You can’t lose weight and keep it off

The sad reality is that you have about as great a chance of losing

weight and keeping it off as you do of winning the lottery. This is

just a simple fact of life. Everybody knows it. Every magazine article and

television show on the topic gives the same facts: 95% of diets fail, and

for those who do lose weight, it’s just about guaranteed that they’ll gain

it all back. When the media interviews experts who study weight loss

for a living, they all say this is true.

Myths and Weight Loss

Myths are a part of every society and culture. They help explain common

experiences that are mysterious, frightening, or difficult to understand.

Ancient civilizations used myths to explain aspects of the world

that they could not comprehend. Joseph Campbell, author of the book

The Power of Myth, explains that we need myths to survive and to

explain and understand our existence.

Myths are powerful. They can inspire us to great heights. But they

can also become traps when they mask the full truth. If you go beyond

the kernel of truth that forms the basis of the myth and believe that

every aspect of the myth is true, you can become paralyzed into inaction

because the myth seemingly explains everything.

LIVE NORI ROLLS

Nori rolls are convenient for meals on the go or as an elegant appetizer. You can serve

them with a simple soy sauce for dipping or with the Spring Roll Dipping Sauce (page

308). Nori sheets come either toasted or sun-dried. Use the sun-dried version for a truly

raw roll. The key for a successful raw nori roll is for the pâté not to be too moist or the

nori sheet will get soggy and spoil everyone’s fun. Here we provide two pâté recipes,

each of which lends itself to numerous variations.

TRADITIONAL HUMMUS

MAKES 1½ CUPS

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

2 garlic cloves

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1. Process all of the ingredients in a food processor until well combined. You may

wish to add more water, for a thinner consistency. Start with 2 tablespoons at

a time.

2. It is possible to just mash the garbanzos up with a fork if you do not have a

food processor, then add all of the other ingredients for a chunkier hummus

experience.