The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.  So why do I bring this up in an article regarding health and fitness? I bring it up because as a personal trainer I see people practicing “insanity” on a daily basis.

Obesity and weight loss have become major issues in our society in the last 5-10 years, however the idea of dieting has been around for a lot longer than that. According to Women’s Health, 80% of American women have tried at least one fad diet and most have probably tried multiple fad diets, one right after another.  Many people have made millions of dollars on the certainty that these women will keep trying new trends in weight loss because the last one didn’t work or they gained all of their weight back after discontinuing the “diet”. This makes me ask the question…”If the diet is so great, why would they ever regain the weight?” I believe it is mainly because of the concept of insanity.

The average American is so obsessed with finding the quick, easy solution to their weight problem that they are willing to try any shake, pill or shot to make it happen fast. The trouble with this line of thinking is that it sets up a person for failure because there has been no change in lifestyle.

Lifestyle changes take time…time most people don’t want to spend. It takes patience and dedication to make small changes in their eating habits, allow those habits to become ingrained in their psyche, and then move to the next change. The average American is not happy with the timeline that accompanies this concept of true lifestyle change so they resort to trying one fad diet after another.

This resistance to lifetime change is the reason I see the concept of insanity on a daily basis. Many people believe that it is easier to follow a fad diet, lose the weight they want in a very short time, and then go back to all their old eating habits. Goal accomplished!  But with no lifestyle change and doing the same thing over and over again – their weight climbs back up to what it was originally is not higher and they start the process all over again.

The bottom line is; lifestyle changes have to be permanent in order to see permanent results. To think it would happen any other way would be INSANITY!!!