Want Weight Loss? Choose to Be Different - Choose to Be YOU

Pretend you are standing in a crowd of people who know one another.

Someone walks up to that crowd. She had just smoked a cigarette. Everyone can smell it on her. Animated, she starts chatting away. All ears are bending.

"Guess what?" she says. "I just had a cigarette. Mmmm—it was soooo good. Yesterday I smoked a whole pack, maybe I shouldn't have, but it was fun." She smiles big and proud.

How would you react? Would you giggle and cheer her on?

Would the crowd offer comments like:

"Good for you. A few cigarettes here and there aren't going to kill you."

"That's alright. You deserve to have a good time."

"Great – life is short. Enjoy life while you can."

"What kind of cigarettes are you smoking?"

"Where did you get those cigarettes?"

"May I join you next time you smoke?"

Or would the crowd sputter and stare with mouths agape and eyeballs bugging?

I know. What a silly question, huh? But 50 years ago this scenario would not have seemed so silly. Smoking was accepted then. Not any more. Now smoking is scoffed and scorned. Why?

Time and lost lives have taught us one tough lesson: every cigarette spikes another nail in an early coffin.

That's why a mother shudders and shakes when her keen mama bear nose senses smoke on her child, young or old.

We all know that smoking is our number killer, right?

Good news; bad news.

The good news: with growing awareness, smoking has slipped back to number two position.

The bad news: excess fat has trumped smoking as the biggest, baddest body snatcher of all. Hard to believe but true.

And that's scary.

But what's even scarier is that fat stats continue to duck beneath the radar of cultural awareness.

Take that same crowd of people. Someone comes trotting up and exclaims:

"Wait 'til you hear this. I had the best meal last night – full course dinner – lots of food – tee-hee, tee-hee – all that stuff we're not supposed to eat – tee-hee, tee-hee. I got so stuffed – tee-hee, tee-hee – I know I shouldn't have eaten so much – tee-hee, tee-hee – but I just couldn't help myself – tee-hee, tee-hee. I put on a couple more pounds, but oh, well, tee-hee, tee-hee."

Would the crowd respond the same to her as they would to a smoker even though excess food is more of a killer now than smoking? Of course not. They would giggle right along with her. Lots of fun and laughter had by all. They would rally round and cheer her on.

"Oh, don't worry about it. A few extra pounds here and there aren't going to kill you."

"That's alright. You deserve to have a good time."

"Great – life is short. Enjoy life while you can."

"What did you have to eat?"

"Where did you go to eat?" "May I join you the next time you go there?"

The results from smoking and over eating are the same: pain, disability and lost lives, the lives of people we know and love, and perhaps even our own lives. Yet, unlike smoking, we still haven't connected the dots between daily food choices, accumulated fat, and deadly consequences.

We're in denial big-time. And we are suffering because of it. Cancer, diabetes type 2, strokes, heart attacks, arthritis, hip and knee replacements, digestive disorders, back problems, and more are often the direct result of what we eat and how much extra weight we carry.

But not only that, too much weight eats away at our energy, our level of performance, our inner joy, and our self-esteem.

Denial prevents the desperately needed shift in attitudes about food and excess body fat that could add not only years to our lives but life to our years.

I have a simple hope, a simple dream.

That it will not take us 50 years of ruined lives and lost loved ones to wake up to the fat stats staring us in the face:

=> Americans are the richest people on earth. They are also the fattest.

=> 400,000 deaths every year in America can be directly attributed to too much weight.

=> There are now more overweight people on the planet than starving people.

=> In some parts of Africa, obesity afflicts more children than starvation.

=> Average women's dress size in 1950: 8; in 2002: 14.

=> After the age of 25, the average American gains 1 pound of fat every year—1 pound every year—and loses ¼ to ½ of pound of muscle and bone mass every year.

=> By the time many Americans reach 55 years old, they are at least 30 pounds overweight, or clinically obese.

=> 61% to 85% of all Americans are overweight.

=> In 1962, 13% of Americans were obese, 30 pounds overweight. In 2004, 33% were obese.

=> If an adult is 30 pounds overweight, her life expectancy is reduced by 7 years. If she smokes and carries 30 pounds of extra weight, her life is shortened by 13.5 years. From 10 to 30 pounds overweight, life expectancy shortens by 3 years and up.

