Repost: The Basics

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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lmt2pt
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Repost: The Basics

Post by lmt2pt » Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:11 pm

NoelFigart posted this on the Everyday Systems board. All of us, old and new alike, could use the reminder.
NoelFigart wrote:Several of the questions that have been asked lately in the No S Diet forum have gotten me to thinking pretty hard about the concept of "The Basics".

I don't know if you've ever studied anything where you get drilled on what's called "The Basics". (Martial arts, dance, and music all leap to mind).

What's interesting is that people who master the basics CAN go on to tweak for their performance for that top 1% in whatever the endeavor is. But people who are fascinated by what they do get fixated on the tweaking because it's more interesting and subject to (ultimately non-productive) analysis than the basics.

But it's the (sometimes tedious) practice of the basics that gives the results. For most endeavors there is no "secret" to excellence -- merely a willingness to consistently go to working on "The Basics". It's 80% of almost anything you do.

My roommate, a musician, has commented that you cannot practice the scales too much. I know there's no such thing as practicing the basics too much in martial arts. In weight training, eat right and lift stuff that feels heavy to you. As a dancer, you do thousands of pliés. Knitters might get into the fancy lace knitting, and all kinds of advanced techniques, but we return again and again to making sure our stockingette is smooth and our stitches consistent.

Reinhard talks about this, I notice, quite frequently in his discussions of the No S Diet -- that it is the big and obvious stuff that's the issue rather than the tweaking.

But I think it's rather applicable to a lot of life in general.
Heather

kccc
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Post by kccc » Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:20 pm

Good move to repost where more people will see it, lmt2pt! That's one of the best pieces of advice ever!

tracey
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Post by tracey » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:01 am

I am definitely guilty of "tweaking" because if it works well one well, tweaking it MUST make it work better.

Not.

I'm also the queen of justification. "It doesn't taste sweet, so it's not a sweet" when confront with natural/tart frozen yogurt. Um, yeah. It's a sweet. Deal with it and move on. You can have it on Saturday or Sunday, you don't need it today.

Thanks for the reminder.

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apple
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Post by apple » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:41 am

But I LIKE tweaking! :oops:

I was making all these extra rules like "one cookie during the week does not matter, I don't need to lose weight, only maintain." Guess what, now I do need to lose weight...

Thanks for the reminder!

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BrightAngel
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Post by BrightAngel » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:31 pm

Well, there's "tweaking" the basic plan
which is to "fine tune" or make small adjustments to it.

and then there's "changing" the basic plan,
which is to make different, transform or replace.

I think we all need to remember the difference.
BrightAngel - (Dr. Collins)
See: DietHobby. com

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