That title sounds very pessimistic doesn’t it?
But I’ve phrased it that way for a very specific reason. Because I believe it’s true.
I have always been amazed at our ability to be comforted by false hope, this is something I have done myself hundreds of times. Let’s face it we all want to believe that there is something or someone looking out for our interests, and that “they or it” will eventually come to our rescue and solve all the problems (or at least the major ones) in our lives.
To be completely honest for the vast majority of us, there is no one coming to save us from our problems, no leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
At first you may think I’m talking about religion and while I’m sure you can apply this argument to that field, that is not what I am referring to here.
The best example that I can think of is the popularity of lotteries! Is Lady luck on your side? (don’t worry this is related to weight loss at the end)
Lotteries – Solutions for your Financial Problems
I live in Canada and we have dozens of lotteries available for us to play daily and weekly. The most popular one is lotto 6/49. Basically you pick 6 numbers between 1 and 49 and for $2 you have a chance at winning a few million dollars.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 14 million to 1. You have a 99.99% chance of not winning the jackpot. Yet, millions and millions of Canadians play it twice a week, some spending hundreds per draw on these tickets. (I’ve been stuck behind them in a line before)
The lottery for so many people is that great false hope. People know that the odds of them winning the jackpot are astronomical but they play it anyway. Why and why is it dangerous?
Besides the lost money, which can add up to thousands over a lifetime, I believe that the lottery and other games like it give people an easy way to avoid doing the necessary work needed to succeed in life. (financially speaking anyway).
Earning a comfortable living* is not an easy thing to achieve, it takes education, it takes a lot of effort on your part and if you are looking to start your own business a lot of time and money.
Add in the easy access and convenience of credit cards to debt amounts that seem to compound every month and you get many people giving up or avoiding the problem all together.
They stop taking action, instead of trying to change their habits they consoildate the debts only to have them pile up again. They are waiting to be saved rather than trying to save themselves. You think the last thing people in this position would do is throw away a few more dollars on the lottery, but believe it or not from what I have seen firsthand in some cases their “lotto budget” increases as their debt gets bigger.
Obviously I’m not a fan of the lottery, but what makes it worse and angers me is the way in which it is promoted. The Lotto 6/49 slogan is “Just Imagine” meaning just imagine what you could buy with millions of dollars, which just fuels the fantasy and imagine the bills/debts you can pay off “if” you win.
6/49 is advertised everywhere and has just become a part of our Canadian culture. While they technically promote winning the jackpot and its ability to dramatically change your life, there is always this underlying fear that goes along with it. “What if your numbers come up and you didn’t play?”
The Answer To Your Biggest Question
Ok Steve enough with the Lottery rant, how does this relate to losing weight and trying to live a healthy lifestyle?
IT relates like this: Just like the lottery people are looking for the easy out when it comes to losing weight, instead of money problems they are waiting for the “FAT” problem to be solved.
1. They want to lose fat without doing the necessary work to burn the fat.
2. They want to eat fewer calories without having to eat less food.
3. They are waiting for someone to answer their biggest weight loss question, “how do I lose weight” and give them the solution to their greatest desire “I want to lose weight”. In essence they are waiting to be saved.
The answer to solving the lottery/money problem is the same for solving the weight loss problem: YOU TAKING ACTION. You already know that you need to exercise to burn more calories, you know that you need to eat at least 1500 calories per day consisting of good healthy nutritious food like Fruits and veggies, lean meats, low fat dairy products, whole grains and indulge with the occasional treat, (1500 calories of burgers and fries won’t cut it).
(For finances I take the “curb your spending and increase your income/investments” approch)
So get off your ass and do it already, stop waiting to be saved and save yourself.
Carpe Diem!
Very interesting post. you are right on the money no one is coming to save you out. I am not into lotteries though. My cousin spend a lot of money each year and she never wins.
.-= WeighLossImpossible´s last blog ..Can Running Help You To Lose Weight? =-.
yeah you’re right, most people only want to see the result without do anything to achieve that.
It took me years to get over the anger I had at my parents for not taking their lives into their own hands.
Too true. I remember this line from Evan Almighty that if you ask for courage, you don’t get given valor but opportunities to be brave or if you want to be a family, you don’t get fuzzy feelings but opportunities to stand together like a family. I think the same principle applies here. There is no instant results – you must work for anything worth having.
.-= Healthy Start for Lifestyle Living´s last blog ..Clean Home = Healthy Life =-.
A very interesting and thoughtful post. I read in a book that the ultimate success secret in all life is to take action. You’ve expressed the same thought in a very creative way.
.-= Jelani Khalfani´s last blog ..Really Frustrated With Slow Weight Loss =-.
The lottery example you quote is very much related to our lives and everyone wants to be rich without doing much but it’s not true in reality. In order to achieve your goals you have to work hard but it is also the point that your goals must be legitimate. Loosing weight is also not an easy task and you can not get it over night. First you need to set your goals and then do the effort to achieve this.
Dr Phil just had a couple shows on this week about losing weight and taking action. Too many people are looking for the easy way out. Like You said… People think they can Lose Weight while sitting on their butt and Lose Weight while eating the same amount of food.
It’s simple to gain weight… no lottery needed : ) but losing weight not so much, but if you work hard and stay focussed, you’ll feel like you won the lottery when you achieve your goal!
Most people think like this and that’s why the diet industry is so successful.
As you say, taking action is the best step. A 30 minute walk can lead to a 40 minute bike ride the next day. Each one a great accomplishment in burning calories. This is followed by watching the calories I intake. And before you notice, you’ve lost several pounds.
.-= doorway chin up bar´s last blog ..P90x Chin Up Bar Review =-.
You are very right. Most people are looking for someone or something to solve their problems. In reality, they are only fooling themselves. A plan and effort is needed to achieve anything worthwhile in life.
Fantastic post and so so true!
I work as a freelance personal trainer part time and, not sure if you are aware of the 90/10 rule (google it if not) but it holds true in weight loss also.
90% of people want the results but are not prepared to put in the effort in the form of diet and exercise so never achieve the results they want.
There’s always an excuse too or a justification why they couldn’t stick to the diet/couldn’t make the gym.
Bookmarked as “cold, hard truth about weight loss”