Who Moved My Cheese?

There was a business book that was in vogue at the turn of the millennium called “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, M.D. and Kenneth Blanchard.  The premise is that there are four mice and every day they run through their maze and eat their cheese but one day at the end of the maze their cheese is gone and they have to deal with this situation.  Two of the mice just put on their running shoes and search for the cheese without much drama and two mice (I believe their names were Hem and Haw) are just having serious issues dealing with their cheese being moved.  It’s an analogy for dealing with change.

It was a quick read and a funny book and I found it somewhat silly.  Until someone moved my cheese…or in this case, a belief that had thus far been unchallenged in my mind.  I discovered I’m not very good dealing with change or accepting new ideas.

New Idea:  When training for a body building competition it is important to consume more (not fewer) calories.

This goes against every single dieting principle I’ve been taught since watching my mother diet in the 70’s.  Everyone knows that weight loss is just simple math (which explains why I hate it so much):  Fewer calories consumed + more calories burned = skinny Lisa.

So when Daniel tells me he wants me to eat between 1,500 – 1,800 calories per day I think he’s on crack.  Now, I ask you, would you take advice from a crack addict?  Me neither.  So I skipped a meal or two.  But damn it, he’s still reading that stupid food journal and calling me out on it.

“You’re not eating enough calories, Lisa,” he reprimands while clicking through my journal.

“But I want to lose weight.”  Stupid food journal.

“Stop focusing on the scale and just look at your body.  Numbers on a scale mean nothing.  You have to trust me on this one.”

BUT YOU’RE MOVING MY CHEESE!!!  HOW CAN I LOSE WEIGHT IF I’M EATING MORE?  YOU’RE SO TOTALLY, ENTIRELY WRONG!!! AND…

I tried on my size 8 jeans and they fit.

Back to the “Who Moved My Cheese?” book – the two mice resisting change had to eventually make a decision: face their fears of the new and unknown with the promise of eventually finding cheese somewhere or resist change and starve to death.   I guess I’ll be the brave mouse and bounce my head against the walls of the maze for a time.  (Check out my cool drawing demonstration above.)  Who knows?  Maybe the new cheese I find will be even better than what I knew before.

 

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