Methinks you doth protest too much!
By: Katie Jay, MSW, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery
My son is a picky, picky eater. He has been that way practically since birth.
Certain textures are intolerable to him, and no amount of trying seems to cure that.
I understand. I cant touch dry wood without cringing. I never cook with a wooden spoon. My friend, Pat, never touches glass. She always uses a plastic cup.
Because I catered to my sons picky-food demands, he began to use his pickiness to refuse foods that didnt taste good to him even if they werent intolerable from a texture perspective.
He wont eat vegetable lasagna, because the slimy texture and the foods mixed together make him gag literally. So, I dont insist he eat that kind of food.
But, he also refused to taste cauliflower a few years back.
Solitary, non-slimy, cauliflower.
We argued. He stomped his feet. I badgered. He finally relented.
Just one bite, I demanded.
Only one bite, he insisted.
He put the cauliflower in him mouth and began to chew. Then his eyes teared up.
At first I felt guilty, because I thought, maybe this was a texture-related aversion. But, no, I argued with myself, the cauliflower is not slimy or mixed with another food.
Why are you crying, I asked?
Barrett growled in frustration and turned his face away from me.
Whats wrong, I begged?
As I moved to look at his face, he turned further away.
I tried again to see his face. He could turn no further, so I caught a glimpse.
I saw a facial expression that told me he was angry, but his mouth was happily chewing.
I grinned at him, You like it!
He growled again, but with a slight laugh in his voice, I dont like it. I dont want to like it!
WLS people I work with feel the same way sometimes about a new food or behavior.
Kathy, a coaching client, insisted during a recent phone call that she hates to exercise.
But she is regaining weight.
So, I asked her if shed be willing to try some sort of movement despite her hatred.
She reluctantly agreed.
Just one try, I nudged.
Only one try, she insisted.
We brainstormed a list of 10 things she could try. We included walking and swimming the common exercises. But we also included belly dancing and yoga.
Ultimately, Kathy chose to borrow her neighbors mini trampoline and give it a try.
At the end of our next phone session, I noticed Kathy had not mentioned her exercise experiment.
So I inquired, How did it go with the mini trampoline?
At first there was silence on the other end of the line. She groaned, but I could tell she was smiling.
I grinned, You like it!
I dont like it! Kathy retorted.
But, I could hear her laughing as she hung up on me.
Katie Jay, MSW, CTA-certified Wellness Coach is the Director of the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. Sign up for her free email newsletter at www.nawls.com.