=> Approximately 31% of our children are overweight or obese. If a child is 30 pounds overweight at 20-years-old, his life is slashed by 20 years—that's a lot of years.

=> One prediction: 50% of our country will be obese by the time 2010 comes rolling around—that's not far away. => As obesity increased from 1992 to 2002 by 60 percent in adults so did the number of people with diabetes type 2.

Facts are facts; stats are stats. The beauty is: we can choose not to be one of them.

No, we can not change the world around us. We can not even change the people we love, and that is the most heart-wrenching fact of all.

We can, however, change ourselves – one conscious step, one conscious thought, one conscious bite at a time.

We can choose to stand apart from the crowd – not because we are better, but because we choose to be different. We choose to align our lives with our heart, our truth, and our intentions.

As my lovely, inside and out, daughter and I remind each other in those isolated and lonely moments, you have to be different to make a difference.

Know that your shining example will open the eyes of those ready to see and will brighten up the world.

Thank you, my friend, for being all that you are and for making a difference.

10-Minute 10+10 Rainbow Chopped Salad for Weight Loss

You'll get a kick out of this – watching me in my own arena, sweating bullets.

You see, my big sister, Wendy (okay, not really bigger anymore, but older – once a big sister, always a big sister to a little sister), and I were recently visiting our parents.

We both eat the same crazy way – like rabbits. So we get the stuff out for our first, second, and main course – a huge, hunkin' salad for two – and she says to me, "Okay, Leslie, I want to see you do what you claim. Make this salad in 10 minutes."

The challenge was on, and I was the one on the hot seat. (Big sisters are such a pain sometimes and forever bossy!)

How could I refuse? I looked at the clock and jumped into the game.

I started washing the Romaine and butter lettuce. Oh dear, where was my mother's salad spinner. Stop the clock. Search for the spinner. I finally find it tucked away, out of reach, and lo and behold, it is a baby one. Oh, no, I'd be all day a spinnin' those green leaves.

Start the clock. Wash, wash, wash, spin, spin, spin, and spin some more. Okay, whew, the minutes are ticking away, but the lettuce is washed and spun dry.

Next: chop the lettuce. Wait a sec. Stop the clock! I can't find a knife with a large enough blade to quickly chop vegetables and, oh, yeah, I had forgotten – my mother doesn't like sharp knives. Greeeeat – my only choice of weapon is a dull, kindergarten knife.

I take a deep breath. Start the clock….oh, no, is this the only cutting board my mom has – it's too small – okay, Leslie, quit moaning (and big sister, QUIT gloating) and get to chopping - chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop.

Finally…the greens are washed, spun dry, and chopped. Now to find a large enough trough for the green bounty. Oh, dear. The frantic hunt through the cupboards is on – where, oh, where is there a bowl big enough for this gigantic salad for two. Stop the clock!

"Moooooooommmmmmyyyyyy, where is your largest bowl?"

And yes, at that point, my mother's name went from a middle-aged woman's "Mom" to a whiney little girl's "Mommy."

My mommy comes to my rescue. I smile sweetly. Glare at my sister with that big "I told you so" grin on her face. I grit my teeth on my tongue to prevent spillage of words. Start the clock.

Now to wash and chop the raw vegetables to add to the greens – darn this knife – chop, chop, chop, chop, and chop some more. Okay, whew, I throw the veggies into the lettuce to make my signature salad with 10 different vegetables, including the two kinds of lettuce and sprouts.

Voila! Done. Oh, no, I'm not – I have to find a lemon and some kind of vinegar for the dressing. Don't bother stopping the clock – 10 minutes is long gone.

At least 45 minutes from start to finish, my smirking big sister and ever-so-humbled me sit down to a feast – we feast our bodies with the best food and feast our spirits with each other's love, companionship, and the fun of keeping little sister in her proper place.

Okay, I totally get it. Now I know why so many of you complain about how long it takes to make a salad. Wash your greens and veggies ahead of time and keep them together in the refrigerator. Make sure you have the right tools and they are strategically located.

The recipe and instructions below were birthed from two sources: sheer exasperation and my sister's strong "suggestion" to write down what I do to make my 10+10 signature salad.

