Session 1

Sam walked in and headed right to the plastic train set on the floor.  Sitting in a perfect W (despite years of trying to break the habit), he talked to the figures and set up a track. Erin, the Assistant Center Director, asked Sam to take off his shoes, hang his coat on a chair and took him to the back of the Center.

As soon as he was out of sight, Chrissy, Program Director & Head Teacher, asked me to join her to review the Parent Handbook.  Like Betsy did last week, she stressed the importance of parent involvement. She explained that this is not a program that ends when we walk out the door. She took me through the homework – about 15 exercises that need to be done 3-5 times each day. Holy cow. I was warned but didn’t realize it would be this much. I’m trying to act calm so she doesn't think I'm a lazy mommy. Can she tell I'm not really listening to her? I can't focus; I'm too busy trying to come up with a ploy to get Sam to go along with this. He is not going to be happy. 

When we're done, I head to the waiting room excited to dive into my book (The Irresistible Henry House - a good read if you're looking). No such luck.  The Nutritionist, Casey, introduces herself and asks me to come into her office. Nutrition is a key part of the program and she wants to discuss it with me.

While I am obsessed with Spinning, I am not focused on healthy eating for Sam. My husband doesn't make it home for dinner most nights so I don't cook. Sam winds up eating a lot of prepared foods (frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, macaroni & cheese, etc) while I have a salad or yogurt. He hates all vegetables. The only real food he'll happily consume is fruit - bananas, grapes, pears and apples. No berries. He loves Oreos, Ring Dings and cotton candy flavored ice cream. Disgusting, I know. 

And it gets worse. I love fast food. I will eat any kind you offer; Taco Bell is my favorite but I don't discriminate and would be almost as happy with lame choices like Roy Rogers, Sbarro or Denny's. Sadly, I have passed this culinary weakness on to Sam. No food appeals to him as much as a McDonald's Happy Meal. His order of choice includes six Chicken McNuggets, fries and a vanilla milk shake. Oy. What would these Brain Balance people say if they knew?!

Casey explains that Sam needs to have a Metametrix test done on his blood and urine.  They test for 90 food sensitivities. Any foods that come up have to be removed from his diet immediately.  According to Casey, the most common sensitivities are to wheat, eggs and dairy. But one kid only had to remove cashews. Let's hope Sam is like him.  The good news is that towards the end of the program, when his gut has mended, we will gradually reintroduce the foods. As she finishes explaining the Food Journal, Sam peaks his head in.

Hi, I smile.

Hi, he whispers.

This is Casey, I look at Casey.

Let's go mom, he whispers.

Say hi, I insist.

Hi. Let's go mom.

And we're off. We will go to St. Barnabas tomorrow morning. The results arrive in 2 weeks. D-day.