something to think about :)

Suhrah623
Suhrah623 Posts: 65 Member
edited October 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I know that there's a lot of people out there that understand the concept of weight loss, and that slow and steady ultimately wins the race, but I've also noticed there seems to be a lot of people who set very aggressive goals and are trying to lose weight quickly.

A friend of mine shared this thought with me yesterday about something he wrote years ago, and while he didnt necessarily mean for it to be about weight loss in particular, I feel like we can all relate to it somehow with the weight loss journeys we are all on.

" I wrote an article a while back that talked about changing one half of one degree every day. It's slow, sure. Excruciatingly so. In fact, it's so slow that most people don't even notice the change. But it adds up. In a year, that adds up to a 180 degree change. And you barely had to change at all. "

Replies

  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
    Great quote. Thanks for that!
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    The "one half of one degree" is a little abstract, but the general idea of slow change = sustainable change is a sound one.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    If the captain of the Titanic had turned more slowly, most of us probably wouldn't have heard of the ship or been subjected to the soundtrack, so there's definitely that.

    I think more aggressive goals do have their place, though, as long as people understand the choices they're making.
  • Suhrah623
    Suhrah623 Posts: 65 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    If the captain of the Titanic had turned more slowly, most of us probably wouldn't have heard of the ship or been subjected to the soundtrack, so there's definitely that.

    I think more aggressive goals do have their place, though, as long as people understand the choices they're making.

    I agree, I probably shouldnt have called it "proper weight loss", but maybe "less aggressive" weight loss?
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Every little bit helps! Small changes - they make the difference!

    The paper towel thing is nice, too - how we notice our weight loss.

    I get why people want the weight to come off faster. Me, too! But patience is a requirement when you have a lot of weight to lose. Slow, but steady really does win the race. :)
  • Suhrah623
    Suhrah623 Posts: 65 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Every little bit helps! Small changes - they make the difference!

    The paper towel thing is nice, too - how we notice our weight loss.

    I get why people want the weight to come off faster. Me, too! But patience is a requirement when you have a lot of weight to lose. Slow, but steady really does win the race. :)

    what is the paper towel thing? :)
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Suhrah623 wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    If the captain of the Titanic had turned more slowly, most of us probably wouldn't have heard of the ship or been subjected to the soundtrack, so there's definitely that.

    I think more aggressive goals do have their place, though, as long as people understand the choices they're making.

    I agree, I probably shouldnt have called it "proper weight loss", but maybe "less aggressive" weight loss?
    Maybe, but the general point is still a very good one. Probably the most recurring issue that shows up here is a lack of patience. Just about anything that helps get people over that initial hump of "I want this weight gone right now" is a good thing.

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Suhrah623 wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Every little bit helps! Small changes - they make the difference!

    The paper towel thing is nice, too - how we notice our weight loss.

    I get why people want the weight to come off faster. Me, too! But patience is a requirement when you have a lot of weight to lose. Slow, but steady really does win the race. :)

    what is the paper towel thing? :)
    You know how when you take the first two sheets off, you don't really see any change in how much came off, but when you get to the end of the roll, two sheets makes a noticeable difference? Someone likened that to losing weight. You may not see the difference at first, but it still makes a difference. That kind of thing. :)

    When I lost my first forty pounds, I didn't see any difference at all. I was surprised that my clothes were getting big because I wasn't actually trying to lose weight. I was just eating healthier food. Forty pounds came off and I couldn't see it at all. Now, I see ten pound differences. I'm getting to the end of my roll, so each bit is more noticeable. :)

  • Suhrah623
    Suhrah623 Posts: 65 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Suhrah623 wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    If the captain of the Titanic had turned more slowly, most of us probably wouldn't have heard of the ship or been subjected to the soundtrack, so there's definitely that.

    I think more aggressive goals do have their place, though, as long as people understand the choices they're making.

    I agree, I probably shouldnt have called it "proper weight loss", but maybe "less aggressive" weight loss?
    Maybe, but the general point is still a very good one. Probably the most recurring issue that shows up here is a lack of patience. Just about anything that helps get people over that initial hump of "I want this weight gone right now" is a good thing.

    I edited my post and took out the word "proper" because after thinking about it I decided that it's not up to me to decide what is "proper", but only proper for ME. :)

    I already know, without a doubt in my mind, that slow and steady is going to win this race. It makes me feel sad for the people who don't understand this concept.
  • Suhrah623
    Suhrah623 Posts: 65 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Suhrah623 wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    Every little bit helps! Small changes - they make the difference!

    The paper towel thing is nice, too - how we notice our weight loss.

    I get why people want the weight to come off faster. Me, too! But patience is a requirement when you have a lot of weight to lose. Slow, but steady really does win the race. :)

    what is the paper towel thing? :)
    You know how when you take the first two sheets off, you don't really see any change in how much came off, but when you get to the end of the roll, two sheets makes a noticeable difference? Someone likened that to losing weight. You may not see the difference at first, but it still makes a difference. That kind of thing. :)

    When I lost my first forty pounds, I didn't see any difference at all. I was surprised that my clothes were getting big because I wasn't actually trying to lose weight. I was just eating healthier food. Forty pounds came off and I couldn't see it at all. Now, I see ten pound differences. I'm getting to the end of my roll, so each bit is more noticeable. :)

    I like that concept :)
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    I started out my weight loss journey with gradual changes. Counting carbs, then counting calories, then using a scale to measure only choosing USDA or label verified entries and now building recipes in MFP. I think this is even more appropriate in activity and fitness. I started out walking just a five blocks at a time in March, now I am exceeding 5 miles at a time. Strength training is all about increasing by small increments of reps, sets, and weight.

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