We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries lately about WHEN our film will be ready. I suspect it’s because a lot of people are hoping to get some good ideas and motivation as they enter into a new year, with their new year’s resolutions! I won’t go into extreme detail on some of these ideas, but I will try to summarize some of the most important lessons we’ve learned along the way. Here goes:

1) One person can make all the difference. If we can find a person who makes us more successful we must STAY CLOSE to this person, because one person can steer us in the right direction (this might be a friend, mentor, coach, trainer). Also remember that one person can also make all the difference in a negative way. We have to remember this, that while our will can be stronger than outside temptations, being realistic about the people in our lives that influence us will give us a better chance of success every single time. Remember, EACH OF US, can be that person who makes all the difference in someone else’s life.

2) Consistency is the key. There are many factors involved in weight loss, but the most important we’ve seen, is the idea of consistency. When we commit to eating right every day of the week, instead of 3 or 4 out of 7 days, the results we will see make all the difference from a psychological perspective. This holds true for exercise too. If you can exercise 6-7 days per week (not overdoing the amount or the intensity), the change in our mindset toward exercise makes us NEED to exercise every day. This important psychological change happens in nearly everyone, but the first 3 weeks are the tough part. Exercising almost every day doesn’t give us the opportunity to put it off until “tomorrow” – because we know our goal is to do it every day. It is not so much which “diet” or which “exercise” we choose, but it’s more about how consistently we can conform to some sort of structure.
3) Moderation is the ultimate goal. Nobody can really sustain extreme behavioral changes forever. Some of us need to make them in the beginning to see really early success, so we remain motivated. Still, we must understand that our ultimate goal is to devise our OWN lifestyle that is balanced, and can include most things in life, just as long as we understand the consequences and remain in tune with what direction we are going. If you start out trying to exercise 2 hours per day, you will burn out and will eventually quit altogether, so start small (20-30 minutes) and allow your mind to adjust to the changes in lifestyle over time (not too gradually, but don’t go overboard from the beginning).

4) Intentions are not the same as actions. We all “intend” to do the right thing when we enter a restaurant. We all “intend” to exercise after work…but we need to realize that often our intentions are sidetracked by sudden impulses or stresses in life. When we can develop strategies that alter our behavior and make us more consistent, our intentions become more aligned with our actions. (If you are trying to lose weight, going out to eat more than 1 or 2 times per week is testing your will to follow through with your intentions. If you find you cannot be consistently good, you have to be honest with yourself and not go out to eat so much).

5) Most of us have no idea what we are capable of. It’s sometimes good to remind ourselves that ALMOST EVERYONE underestimates what they can do. This allows our minds to open up to new possibilities, new challenges in life. It also helps to get a mentor, coach, or trainer, whose job is to help you learn what your own potential really is, because most of us do not really see it clearly. (If you think you’ll never be a “runner” – you are only limiting what you are capable of doing). Life is short – stop limiting your life’s experience and go for it.

6) We do not hold ourselves very accountable. Our minds are tricky, and our brain plays tricks on us all the time. Even when we know what we should do deep inside, we can almost always come up with a reason why we can eat something bad, or skip a workout, and it all makes such great sense in our minds. After all we deserve a break, a treat, and we’ll get back on track on the 2nd Monday of the month, right? Don’t fall into the “I’m going to do this all by myself” mentality. Find AS MANY external accountability measures as you can, and you will be infinitely more successful. Journals, weight loss groups, coaches, and workout partners all make more of a difference than you think.

7) It is often the little things that make all the difference.  Don’t ignore any obstacle, because it could be the sole reason you do not succeed.
More to come…

I wish everyone could understand the perspective that each single individual has the incredible ability to alter human events, every single day – far beyond their own lives.

I reflect upon each time anyone, a stranger, a friend…ANYONE, has said something positive to us about our project, or helped us for nothing in return.  Some may think our team is made up will go-getters, who refuse to fail at anything, who have unlimited motivation.  That is far from the truth!  Self-doubt is something we encounter each day, and whether we like it or not, it impacts our ability to act at times, and hinders our momentum.
If each day, when we choose to act, we understand the impact our actions can have on another person, positive or negative, we hopefully guide our actions to make more of a difference.  It can be the smallest thing, a phone call, an email…even a blog comment, that changes how we attack our day, and it always amazes me how much good it does on our own perspective.

