As the month of Elul is upon us and Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner, we are working on bettering ourselves with greater intensity. As a personal trainer and the co-director of a weight loss center, I deal with the issue of personal change every day. Changing a behavior is difficult, and for people who are overweight, changing your habits and the way you think about food, activity, and exercise can be the hardest work of all.
But it can be done.
Today overweight and obesity are the major causes of many commonplace illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, many cancers, and a host of other problems. According the Center for Disease Control, overweight and obesity along with inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are a close second to cigarette smoking as the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
Keeping your weight in check -- and consequently your health in balance -- is part of a Torah commandment: "You shall be exceedingly careful to take care of your soul..." (Deut. 4:15).
An extra 50 calories a day will give you a five-pound gain per year.
For most people, weight gain happens over a long period of time. It’s not difficult to consume 50 calories a day more than you need or use. That will give you a five-pound gain per year. Keep that up for a number of years and you'll become obese. So how do we take it off and keep it off?
Changing Bad Habits
Each person has his or her own individual tendencies regarding weight loss, but the general rule to follow is this: fewer calories taken in and more calories expended.
In order to lose weight and keep it off we need to change our bad habits. Most people who are overweight and out of shape share two common things: they eat whatever they want whenever they want, and they usually lead a sedentary life style. And like most bad habits, they have been going on for many, many years. They are entrenched within our very being.
Reading about a proper diet or consulting an exercise specialist about a balanced and productive exercise program is the easy part. Executing these plans is a different story. It takes real work and commitment to inculcate break habits that may have been a part of your life for 30, 40 years. Yet, these changes can change the quality of your life. In a recent interview with the mental health editor of Medscape, Judith S. Beck, PhD, Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and Clinical Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, gave some solid tools for how one should approach weight loss in terms of changing one’s behaviors. “Dieters need a great deal of education about dieting, food, eating, and maintenance. They have to choose a highly nutritious diet program and learn to plan and self-monitor their intake. They need help in solving problems that would otherwise derail them. They need to find someone to keep them accountable and to support them. Behavioral experiments are important to decrease their fear of hunger and cravings and increase their tolerance for these uncomfortable states. Finally, they need to learn how to identify and respond to dysfunctional thoughts that get in the way of their consistently implementing their diet and exercise programs.”
Real weight loss does not happen overnight.
One of the first things Dr. Beck says that people have to realize is that real weight loss does not happen overnight. It takes time and one must lose slowly. Losing two pounds per week is a realistic and healthy goal. Rapid weight loss is not an option. It will only result in gaining back the lost weight down the road.
At the beginning of your weight reduction program, make a list of all the advantages there are in being at a healthy weight, and keep that list with you at all times as a reminder. Each time you face temptation, look at your list.
Plan your food intake and plan your meals and snacks. Don’t rely on hunger to tell you when to eat. Also, eat foods that minimize hunger. Hunger comes and goes. For instance Yom Kippur morning, at some juncture, you may get hungry, but as the day progresses the hunger goes away. Hunger is not a life-threatening problem. Learn to ignore it.
Dr. Beck also states that, “Dieters give themselves permission to stray from their diet for any number of reasons. They're upset; happy, tired, stressed, celebrating, traveling, busy, at a party...the list is endless. They think, 'It's okay to eat because.... everyone else is; it's only a small piece; no one is watching; the food is free; I rarely get a chance to eat this kind of food.' They need to learn the same skills to avoid straying from their plan, no matter what the reason. They have to grasp the fact that they can either eat what they want, when they want, for whatever reason they want (including being upset) -- or they can be thinner. But it's impossible to have it both ways.”
Dieters need to be accountable to someone. Very few people are good at being accountable to themselves. A nutritionist, a personal trainer that understands basic weight loss techniques and nutrition, or a weight loss coach are good choices. If you need to report in weekly, weigh yourself, or track your food intake, you are more likely to change your old behaviors.
