Beyond Broccoli

Hi Lauren,

I was at my parents this weekend and they were remarking about how great I look and how much energy I had. I don't know if I had told you, but I have suffered from severe depression in the past and my mom is very in tune to my moods. We were talking about how great I was feeling and I told her I thought it was because of all the colorful food I have been eating. Then I recalled a photo I took the other day when I was preparing food for the week. My mom laughed that I actually took a photo of broccoli!! For some reason this photo makes me happy.
Thanks for everything; you have been a life saver. I have never felt better.
My sister thinks you should get tee-shirts made that say "body by Foodtrainers”!
I attached my favorite photo for you...it is cheerful.

This was one of those emails I had to share. To give you a little background, this client is a physician who came to me this fall for weight loss. I distinctly recall, in the first session, she was reserved and seemingly skeptical. Anyone who has been around the weight loss block has every right to be that way when they embark on a new venture. I tell clients after the first session that their goal to get started and not necessarily to do everything at once. Well this client, who I’ll refer to her as Dr O., did everything.

She jumped in full force. She clipped recipes and made her food, in advance, for the week. She kept a meticulous food journal and hydrated like crazy. You can only invest your time and energy in this manner when it is about more than dropping lbs. I saw Dr O for 2 subsequent visits and with each session she appeared more animated and confident. She was full of praise for her food plan and new routine and for me! The funny thing to me is that I didn’t feel I did that much. I didn’t spend time emailing with Dr O between visits, nor did I have to find creative ways to motive her. I certainly didn’t feel like a “life saver.”

The author Geneen Roth has received lots of press lately with her new book "Women, Food and God". She is a fantastic writer and speaker and really is the go-to person when it comes to emotional eating. Ms Roth emphasizes that we can’t look to diets or weight loss to fix ourselves. Part of me agrees with this, smaller jeans don’t necessarily solve our deep rooted issues. Yet sometimes, as was the case with Dr O, we can learn to take care of ourselves via food, we can feel empowered by taking charge of our bodies and if we see it that way even broccoli can cheer us up.
Do you think losing weight can result in other positive changes? Does cooking relax or cheer you up? What do you think about the broccoli made Dr O happy?