Jack and the Bean Stalk know’s why your diet is not working

In the story of Jack and the Bean Stalk his mother tells him to sell the family cow because it was no longer giving then milk. On the way to the market Jack is stopped by a salesman who tells him these beans he has will be exactly what his family needs. The salesman spins a tale of wonder and excitement on what these beans can give him- if he will just trade the family cash cow for the beans. So Jack did the trade and went home so excited to try out the new beans. He had fantasies of riches growing from these seeds, perhaps cars, vacation spots and beautiful women wanting to know his secrets….oh wait, he is a kid…ok he saw video gaming stations hanging from the plants as if they were ripe fruits.

Jack’s mother is thrilled to see him return so quickly only to be furious to find out her son sold the family wealth for those “magic beans” and then she tossed them out the window. Now, as we tell our children this story we explain that the beans immediately began to grow, digging roots into the earth so quickly the house was shaking. The stalks began to shoot up so quickly past the house,  like 1,000 year old oaks, shattering the windows as their branches grew out into the house and sky. Our kids are fascinated with the story, in awe the beans are really magic. Jack and his mother are , oddly enough, intrigued with the rooted vine and Jack begins to climb it. ( I am sure I would be frantic to get out of Dodge vs climbing the plant)

Why is this story so fantastic? Instant gratification. Magic beans produce a magic plant instantly upon touching the ground. Climbing this plant gives Jack a slight challenge because he has to kill the giant before the giant kills him. In the end he and his mother are rewarded with riches and joy beyond anything they ever could have imagined.  From reading the story and the events that unfolded so quickly it shows us we can go from one situation to a totally different and wonderful situation in a night. How? Well with MAGIC BEANS of course!

This story would never have been repeated had we told it differently. Perhaps the beans were real, the cow was traded and Jack came home and planted them. He would water them daily, weed around them to ensure they were not suffocating. He would tend to them each and every day, some days just sitting on the ground staring at the fresh dug dirt hoping to see ANYTHING magic.  In about 2 weeks time changes would be happening but they would not be visible to Jack or his mom. The seed would be softer and life would begin to grow and send out a poke root to start absorbing more energy and food from the earth. However, it would be another 4-6 weeks before Jack would see any sign of life from these “magic beans” he was so excited about. It will be another 12 weeks before they are even strong enough to start flowering. Yet, Jack wanted magic beans, our kids want to hear magic stories and we all “WANT IT NOW!” And why not, I mean we were raised on these fairy tales right?

Yet when we sit and watch Varuca Salt scream that she too “wants it now!” we are shocked and admonish her spoiled like behavior. However, this exact same thought process and application to life is exactly why your diets do not work.

You begin on a Monday, so it is now 2 days into your diet. The scale has not moved, your clothes are not looser, your reflection shows NOTHING different at all- and I bet you are starting to get hungry.  It has been long enough that you are reconsidering this whole diet idea since, after all, 2 days have passed and there is no sign of a reaction in your body to the “magic bean” diet.  “I WANT IT NOW!!!” Do you?

A real life change is happening inside of you, even 2 days in. Your body is telling you to give up and eat because it has actually started to look at the fat you are storing for fuel. That is our emergency energy storage facility. Your body does not want to use that now, it wants to negotiate with you. “Eat something please, otherwise we will have to tap into the storage center-that is for emergency use only.” Comfort levels are starting to shift as well, you have started an exercise plan which uses even more fuel but you lowered the fuel intake. “COME ON MAN!” your body is begging you to just eat what you use to eat because your body does NOT like change. Change is not a comfort zone for the body. Change is not a comfort zone for the mind, either. So, you need to explain to yourself, to your mind, it is good that I want to give up already because that does mean it is working. Your diet is starting the small molecular level changes that will eventually emerge as a MAGIC BEAN STALK!! Ok, ok that analogy won’t work there. I do hope that you can see my point, though, right?

Instant gratification is only in fairy tales and fast food lines. When we begin a real and honest fitness journey it takes time to evolve and develop in you. It did not take 2 nights of eating to get you to where you are now. Your body needs to adjust and you need to stay the course. It is worth the gardening, the tending and the weeding to get the body of your dreams. (HA! The analogy worked there though!) Just keep telling yourself what is happening. Seek out people on the same path as you so you can commiserate and support each other while you work on losing your stored energy Most of all, do not give up before you see the fruits of your labor! It is worth the wait!