A study done in 2005 in Sweden by Hallstrom Stahre showed that obese subjects not only lost weight during a 10-week cognitive therapy program, but also most continued to lose weight during an 18-month follow-up.
Yes it is important to be educated about nutrition, portion control, and a balanced exercise program, but without basic behavioral changes, much of the time and effort going into the program will not be internalized and will not have the long-lasting effects that bring good health.
Here are a few tips to help you get your eating habits in check:
Portion Control: Portions over the last few decades have tripled in size. It is very easy to allow excess calories to accumulate. Identify what portion sizes are and reduce them. Use smaller plates and bowls; it helps! Familiarize yourself with what a portion is of any given type of food. Go to the website of AICR and use their serving size finder to see both the traditional serving size or learn how to eyeball your portions.
Don’t Let Eating be Part of an Activity: We tend to eat while driving, watching television, reading or doing household tasks. When engaged in other activities, you aren’t aware of the amount of food you are eating. Eating needs to be its own activity.
Stay Away from Negative Stimuli: If having nosh and junk food in your house is a stimulus to eating it; keep it out of your house. If reading ads about food or watching them on TV encourages you to raid the food pantry, eliminate that stimulus. Limit your eating to the kitchen and dinning room. Replace negative food cues (a dish of candy) with a positive cue (a bowl of fruit). And if you have a cookie jar or junk food cabinet, eliminate it.
Eating Out: Eating out is an inevitable part of our social lives, but there are ways to keep it under control. Either order half portions or share your meal. Order an appetizer or soup instead of a full meal. Only order things that are broiled or baked -- not fried -- and have them put sauces and dressings on the side so you can control how much you use, if at all. Finally, just as you should do at home, put your fork down in between bites and stay aware of how much you are eating.
Write it down: If there is one thing all of us in the weight loss field agree upon, it is that writing down you daily intake is a must to be a successful weight controller. Review your charts every few days and show them to a qualified professional. It will create tremendous awareness of your food intake and eating habits.
Not everyone will become an avid exerciser, but incorporating some exercise and activity into your life will only change your health for the better. If you can make the effort and incorporate permanent lifestyle changes, your chances for maximum success is increased many fold. And success in this case means a better quality of life, longer life, better health, and a increased well being.
(17) Anonymous, September 5, 2010 7:08 PM
Gained weight on Shabbos & yom tov meals!
Now that I am ba'al t'shuvah, I'm invited for Shabbos and yom tov meals nearly every week. While it's so nourishing for the soul, I was shocked at how many traditional Shabbos/yom tov foods that are served nearly every week (Ashkenazi) are unhealthful! I have gained 10 pounds! There is meat, meat, and more meat (have only once come across someone serving a vegetarian cholent). Lots of salt, sugar, and processed carbs. Kids are given TONS of sugar, even as rewards for answering Torah questions, which reinforces that sugar = reward. Even the salads usually are drowning in lots of unhealthful high-fat oil and sugar. Kugels are high-fat and made with white-flour noodles, or potatoes, or sugar, and lots of oil. And of course, there is always TOO MUCH FOOD/all you can eat, and guests always do! We need to maintain our tradition without killing our frum community and CHANGE THE FOOD CULTURE. You can make whole-wheat challah. You can make delicious knaidlach in a vegetable broth. And you can cook veggies without so much oil and not OVERcook them, and they'll still be delicious and healthful. Obesity is a big problem in the frum community, both among adults and kids, and there are many health issues related to the toxicity of a traditional Ashkenazi diet! The women do most of the cooking, so we need to change our culture to learn what is healthful cooking and COOK MORE HEALTHFULLY to save our Jewish bodies, as well as our neshamas!
(16) Anonymous, October 15, 2009 3:41 PM
please send me referrals of who succeeded in your program lose iot i need to be motavaited
(15) Amy Mager, September 10, 2009 6:49 PM
If I can do it, anyone can - me, I'm not so special....
