Dear Basya, I was so proud of myself that I didn’t go off plan on Pesach. I mean, I may have eaten more food than recommended, but it was all foods that were “on the plan.” That’s why I was so disappointed when I got on the scale and saw that I hadn’t lost any weight, and even gained weight, over Pesach. What’s going on? Dieting and Gaining CHAPTER 1
Dear Dieting and Gaining, First of all, keep in mind that sticking to your food plan over Pesach is a tremendous accomplishment and is really the goal for every yom tov and vacation. A bit of insight into why you “stuck to the plan” and still gained weight: Nutrition by Tanya is different from many other plans out there. Rather than “banning” foods, we consider ourselves a lifestyle and 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 to 20 almonds as a snack, depending on your specific plan. If you are nibbling on nuts mindlessly throughout the day, 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 strug-
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gling 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. Additionally, we emphasize eating on a schedule and not eating late meals in order to maximize your metabolism. Therefore, even if you didn’t eat anything extra (aside from extra matzah and wine at the Seders), the late meals likely impacted your weight as well. 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 more focused attention to detail, and you will be back to losing weight! Best of luck! Basya Please send in your nutrition question to info@nutritionbytanya.com, Attn: Basya.