Dear Basya,
I am so proud of myself that I didn’t “cheat” this week because I had a crazy week full of simchas. I mean I may have taken more food but it was all things that are “on the plan.” I was so disappointed when I got on the scale and saw that I hadn’t lost any weight and even gained weight. What’s going on?
Signed,
Dieting and Gaining
Dear Dieting and Gaining,
Nutrition by Tanya is different from other plans out there. Rather than “banning” foods, we consider ourselves a lifestyle where we allow most foods in moderation. Therefore, if you aren’t practicing portion control, you really are not on the diet! For example, we recommend 10-20 almonds as a snack depending on your specific metabolism, etc. If you are nibbling on nuts mindlessly throughout the day, you are not on plan. Same with dried fruit. We recommend one ounce of dried fruit on occasion. If you are noshing out of a dried-fruit package, you are not on plan!
This is a mindset shift for many dieters who are so used to being told that certain foods are bad and certain foods are good. We call this dieting baggage. But if you are struggling to lose weight despite being “on plan,” reread your plan, and take a look at your portion sizes. They may have inadvertently grown and the extra calories are likely holding you back.
The good news is that since you are already refraining from a lot of calorie-laden foods, cutting back won’t necessarily take much more of your self-control. It will just take a more focused attention to detail, and you will be back to losing weight! Simcha-packed weeks are challenging, but remember, resistance is key! The more you resist the tempting foods, the more self-control you build for yourself.
Best of luck and stay strong!
Basya
Basya Kovacs is a nutrition counselor at Nutrition by Tanya, and is the manager of multiple locationsincluding the Monsey and Clifton locations. Nutrition by Tanya offers personalized and practical weight management and nutrition counseling for men, women, and children, with thirteen locations as well as a full line of food products, personal training, life coaching and even a cafe! The newest edition to the TAP product and service line is Cooking with Tanya, our beautiful full colored cookbook, available wherever Jewish books are sold. The office can be reached at 844-TANYA- DIET.