Thank you, to everyone who has ever lifted us up, given us greater hope, that our project can do something important.  You have made an incredible difference.

It’s a tough thing to look at oneself objectively and to see what is really going on with our lives. Most of the time we just see things through our own eyes, and try to make sense of it all.

But I guess my hope is that by watching our documentary, many people will be able to take a step outside of their bodies, and understand how they themselves think, rationalize, make good decisions…and bad ones. This is something that we all can do I believe, as long as we don’t go crazy doing it!

Can we see through our own rationalizations (some might call these excuses) and find ways around them? Often it is our ability to really analyze what we are saying to ourselves, that determines how well we can break through old thought patterns and create profound change in our lives. Is it really “impossible” for us eat breakfast even if we’re not hungry in the morning? Do our schedules really not allow us to exercise 20 minutes every day? Is it true that we just weren’t born as “runners”?

Most of the time, we have found, these are self-imposed limitations which become self-fulfilling prophecies. So the challenge then becomes, for each of us to evaluate what we really want out of our lives, whether it’s money, wealth, companionship…ANYTHING – and learn to identify the obstacles we place in front of ourselves. Because these obstacles, no matter how real they may seem, are usually only obstacles in our own minds. AND – they stand between where we are now, and were we dream to be in life.

Sometimes we wait, expecting that all the stars come into alignment, and it finally becomes “the time”. This “wait” can often be years, decades even. We enjoy the short term decisions we make to eat poorly, and abstain from exercise, but we fail to see how much richer our lives are when we feel good about ourselves. This is the challenge…to get people to understand how much the payoff is worth. Every time, with every person, the payoff far outweighs the effort – in hindsight. It is before and during when we question it all so much.

Some people think that all the people we’ve encountered in the making of this film have had tremendous success, and that it’s what the movie is all about – succeeding.  Not so!  We’ve actually had a lot of our documentary subjects disappear, give up, and stop communicating with us.  The one thing we’ve learned over this long process is that it’s so easy for many of us to give up on our greatest hopes — and we think this happens for many different reasons.

While we truly believe this idea applies to all of life, let’s look at it from a perspective of weight loss.

In the beginning, we may feel there is so much hope for change, and we’re inspired to act.  So we begin this process of weight loss with all the excitement in the world, believing that anything is possible.  Many of us will react to adversity in different ways, and it has a lot to do with our perception of our ability to overcome things in life, particularly to lose weight when things aren’t going our way.

Whether it’s lack of progress, stresses at work or at home, we begin to question whether the food changes, the exercise, is really worth it.  We think…

“Maybe this isn’t the right time in my life to do this.”

“I am just too old for this.  Nobody my age can really get into great shape.”

“My body is just different.  I shouldn’t expect to really get much out of all this work.”

“Why are people so focused on their looks?  I think people should feel good about themselves and accept who they are.”

“Nobody has all of the things going on in my life, like I do.  So they just have more time to do this than I do.”

“What’s the use?”

Ok, so I’ll be the first to admit, that these thoughts to cross my mind all the time, but the perspective of what they may really mean to me have become vastly different over this filmmaking process.
Yes, these are all EXCUSES!  Don’t feel guilty if you’ve thought about them…everyone does from time to time.

The truth(s) are:

1) Life-changing decisions can by made in a single instant.  While some of us wait for all the right conditions to succeed, it is when we decide that we are going to overcome, that we are able to ignore our negative thoughts.  You can decide this very instant, that you will change your own life.  Don’t expect someone else to do it for you.

2) Incredible change is possible for all of us, and it happens rapidly.  If we choose not to try, are we OK with being unhappy, depressed, and complacent about our lives?   Don’t expect the world in a month.  This will take several, as long as you work at it.

3) It is worth it.  There is nothing more important in the world, than our health and our happiness.  (If you disagree, feel free to email us and tell us what is more important in life.)

4) If you think you’ve tried it all, think again.  Most people have just not put it all together, even when they think they have.  There is so much that all of us still have to learn, and nothing comes to us instantly.  This process of change happens over time, because each time we hit a new milestone we learn something new about ourselves and what we are capable of.

If life seems dismal, hopeless, and just plain awful at this moment, remember the hope that things will change can come from within.  Without hope, you will stay depressed, for who knows how long.  Reach out to those who push you in the right direction to get your mindset ready to give it another try.

So stop feeling sorry for yourself, get back up and give it another go.