Have you GIVEN up?
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.
I am so glad you posted. I check in every day and I wondered WHERE you were and WHAT was going on. There is another blog that I read where the person has been MIA since July (2007) and I have really been wonderering about her too. I hadn’t though about your “people” giving up - but I am sure that a percentage of them do. There might be a type of personality that would be motivated by the attention. There might be a type of personality that would hit a few bumps and get quite freaked out over the attention. This is the time of year that is very hard for a lot of people. Then some of them find new resolve just after the first of the year. Good luck to you!!!
I think that it would be a good part of the video that not everyone keeps on perfectly and people hit bumps and give up but the key is to keep on trying. That’s what I’m trying to keep in mind anyway. It’s hard trying to change your life when you live in Korea, thousands of miles away from everyone who loves you, and in some ways it’s easier too.
Thanks for your comments! It’s always very encouraging to see that people actually read these blog entries! Just as with weight loss, when you think someone actually cares about what you are doing, it is highly motivating!
The one thing about our film that we’ve tried to keep in mind, is the aspect of attention — do people success more because we are filming them? Of course they do! But…over the long haul, this effect wears off, as you will see in the film. When we are faced with finding our own motivation to do it, we can all struggle to find it. We have paid nobody to lose weight in the film, because we felt it would make the premise less “real” and not everyone gets paid to lose weight. Hopefully INSPIRED will come through and show it all…
People have not really gotten freaked out over the attention, but we do see quite often, that people don’t believe they need accountability to stay successful. Either people have a little or a lot of success, and then start getting pretty confident in the fact that they understand how weight loss works, and can do it all by themselves, and feel no need to report to anyone. Sometimes they feel the accountability is a pain, and that they can keep themselves accountable. What we have found, is that most of us cannot do this very well. We need accountability to really push ourselves. I can’t tell you how many people I know who have asked me to follow them for the movie, because they need a reason to do it (it wasn’t because of lack of knowledge!). I have people come back after a year of not hearing back from them, and ask us for help…mainly staying accountable.
Sorry for my lack of blogging lately, I have been so swamped with getting this footage ready for post-production. You have both however, renewed my blogging spirit — thank you! I will try to blog much more often because of you.
I have also wondered where you’ve been. I discovered your site around the time of your last blog post. I found it through the link on Dr. Jeff’s site. I think this will be a really awesome movie and can’t wait for it. I also enjoy your blog entries. They are very insightful and reflective. You definitely hit the nail on the head and provide some accountability. I’ve lost 78lbs. over the last year, going from 317 to 239 (today) and frequently browse the web for motivation.
I would also recommend people check out a blog of reality show “rejects” for accountability and inspiration at http://www.realityofweighting.net.