I pass the challenge on to you. After you have practiced with all the right tools, see if you can make a 10+10 salad in 10 minutes? I promise, cross my heart, when I am home, I can and do every day.

Let me know how you do. And I would love your suggestions, helpful hints, and additions that you have incorporated into your own healthy salad-making.

Happy creating and happy eating to make your body a happy body!

Dr. Leslie's 10-Minute 10+10 Rainbow Chopped Salad

Ingredients (Dr. Leslie's favorites—choose 10 favorite vegetables to build your own salad)

• Lettuce (2 lettuces=2 different vegetables for "10" count): 2 kinds equivalent to 1 head (Romaine, green-leafy or red-leafy, bib, and/or butter—NOT iceberg)

• Spinach: couple of handfuls

• Sprouts (3 different sprouts=3 vegetables): alfalfa, mung bean, or mixed bean

• Red vegetables: 1 tomato, ½ red bell pepper, ¼ cup radishes, ¼ cup red onion

• Green vegetables: ½ cucumber, ½ cup green cabbage

• Purple vegetable: ½ cup purple cabbage

• White vegetable: ¼ cup cauliflower

• 1 avocado (yes! actually a fruit!)

• Other options: broccoli, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, green or orange pepper, snap peas, yellow onions

II. The "Must" Tools

• Large salad spinner—10¼" in diameter (Note: no holes in the bottom)

• Large cutting board—20¾" x 15"

• Chef's knife (sharp) with 8" blade

• Boning knife (sharp) with straight, narrow 6" blade

• Peeler

• Large bowl (the largest of the 4 stacked Pyrex glass bowls)

• Two oversized spoons or fork and spoon for tossing

III. Directions

1. Take all ingredients out of refrigerator and wash. If possible, wash vegetables for 2 salads ahead of time so they are ready to go.

2. Using salad spinner, spin the lettuce and spinach until very dry

3. Finely chop lettuce and spinach—it's easier to chew—and fill up a bowl large enough to contain a salad that will fill you up. (It takes time to learn how much salad is the right amount for you.)

4. Finely chop vegetables and place on top of large bed of lettuce and spinach.

5. Squeeze ½ a lemon over salad, along with a couple of shakes of balsamic vinegar (or any vinegar of choice).

6. Mix salad until the avocado coats the lettuce and vegetables very well. The salad will shrink down about 1/3.

IV. Helpful hints

Wash all green-leafy vegetables ahead of time so they are ready to go when you are ready to eat a salad.

Spin lettuce and spinach as dry as possible—they store better—and store in air-tight container.

Store all vegetables in the same area or same bag in your refrigerator so they are very accessible.

Chop green-leafy vegetables and other vegetables very finely to make chewing easier.

Dr. Leslie's 10-Second Secret Salad Dressing

I. Ingredients

1 huge green-leafy salad with 10 different vegetables
½ of a fresh lemon or lime
Organic balsamic vinegar (or any favorite vinegar)

(BONUS: Almost no calories in dressing and extra nutrients from the lemon or lime)

II. Directions

1. Cut one lemon or lime in half and use fingers to squeeze the juice out of the lemon or lime onto the salad.

2. Give the bottle of balsamic vinegar a few shakes over the salad for desired amount.

3. Mix very well. If an avocado has been added to the salad, the avocado coats the salad, giving it a wonderful flavor and texture.

4. Stick fork into the vegetables, insert vegetables into mouth, bite down, and chew!

5. Stop eating when your brain tells you to stop. Throw the rest away. It is more of a waste to eat more food than you need than it is to feed the garbage disposal. Garbage disposals are cheaper and easier to replace than your body—a little different perspective than the "lick-your-plate" mentality that most of us were raised with.

After eating a large salad for lunch, you will get hungry in a couple of hours because raw vegetables digest quickly. That's what's supposed to happen—good food goes in, moves through you relatively quickly, the nutrients become a part of you, and the waste comes out. Very simple and normal process.

After eating a large salad for lunch, I get hungry within about 2½ hours. Very easy solution to hunger…EAT!

Simple rule: eat when hungry; stop eating when your brain tells you that you are satisfied.

 

By Dr. Leslie Van Romer