to the gym, do the same thing each time, don't change it up, don't make changes to adjust for age or just to shock the body. I see some of them carrying around pieces of paper with "a program" on it yet they look the same. Again, if you are not getting a different or improved result, why keep doing it? Today, I saw 2 guys that spent 3 hours doing nothing but wide grip pull-downs with MAJOR rest in between each one & a few seated rows... that was it!!! And their back was NOT wide, let me tell you!
Or maybe you are doing some exercise program that you really can't stand so you either stop or do not put your all into it. WHY DO THAT? There are so many different things you can do in terms of exercise both in & outside the gym. Find what you enjoy, that you can like or even tolerate long term. It may & most likely will change along the way BUT that is the great part of this! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result. You want a different result SO if you are not getting one, CHANGE IT! I have done aerobics, jogging, running, racing, used all the different machines in the gym, jog outside & always the weights! The way I work out has changed all along the way but it is based on me paying attention to my bod so I do get A DIFFERENT RESULT!
So, DO NOT BE INSANE!!!!
If it ain't working, change it! If you are not getting a different result or the one you want, change it! Don't repeat the same mistakes over & over!
HOW LONG DOES GETTING THIN TAKE? - Winnie the Pooh, (A.A. Milne)"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result."
So, does this sound familiar to any of you??? I know that many of you have tried over & over again to lose weight & fallen "off the wagon" as they say BUT eventually get it right & lose the weight after all. Others do not. I definitely think we can learn from our pasts to understand what did & did not work for us.
For many, it more a mental thing & then one day it just clicks in whether it is a bad doctor report telling you that you have pre-diabetes or that your weight is going to "take you down". For others, it just may be that picture from a vacation that shocks you into reality to say.. HOLY CRAP, is that me!!!???
But for others, it can be that they just keep trying the same thing over & over again, getting the same results or no results. For example, a person that is a carb lover is not going to survive long term, life long, on a low carb diet. The minute they are done with the "diet plan", they usually go back to eating like before & the weight comes back on! I can't tell you how many people I saw do this exact thing.
Listen, I know people that can live forever low carb but that is not me. Others, they like their carbs & have to find a way to work them into their "diet/food program" plan. If you have tried certain "diet plans or programs" and they did not work for you in the past & you felt like you could not live with them for life, why go back to that! INSANITY!!!! Like my first sentence: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result. Why would you get a different result if you have tried the same thing over & over & already figured out it was not for you!
Same with your fitness/exercise program. I have been working out for 25+ years.. different things along the way. When things stopped working or stalled, I did different things. I am one for changing it up anyway.
BUT, I can tell you that I have seen the same people for 10-15 years straight & they have made basically no change in their appearance.. these are people trying for change. They come in to the gym, do the same thing each time, don't change it up, don't make changes to adjust for age or just to shock the body. I see some of them carrying around pieces of paper with "a program" on it yet they look the same. Again, if you are not getting a different or improved result, why keep doing it? Today, I saw 2 guys that spent 3 hours doing nothing but wide grip pull-downs with MAJOR rest in between each one & a few seated rows... that was it!!! And their back was NOT wide, let me tell you!
Or maybe you are doing some exercise program that you really can't stand so you either stop or do not put your all into it. WHY DO THAT? There are so many different things you can do in terms of exercise both in & outside the gym. Find what you enjoy, that you can like or even tolerate long term. It may & most likely will change along the way BUT that is the great part of this! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result. You want a different result SO if you are not getting one, CHANGE IT! I have done aerobics, jogging, running, racing, used all the different machines in the gym, jog outside & always the weights! The way I work out has changed all along the way but it is based on me paying attention to my bod so I do get A DIFFERENT RESULT!
So, DO NOT BE INSANE!!!!
If it ain't working, change it! If you are not getting a different result or the one you want, change it! Don't repeat the same mistakes over & over!So, who has been "insane" in the past? Have any of you gone through this "doing the same thing & expecting a different result"? I think most of us may have at some point! Let us know what clicked to change your ways! Don't except the same result if it is not working! Again, like I said Monday, find what pushes your button food & exercise wise & DON'T GIVE UP! We all have different motivating factors & lifestyles. What works for a friend or neighbor is not what might be right for you.
Before I leave, I again want to thank you all for your amazing comments on my Monday post! You guys rock! For those that missed Drew's comment to my post, it is below. Drew runs the Diet Tired site. He also has some free tools. Click on the link.
What a great list of comments above. Thank you all.
What I believe happens is that failure/quitting is linked to certain emotions. Sometimes these emotions arise unexpectedly and these emotions bring back old patterns of thinking - failure, doom, unworthiness, etc. Which ironically is similar to depression (as Dr J pointed to above)
We all experience these from time to time but some of us have gotten good at challenging these emotions and thoughts by acting against them rather than on them.
