We just finished three sets of holiday marathons. To someone like me, the first thing that comes to mind is: Too much eating!

As always, I gave out guidelines to my clients outlining what to do at every yom tov meal, as well as what to stay away from. Most of this information was obvious and nothing new, yet it’s always helpful to have it on paper and review it together with someone. No matter how careful and determined one was over yom tov, it was still over 20 meals (if you count the meals before and after Yom Kippur). That’s a lot of challah and a lot of late-night meals. Not to mention all the tempting desserts and gourmet delicacies around.

I have been hearing from many people how hard it is to get back on track after “partying” and being on diet vacation for so long. Here are some do’s and don’t’s for getting back on track.

Do:

1. Go on the scale to see where you are at. Did you gain? Stay the same? Lose? This is not meant to put you in a bad mood but rather to face reality.
2. Write out your menu for the week ahead so that you are completely prepared and stocked up.
3. Get professional help from a nutritionist. This is a great time to commit for a while since there are no holidays coming up for now.
4. Get rid of any leftovers so that there are fewer temptations.
5. Start a food journal documenting what you eat (and sometimes even why).

Don’t:

1. Go on the scale too frequently (more than once or twice a week). This will discourage you as numbers change week to week and not necessarily day to day.
2. Beat yourself up over what you ate or how much you gained. It is in the past.
3. Go on a deprivation or starvation plan just to lose the weight quickly. This will only slow down your metabolism and cause you to feel deprived.
4. Forget that we have over 20 holiday-free weeks to make up for those 20-plus meals.
5. Set unrealistic goals. Two pounds a week is considered healthy weight loss.

I like to encourage people to learn from what they have done for the future. Think about where exactly you had a hard time over the holiday and try to adjust accordingly the next time around. For some it may be having less-tempting desserts around. For some it may mean putting away all leftovers right away before all the nibbling starts. If something actually helped you, remember that for the next holiday as well. Some people say taking a walk distracted them from the eating and physically removed them from the situation, which helped a lot. Some say that making a lot of exciting new vegetable dishes was what helped them stay on track.

Remember, we cannot undo the past but we can control the future. Also, although Rosh Hashanah is long gone, it is never too late to pray to succeed and be strong on a diet. There is even a special prayer made up by a rabbi for diet success.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy year and an easy time getting back on track.

By Tanya Rosen

 Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT is a nutritionist, personal trainer and owner of Nutrition by Tanya with locations in Monsey, Flatbush, Boro Park, Williamsburg and Lakewood. Tanya is the creator of the TAP (Tanya-approved products) line available on her website, offices and select supermarkets, offering all-natural, low-calorie, delicious snacks and food. Tanya is also the creator of the Shape Fitness Kosher workout DVDs for ladies and teens, available in all Judaica stores. Tanya can be reached at 844-TANYA-DIET or via email at [email protected]. You can check out her website by visiting www.nutritionbytanya.com. Reader questions for this column are welcomed!