Special Snowflakes

CompressedCarbon

One of the things I most like about MFP is the new terminology I've been learned and the various personalities involved in this community. TMLPatrick just wrote a post about the 6 best personality types: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1118912-the-6-best-mfp-personality-types.

“Special snowflake” is a term that has new meaning for me since joining MFP. Traditionally, it’s used as a slap upside the head as in, “You are not a special snowflake. Put down the food and pick up the weights and you’ll start to lose again.” And while I appreciate the sentiment, I disagree with the premise that we are not special snowflakes.

I think we all, each of us, are special snowflakes. Everyone has their own unique reasons for what got us here, our own set of emotional responses to suggestions, different food/exercise/motivators that we love/abhor, and different ways our body react to the crap we put it through. We each have unique talents, strengths and weaknesses which I believe makes us the special snowflakes that we are.

Having said that, and fully acknowledging that we are all special snowflakes, there is something else I believe to be true.

Snowflakes, even the most special among them, still reliably respond to the laws of nature. Expose snowflake to heat and it will melt. Doesn’t matter if it’s a dendrite, column, plate or needle; add heat and they will melt. Same with our bodies. Expose them to the right kind of nutrition and exercise and they will melt as well. A needled snowflake might melt faster than a stellar dendrite, because it’s smaller, but given the right conditions, both will melt.

What works best for you might not work best for me, but it will work if you keep at it. What I find most astounding is that there are so many people on the forum who sincerely and patiently explain the same things over and over, trying to help and motivate people who are struggling. I find their generosity inspiring. Spend any time reading messages here and you’ll see their names cropping up. I’ve never spoken with them but I thank Sarauk2sf, SideSteel, heybales and Helloitsdan for the work they’ve done to help me on my path. They’ve done the research (not just the broscience) so that I wasn’t forced to commit hara kiri trying to sort out all the conflicting studies and their relative worth. There’s a lot of shyt out there too (and if I never see another cauliflower can be substituted for... it will be too soon) but it’s fairly easy to distinguish those and move on.

There are also several on my friends list and in the forums who motivate me with their sarcasm and wit, making me crave that bag of chips just a little less.

So thanks to all the special snowflakes who have made this an interesting place to be.

heybales

Well thank you, I am a special snowflake.
other words are used often times, much less flattering.

And snow, my favorite time of year.

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

You spelled it wrong! :flowerforyou:

You my friend are 100% correct, and I fully suport your post. That's why I give more generic advice when I am being serious. When people ask what to do, I generally tell them to find a program that works for them. They need to have something that will keep them engaged whether it be entertaining, or challenging themselves with bigger better goals or whatever. If you do something you don't like, you will get burned out and quit.

However, I do think people need to focus on multiple aspects of health and fitness and not be out of balance. Physical fitness is a product of cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility. These are all areas that should be focused on. When you are young, it may not show, but people who neglect one of these areas tend to suffer negative repercussions in their twilight years.

In general, all of our bodies work the same way. Evolution makes sure that certain traits are selected over and over again. However, there is enough genetic variation, that there are certain outliers. For example, some don't have the genetic coding for the proteins that create phenylalinine hydroxylase, and can't break phenylalinine down to tyrosine. Therefore, they are subject to sieizures if they drink or eat anything with nutrasweet. So, telling the general public it's ok to drink diet pop is generally ok, except for the special snowflakes who suffer from this disorder called phenylketonuria.

There are tons of other examples like this. Basically what I am trying to get at here is that when we offer advice, we need to caveat our statetments in such a way that we show that not everything is for everyone.

That being said, there are a lot of people out there who use the special snowflake argument inappropriately. There are people out there who claim special circumstances where they don't exist. People need to own up to not doing it right as well. The specials are much less common than these posters would have you believe.

MizTerry

For special snowflakes, there can only be one. See above. ^^^

KANGOOJUMPS

frickin hilarious!