Support: Get Unstuck

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Every event in life can be causing only one of two things. Either it is good for you, or it is bringing up what you need to look at in order to create good for you. ~ Deepak Chopra

When I feel stuck, I feel like I am in quicksand.

Can you imagine it?

If you step into quicksand, what happens?  You start to sink. The sinking makes you panic, the panic makes you fight against it, fighting against it makes you sink faster and deeper.

Bear Grylls gives us a pretty good answer for getting unstuck.  You can see the answer in this video – it’s really quite simple:  STOP the panic, CHANGE the angle, and then MONKEY CRAWL to safety.

STOP the Panic

In the video, one of the first things Bear mentions when you feel stuck is to simply STOP.

Growing up in Hawaii and being surrounded by water, it doesn’t serve to be afraid of it.  From a very early age, you are taught there is potential danger at the beach every time you go into the water. That danger is the undertow (riptide). In other words, it is very possible to be swept into the deeper sea.

Children in Hawaii are taught even though it is human nature to struggle against the undertow, the best thing to do is to remain calm, keep your senses, allow the current to take you on its path, and then you can recover.

If you struggle, if you fight against it, that is when you are pulled under the surface. And you drown.

I was once caught in a riptide. It pulled me out to sea.  Fortunately, I remembered to not panic and remain calm. That guidance saved my life.

In your weight control journey, you may start to panic when seeing an upward trend in your weight.  Remember, panic is counterproductive to your goals. It produces cortisol, causing your body to gain faster than anything else.

If you begin to panic, you must remember to STOP!  When you see an upward trend (or a stall that won’t budge on P2) STOP struggling immediately. Struggling will only make you sink deeper.

Then, reassess.

Remember Bear’s words of wisdom …

Change the Angle

This sounds simple enough.

Figuring out exactly what is causing your struggle helps you take the necessary action to correct it. In other words, knowing (or admitting) you have a problem (or issue) is the first step to recovery.

Sometimes, however, there is an issue BEHIND the issue.  The trick is to figure out what the ROOT problem is.  This can be challenging, at times.

Ask yourself – WHAT is my issue?  WHY am I gaining weight?

  • Am I lax in figuring menus?
  • Am I lax in making preparations for social functions?
  • Am I putting myself in situations I am not yet strong enough to handle?
  • Am I fooling myself?
  • Am I being stubborn because I KNOW it’s not the PEANUT BUTTER causing the gain, so I keep eating it?

Whatever the question is for you, it’s time to take stock and FOCUS.

Thinking about what you ‘coulda/shoulda’ done to have avoided some issue will not work.

First, get yourself OUT of the issue. THEN think about the patterns and behavior entrapping you.

Worrying about that left turn at Albuquerque which brought you to the pit of quicksand gets you nowhere. How you got there doesn’t matter when you are sinking. FOCUS on getting yourself out of the pit before sinking any deeper.

When focusing on the present issue, you concentrate on solutions.  Solutions are energizing.

Then you can:

Monkey Crawl

After Bear tells us to STOP and then CHANGE, he tells us to MONKEY CRAWL our way back to safety.

Put it another way?  BABY STEPS!!!

When you find yourself in a situation where you feel trapped and frustrated,  having no idea which way to turn or how to get out of it because somehow, someway, you let yourself GAIN 20 pounds.

Take the steps:

Step #1 – Stop the Panic – CHECK!
Step #2 – Change the Angle – CHECK!
Step #3 – Monkey crawl – focus on monkey crawling back to your goal weight, or last injection weight (LIW).

There are many options to consider including getting back on the juice!. However, the key is baby steps – identify ONE thing you can change TODAY to get you right back on track.

By doing that ONE thing for 72 hours, you will feel so good about yourself and your accomplishment you will be ready to incorporate another baby step.

Some ideas are:

  • Start focusing on your water again.
  • Stop the late night snacking.
  • Drop the sugar-free foods.
  • Resolve not to eat out as often. Cook a meal.
  • Park further from the store to get a little more exercise.
  • Clean out processed junk from your cabinets.
  • Do something you enjoy!

Remember, if you make a wrong turn on your dieting journey and you find yourself stuck in a hungry pit of quicksand, the fastest way out is to Stop, Change, and Crawl.

Just ask Bear Grylls.

If you would like additional support during your journey, why not consider joining up with the forums at Get Your Thin On!!!

 

 

 

4 Comments on Support: Get Unstuck

  1. Pam Fleming says:

    I noticed “drop the sugar free foods”. I know that I’ve heard that before but had forgotten that. Can you tell me what the reason is? Higher in carbs if low in sugar or no sugar?

    • Biz says:

      Hello Pam, sorry, I totally missed that there were comments on this article.

      The reason I say “drop the sugar free foods” is because most of the time “sugar free” translates to processed garbage that is chemical ridden. It’s pretty common knowledge anymore that aspartame is just plain not good for you, but other sweeteners such as Splenda have additives that do you know good.

      The other reason is that sugar or non sugar, it has the same effect on the body as far as insulin goes, and when you spike insulin, it’s dangerous.

      Thanks for the question!

  2. Laura says:

    I love this article…anyone in any circumstance can relate to it…thanks so much…

    • Biz says:

      Thanks so much Laura!

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