If I can do it, anyone can - learn about how to use your metabolism to burn fat instead of store it - both with foods high in fiber and low on the glycemic index and eating often and finding some form of cardio that you will do with interval training and some form of weight training you will do - if you won't do it, it's only a great idea - me, I'm gluten free, row on an ergometer 4-5 days a week and lift kettle bells 2-3 days a week plus whatever else I do - this I do for me - and I've lost many lbs and many inches - if I cna do it, you can to....
(14) Anonymous, September 10, 2009 4:45 PM
Anyone that wants to lose weight should read the book Obesity Cancer Depression written by F. Batmangheldj. I have been following his recommendations for the past 4 years and am amazed by the results. He explains the relationship between dehydration and overeating and most major diseases that can be avoided. He explains the relationship between drinking coffee and weight gain. It is very informative about how the human body works and you gain a deeper appreciation of how Hashem created the human body.
(13) Batsheva, September 10, 2009 3:18 PM
Must Read: The Life Transforming Diet
This book, by David J. Zulberg and published by Feldheim, is based on the health and psychological principles of Maimonides and other classical sources. Its focus is habit change and it proposes a simple program to affect and maintain habit change to achieve weight loss and resultant health benefits. I've lost 20 pounds so far. I began just after polishing off all the Purim shalach manot treats, and managed to follow the program during Pesach, through the summer and now into the fall. There are even tips about how to manage healthy eating on Shabbat and Yom Tov.
(12) Gila, September 10, 2009 2:13 AM
I agree with Tova
Tova hits the nail on the head with her comment. Author of this article said that excuses are endless, but these "excuses" go much deeper. You have to cure the soul and with diet and exercise you jolt the soul, you do not cure it. Also your childhood eating affects your relationship with food. These are more than habits. If somebody is depressed, don't try to lecture about diet and exercise. It's not helpful.. Today we think of easy quick ways. Way to assess your soul is not quick or easy. Do steps towards happiness and you may loose weight in the process.
(11) Anonymous, September 9, 2009 2:55 PM
ADHD and Obesity
My brother is an MD specialist in clinical nutrition. He recently had an article published in the International Journal of Obesity where he explains that approx. 30% of obese adults suffer from ADHD/ADD. This means that 30% of the obese population will need a specific type of treatment to help with weight loss. For those of you who think they fit into this category, this information may be of help. Check with your physician.
(10) Isaac, September 9, 2009 1:46 PM
Know yourself is my attitude
Over the years, thanks to my wife, I ended up on many a diet. I stuck to them and, with exercise, I did not lose much weight. Within couple of months all the weight was back on. Then I discovered something by accident. When I stopped drinking coffee I lost weight and it stayed off. I also found that I naturally gain weight in autumn and I lose weight in spring. I does not matter what I am eating. So, I make sure that I am aware of this and I take advantage of it. I have no idea what the reasons are for this but it has worked for me.
(9) Kimberly, September 9, 2009 7:13 AM
Raw Food
The raw food diet is excellent to lose weight. You can eat practically all the raw foods you want and not get hungry, because so many are negative or low calorie foods. I lost 35 pounds from January - June on it - with only eating regular meals 2 - 3 times per weak, to quell the cravings. It works!
(8) SusanE, September 7, 2009 8:37 PM
Obesity is Epidemic here in USA.
Congtatulations to the author Alan Freishtat for continuing life changing behaviors and for helping many others along the same path to better health. Many of the posters here are very open and insightful with their comments. All are very bright people to recognize the roots of complex problems. It's the solution to those problems that is difficult to implement isn't it?. ---- - - - - - Poster Anon #1 knows that the same old ways of trying to lose weight just don't work. Because it's not about the food. Just as getting high isn't about the drug, it's about the feeling it gives the addict. Being obese isn't about the food, it's about the emotions.. And with poster #5 Tova, Very well put. Overindulging on food can't be curbed by abstinence, we need good food to live well for the rest of our lives.. We don't need junk food though. Don't buy into the 'we'll see, and the time will tell"' stumbling block. YOU and the program together can work miracles. - - - - - - - In small steps, I started eating Kosher about 5 years ago. Small first steps like no pork or pork products. No mixing of meat and dairy. I eat out in restaurants a lot. In one year, just by eating well, I lost 40 pounds without dieting or exercize or drugs. Now that I am lighter I can exercize and it isn't hard on my feet and knees. My cholesterol dropped 31 points. I felt better and looked better. Eating well is the bodys and the minds best friend, for the high feeling of satisfaction. It worked for me and this is only my opinion. ((( I know we should not keep Kosher because of body image or personal gain)))) We should keep Kosher simply because we are commanded to.
