Learning Phases
When I was playing my silly little word game yesterday I thought I had done a really great job coming up with as many words as I did the first time I sat down to do it. I did think I may have missed a couple of words but thought I had it pretty much covered. Then when I thought about it more, more words came to mind. Words that in the first attempt I could not see, but were now so clear that they literally sprang off the page at me. The thing is - the words were there all along. I did not change the rules, nor did I add or remove any of the original information. It was all there for me at the start but I just could not see it.
This had me thinking about the information I have about weight loss. All the information I use today was available to me at the very beginning. Nothing has changed. The basic rule of energy in verses energy out still stands. Burn more than you eat and you should lose weight. Eat more than you burn and you should gain weight. The energy tool I chose to use was ww points as opposed to calories, kilojoules, servings etc but the premise is exactly the same. But I could not see all the information at the start. Or rather I could not take it all in. As time went on and information was absorbed and used, it allowed space for more of the original information to come in and be understood. I think that because I have been doing this steadily now for over 7 months I forget that I have learned the information in stages and that when I speak with people at work, or at home, who are contemplating taking their health seriously enough to want to lose weight I have to be careful that I do not overload them with information, or expect them to 'get it' all at once. And I also have to remember that people allow themselves to learn at different paces so that they are best able to deal with the information they are getting.
I think that I am at a stage where I think I know it all. I think I know how it works so that allows me to think I know how to cheat it. This is not good. I have spent a good part of today just thinking about the original information. Not adding anything, not taking anything away. I need to focus just on this and use the information to my advantage, without changing the rules. I can do this as I am a good student. I have to just follow the rules.
And a big congratulations to Mary who received her Weight Watchers Lifetime Membership today. Reaching your goal in any field of endeavour is a huge achievement, but to reach it in an area where you have stepped outside of your comfort zone and just gone for it with determination and gusto is just fantastic. Well done Mary - looking forward to joining you at those ranks soon :)
This had me thinking about the information I have about weight loss. All the information I use today was available to me at the very beginning. Nothing has changed. The basic rule of energy in verses energy out still stands. Burn more than you eat and you should lose weight. Eat more than you burn and you should gain weight. The energy tool I chose to use was ww points as opposed to calories, kilojoules, servings etc but the premise is exactly the same. But I could not see all the information at the start. Or rather I could not take it all in. As time went on and information was absorbed and used, it allowed space for more of the original information to come in and be understood. I think that because I have been doing this steadily now for over 7 months I forget that I have learned the information in stages and that when I speak with people at work, or at home, who are contemplating taking their health seriously enough to want to lose weight I have to be careful that I do not overload them with information, or expect them to 'get it' all at once. And I also have to remember that people allow themselves to learn at different paces so that they are best able to deal with the information they are getting.
I think that I am at a stage where I think I know it all. I think I know how it works so that allows me to think I know how to cheat it. This is not good. I have spent a good part of today just thinking about the original information. Not adding anything, not taking anything away. I need to focus just on this and use the information to my advantage, without changing the rules. I can do this as I am a good student. I have to just follow the rules.
And a big congratulations to Mary who received her Weight Watchers Lifetime Membership today. Reaching your goal in any field of endeavour is a huge achievement, but to reach it in an area where you have stepped outside of your comfort zone and just gone for it with determination and gusto is just fantastic. Well done Mary - looking forward to joining you at those ranks soon :)
You're a good girl. I really admire people who constantly re-evaluate where they're at with all the various life journies they take. We all need to do that more often. If we don't, we risk becoming complacent and slipping back into old habits. You go girl.
Posted by
Kellee |
November 05, 2005 9:50 pm
What a great post - you are right - when you think we know what we are doing we think we can cheat the system. This normally means that we are trying to cheat ourselves and the scales and it all shows, one way or the other.
Take care and have a great Sunday !
Me
Posted by
Me |
November 05, 2005 10:45 pm
I hit the 'I know it all' a lot earlier than I should have ;) now i have come down from my perch with a thud - I am a bit more realistic, basically if I knew it all, and put in into practice I would be super woman, and knowing me strangly annoying!
Hope your weekend it going well!
Posted by
Anonymous |
November 05, 2005 10:49 pm
Aww, thanks babe and you will be joining me very soon!!! Thanks for another great post too. You are a brilliant writer and I hope you will pursue writing in the future. You are brilliant (and not just because you say nice things about me LOL)! Yep, we can get a bit cocky too but luckily we know how to slap ourselves silly too :-)
Posted by
Mary |
November 05, 2005 10:53 pm
I think I put too many *too* words in that last comment but it is past my bedtime LOL. I think I am going nuts!
Posted by
Mary |
November 05, 2005 10:55 pm
that was a great post, its amazing how the information has always been there, its everywhere in whatever we do , but i guess it just depends on if we want to know it or not. i love the things you write in your blogs, i wish i could think of things to write on mine
Posted by
Baby Bump Wanted |
November 06, 2005 9:12 am
this is a fabulous post - i get far too cocky & try to cheat the system but the only person i'm cheating is myself as I'm not getting the results i desire!
Ooo I see I'm on "hiatis" that sounds much cooler than time out!
Hope u are having a lovely weekend :)
Posted by
Kt |
November 06, 2005 11:17 am
You are a good student M.
I do the same thing - I know how to lose the weight, I give people advice but lately I am not following it 100%! Stupid Nancy
xx
Posted by
Nancy Bou |
November 06, 2005 3:30 pm
I think it can be hard sometimes too because there is so much misinformation out there. People get caught up in all the hype - not eating carbs at night (or at all), exercise only being effective in morning or only if you do 30+ mins at a certain heart rate. It just confuses the hell out people and makes it all so hard when, as you say, the basic premise is energy in vs energy out.
Good luck with getting back to basics and reminding us all in the process.
Posted by
Kathryn |
November 06, 2005 5:37 pm
You are so right, and talking so much sense as usual! You would make a great WW leader, if you ever wanted to. :-)
I love playing those word games too! You would probably like the board game Cranium - it has something for everyone - for me, i like the word puzzle part.
Hope your weekend went well :-)
Posted by
Kate |
November 06, 2005 6:12 pm
You are so right. We do now know that by using all the information we have we can lose any weight we want. We have proven that we know how to do it. I think it is good to re-visit that original information and check that we are doing things as well as we should be, and as well as we did when our motivation was at its highest (at the start of the journey).
Posted by
Suzy |
November 07, 2005 8:11 am
What a woman of wisdom you are! Seem to always nod my head in agreement when I read your posts.
And cheating is my second name!!
Posted by
Jaykay |
November 07, 2005 12:54 pm
It is 7am in the morning on my holiday in Australia and you are just..... I am just sitting here.... OMG hun you are just the most interesting lady I have ever read. You really put your all in to thinking about your life and thinking about the major things going on in your life!! You are truly amazing and I love reading about you.
Love CM
P.S thanks
Posted by
Chubbymum |
November 08, 2005 7:20 am