I covered this topic in another post...but I wanted to relate it to the diet topic...

"The map is not the territory."

I have a shelf-full of diet and fitness books. Some of them are very good...some of them are not. Many of them say the same thing, only with a different author, different name, only slightly different stuff.

From Atkins...it's only a little way to South Beach...to The Glucose Revolution...to Sugar Busters.

Next verse...same as the first.

I have another one on the way - I hope this one is different.

"The map is not the territory."

Pain Free Running... to Marathons for Beginners... to Running for Pleasure and Fitness.

"The map is not the territory."

All of these books do nothing if I never get off the couch. They do nothing if I hang onto my chips and cheese...and oreos.

"The map is not the territory."

I keep a diet and exercise log.  Having all of those lines to write my consumption in does NOTHING if I don't fill them in!  Having boxes to check won't make me healthier if I don't practice the territory that the map tells me to explore.

"The map is not the territory."

I custom wrote my log, with columns for whether or not my food is peanut-free.  The answer is not to look at the "map" and add more "map" (another column).  The answer is to live the territory.