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From:	Rocket Scientist (proxy1d.external.lmco.com)
Subject:	Hi J.A.....
Date:	January 24, 2006 at 8:08 am PST

In Reply to: Please God...not another salad... posted by J.A. on January 23, 2006 at 8:38 pm:

I sympathize with you. I also hate salad, and most raw vegetables - they either taste bitter, or they taste very bland, or else I have to drench them in a very strong-tasting sauce! But my $120 an hour ND wants me eating them. His pricetag is about the only thing that made me try.

I think there are a few things going on that you should consider. I think you need to give yourself a break, and STOP STOP STOP labelling yourself as "I'm terrible. I hate myself for it." Quit it!!! Now!!! I mean it!!! Let me tell you something, Mister, you are head and shoulders above 95% of the population because you TRIED. So stop that negative self-talk!

Now I have a question. How did you do on the other parts of the diet? How about the 4 pc. of fruit, the 1 cup of beans each day? How close did you get? Have you been able to make any positive changes - maybe eating ONE fruit a day where before you ate none? Did you succeed in decreasing your sodium intake, or did you manage to give up ice cream bars? You need to count the good stuff.

It may be that you're just not quite ready for full-blown E2L. Okay. Maybe it's not the right plan for you, or maybe you need to modify it some. Maybe going cold turkey was too much for you and you need to work towards it gradually. No diet in the universe, no matter how well-designed, will do a flip of good if you can't get the food down. So you need to look at what you *can* do. How about adding some exercise? How about giving up fried catfish for a week? How about, when you go to a restaurant, *always* take home leftovers of some kind, or else, share your entree with someone - thus exercising portion control with heavier foods? How about learning to make smoothies? Can you try a new cuisine you've never tried, that emphasizes vegetables, like Indian? Pick 5 things off your list and make up your mind you will do them within the next month.

If you go to the store and are tempted by what you see in the deli, do two things. Only go *after* dinner, and go to a different store. You get used to patterns in the same store - you walk in and smell the French bread they put out at 4 pm, which happens to be right next to the rotisserie and the candy bars. But the bread won't be there at 7:30 pm, and at a different store, the rotisserie is near the frozen foods, and the apples are at the front. Similarly, change the route you take to work so you don't drive past McDonald's, if that is an issue. You may have some bad habits partly as a result of ingrained patterns. Break the patterns, and it will help break the habits.

Also, if there is a good health food store in your area (like Whole Foods), try visiting their salad bar. DOn't panic! ;-) I suggest you try a very small amount of each *prepared* salad. You may discover that broccoli is better if it's steamed and paired with peanuts, or carrots are better if they are sauteed with fresh ginger. I discovered that spinach has a very mild taste, compared to most greens - and it can be easily added to most soups! Or you may not find anything you like. But this way, you'll expose yourself to some different ways of eating, at very low risk.

I think you are well aware that your habits must change if your health is to change, but for a lot of people (I'm one), it is VERY difficult to just up and change from fried chicken to 1-lb. salads overnight. That doesn't mean you can't do *something*. Or several *somethings*. I've been a vegetarian since 1999, and just this year I learned to live with *some* salad. But in that time, I gave up a boatload of bad habits and added a lot of good ones. Just this month, I discovered two excellent, tasty ways to cook Brussels Sprouts, which I never in my life ate until a couple of years ago. I *still* have a lot more to do, but I"m getting better. That's why I say you need to look at what you CAN do. THink outside the box!

And, please keep looking, and keep learning. Don't give up on yourself. There are so many things you can do to improve your health, and not all of them involve salad.

By the way, is it possible that some of your eating habits have an emotional connection? It's very common. You might want to explore this a little. I have not read it, but I'm told _The Pleasure Trap_ is very good, and discusses some of the mental/emotional issues surrounding food choices. I personally have a problem with stress eating and I have to watch out for that.

I'm getting long-winded here - if you'd like to email me, you can do so at rocketscientist AT flash . net.

RS

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