“If I See Another Salad, I’m Going to Scream – I Don’t Care What Dr. Leslie Says”

Isn’t this title hilarious? Doesn’t this sound exactly like something you might say or at least want to say—and right to my face?

Well, that’s exactly what Denise McClain said to my face just today. I thought you would get a hoot out of it—just like I did!

I simply love Denise’s genuineness and honesty, and I think you will too.

And how did Denise get to this dangerous point of hating me and salads forever?

Yes, you guessed it.

She came to one of my presentations, with more than a bit of healthy skepticism I might add.

She decided to hold her nose and take the plunge head first—ah-oh, so scary—a full hour, knee to knee, with the food cop herself (that’d be me) for her “Health Audit.”

What may spur you on may be a book or a friend or a videotape by someone who just makes sense to you.

Denise knew what she had been doing wasn’t working. She had nothing to lose so why not try something else.

The food cop wasn’t half as scary as the monster she had been wrestling with for far too long—seriously ill health.

You see, my friend, Denise has diabetes type 2, and the nationally accepted diabetic plan of eating didn’t work for her—she was hungry most of the time from the restricted portions of food, she always wanted more fruit and vegetables, she carried too much weight, and she felt crummy besides.

Not only that, she had just gotten over a two month bout with a lung sickness in which she was on intravenous AND oral antibiotics for much of that time, as well as steroids. This was merely the end of a long siege of serious lung problems that had been going on for over two years. Two years!

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you were sick, I mean really sick, for two years? It wouldn’t be much of a life now, would it?

Denise knew she had to do something, but one thing that she knew for sure….

She was not willing to feel deprived ever again.

She had been there, done that, so many times in her life that she refused to go there again!

So she thought she’d give my eating plan a try—tailored to HER goals and tastes, of course.

And she liked the fact that this plan wasn’t an “all or nothing plan.” There was flexibility in it.

In other words, the idea was to just fill up on the good-for-you foods first most of the time and eat what you want when you go out to eat or have special occasions or just want to eat exactly what you want to eat just because.

Denise was also reassured by something I said (you’d have to ask her) that just because you eat bad-for-you foods doesn’t make you a bad person—everyone eats badly sometimes. That is no big deal. The important thing is—do the best YOU can and want to do.

Denise wanted to:

1. Lose 2.5 pounds a month for a grand total of 30 pounds in a year.

2. Stay off steroids and antibiotics and even reduce her diabetic medications if possible.

3. Have enough energy to fully participate in water aerobics.

4. Eat more fruits and vegetables.

5. Feel well.

Her goals seemed reasonable and doable. Not only did they seem doable, they were doable! And she proved it.

Listen to this.

Denise lost 9 pounds in about one month—that’s 3.5x more weight loss than her goal.

She was able to safely reduce her diabetes medication. She hasn’t been back on prednisone or antibiotics (yes, it’s early yet but time will tell all).

She is fully participating in water aerobics.

She feels so much better and so much better about herself. Denise, just like you, deserves to feel good about herself.

And the best part:

As Denise said to me, “I don’t feel deprived.”

“How could I feel deprived when I feel full from what I’m eating?”

So what is Denise eating?

In a quick nutshell, she eats way more salads, a variety of steamed vegetables, including yams (white potatoes don’t work for her), occasionally vegetable sandwiches, and oatmeal and two pieces of fruit in the morning—that works great for her.

When she got so sick of salads that she just wanted to scream, she could have just given up at that point and gone back to her old way of eating, the typical American diet.

Instead, Denise chose to make a bean and brown rice soup to satisfy her craving for hot food and got more creative with vegetables.

Her life depended on her making some significant changes in her eating habits. and she stuck to her commitment to her body and her health.

She even bought a juicer and started making her own fresh juices, and this was all in a matter of four weeks! Amazing how many changes Denise went through in a very short period of time.

No wonder she got sick of salads and me! I’d get sick of me, too, if I did all that in 4 weeks or so.

But Denise didn’t quit, and she still is eating at least one large salad on most days and several pieces of whole fruit. She has drastically cut down the animal and dairy products and processed foods in her life.

Denise is an inspiration to us all.

If you met Denise, you would love her and would be truly moved by her and her victories!

Denise is a living example of the determination, the courage and the will that we all have inside of us to be the best people we can be.

Our lives depend on it.

Dr. Leslie Van Romer is a health motivational speaker, writer, and lifestyle coach. Visit http://www.DrLeslieVanRomer.com for more inspiration.

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