If you've struggled with weight most of your life, periodic bouts of overeating, weighing yourself and missing a workout are soooo emotionally charged. They can set off a lifetime of memories and failure rather than seeing it as a single event from which to learn.
See them with a Beginners Mind rather than dragging every past failure into the present mixture of emotions.
Before I leave, I again want to thank you all for your amazing comments on my Monday post! You guys rock! For those that missed Drew's comment to my post, it is below. Drew runs the Diet Tired site. He also has some free tools. Click on the link.
What a great list of comments above. Thank you all.
What I believe happens is that failure/quitting is linked to certain emotions. Sometimes these emotions arise unexpectedly and these emotions bring back old patterns of thinking - failure, doom, unworthiness, etc. Which ironically is similar to depression (as Dr J pointed to above)
We all experience these from time to time but some of us have gotten good at challenging these emotions and thoughts by acting against them rather than on them.
If you've struggled with weight most of your life, periodic bouts of overeating, weighing yourself and missing a workout are soooo emotionally charged. They can set off a lifetime of memories and failure rather than seeing it as a single event from which to learn.
See them with a Beginners Mind rather than dragging every past failure into the present mixture of emotions.
Posted by truth2beingfit at 11/11/2009 1:00 AM 
Categories: Motivation/Support, Tips, Exercise, Weight Loss
Categories: Motivation/Support, Tips, Exercise, Weight Loss
man when I first started lifting? complete insanity
I lifted a LOT
grew SMALLER AS A RESULT (no rest!) but couldnt wrap my brain around the fact that LESS would be more.
so I tried to do even MORE EXERCISE and grew smaller and moody and tired.
then I finally learned and was (at least in that arena) DE-insaned
Miz.
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Miz, congrats to the DE-insaned.. well in some ways!!!
It is a constant learning process & this stage of my life even more so! Although I think I am still insane... well maybe just crazy!
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as i was reading this.. i thought about my old heavyset step class instructor, or the people i see at the gym looking like hamsters on a wheel, only do tredmill, tredmill, etc. sure they had the stamina to do what they did, but where were the results? the weightloss, the tranformation? i know i've fallen off the wagon but i also know what worked in the past to get me at my current weight. i just need to do that one more time, and then work to maintain it.
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Cher, you will get there.. I know you will cause you know what has to be done. Don't give up. You can do it!!!
I love that hamster thought.. too funny!
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Hey, some of my favorite pets have been hamsters
Everything you mention in this post, Jody, is very useful and important, and I hope it will help someone.
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Dr. J, you are too funny!!! Hamsters! I never thought about that! GREAT! Thx for the nice comment too!
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Great post, Jody - will be linking to it in the next day or two.
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I really do think the key is to enjoy the process or you won't stick with it. The same approach will work for one person, but not another - so really taking the time to figure out what works for you is the key to sticking with it for life.
Fabulous post!
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I agree 100%. It is insanity to keep doing the same thing and not getting results, or insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect that the results will change magically!
Great post!
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I think I have a mild form of insanity, in that I continuously work out for long periods, and then fall off the wagon and lose benefits, only to pick it back up again. Like glacially slow cycles that prevent me from punching through to the next level. Frustrating!
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Phil, go back & try to understand WHY you fall off the wagon. Is it you don't like the food program, is it the form of exercise, is it you don't allow for treats? What is it? I went years not allowing myself treats & then one day I woke up & figured out how to make it work for me. Or were you bored? Figure that out & don't repeat it! I can't tell you how many times I have changed my food, exercise & more just based on how I felt & how the bod looked & what was & was not happening. Learn from that past & make sure not to do it again!
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"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different result."
That thought has been on my mind quite a lot as I read through blog posts were folks complain about their lack of success in one sentence and then say, oh well, going out to dinner tonight to celebrate co-worker's 6-month anniversary. Frankly, some of them have me a little fed up.
Excellent post (as usual).
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Jack, this is so true. I have written a lot of posts about these "special occasions" which can turn out to be every week for some... like this one: http://truth2beingfit.com/2009/03/19/more-diet-help--special-occasions.aspx.
People need to get real about this & stop lying to themselves. It takes hard work & sacrifice but it is worth it!
Thx Jack!
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Melanie, THX!
Lori, your comment is right on & I preach it.. both food & exercise... find what works for you & you can live with for life even if it changes along the way! Mine does!
Thx Diane
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There is a lot of wisdom and experience speaking in this article. Thanks for sharing!
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Thx Steve! I appreciate that!
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