(7) Avaria, September 7, 2009 1:33 PM
I lost 110 lbs this year
And for me - I had to learn to be happy inside FIRST. Then I was able to do the dirty work of measuring and weighing food, working out, and delaying gratification. I also started praying a lot more and asking G-d to please guide me in all that I do, especially when it comes to my food choices. And now, a year later, I am a personal trainer and have lost 110 lbs and I am, for the most part, very happy with all aspects of my life :-)
(6) Anonymous, September 7, 2009 1:28 PM
Calm and patient
Don't give up. Use the days to have hope and new promise. See the morning as opportunity for fresh start and plan for a good day. Designing a menu and keeping a record helps to stay on track. A 12 step program focuses on good mental attitudes.and getting weighed in gives you an additional check. The cost is nominal and worthwhile. As we are human beings and may slip. Don't beat up on yourself. Get right back on your healthy structure. Take your walks and think positive thoughts. We are here to take care and make life better. We have choices. Meditation /prayer and patience will carry us through.
(5) Tova, September 7, 2009 7:21 AM
It's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you
The reasons given for overweight are good ones for someone who is 15, 20, 25 pounds overweight. but for the morbidly obese, among whom I must count myself, it is not so simple. There is a profound emotional attachment to food that cannot be broken through mere education, will power and behavior modification exercises. It is similar to an addiction such as alcoholism or drug dependence. But unlike alcohol or drugs which can be given up completely, one cannot be totally abstinent from food. I recently began a 12-step program which seems to be helping, but only time will tell.
(4) Anonymous, September 7, 2009 5:14 AM
I totally agree with #1. I would like to add, and emphasize a line from the article - " they need to learn how to identify and respond to dysfunctional thoughts that get in the way of their consistently implementing their diet and exercise programs.” Using food to punish oneself for being bad, food being one's best friend, a consoler. Using food to escape from resposibilities, or social interaction. Using food to give oneself feelings of love. These must be dealt with in a deep and serious way. I have attacked my overeating problem by addressing these issues using EFT and a 12 step program.
(3) Susan, September 7, 2009 12:22 AM
EFT tapping techniques can help w/ weight loss...
Another useful tool for handling those very challenging emotional aspects of weight issues is EFT tapping ('emotional freedom techniques). This tool is also being used now by Rabbi Legomsky of Israel Trauma Care is using EFT tapping as a primary tool to help victims of trauma in Israel-- and the techniques are equally useful for people seeking help in losing weight.
(2) Anonymous, September 6, 2009 8:07 PM
Lifestyle Change
My relationship with food has always been an unhealthy one, I eat to celebrate, to abate my anxiety, comfort or I eat once a day.. when I get back from work, this combined with a lack of exercise has resulted in a poor body image, lack of discipline and sense of failure. In May I started a weight loss programme, monitored by my GP, the objective this time was not a dress, a moment, a wedding but making a sustainable lifestyle change, I lost 4 kg;s in the first month and told my Doctor I would lose more after winter when it was warmer, not raining and I could walk, he advise "bad excuse" clothing these days is insulated enough to allow you to walk in the rain and wind, that very night I abandoned my fear of walking in the cold and wet and went for a 2 km walk, six weeks later that laborious walk has become a pleasnt daily 3.9 km walk, I have lost 14 kg's, have lots more to loose and am determined to make the right choices. The body is the most amazing machine by design and it is amazing how it repairs itself with just a little attention, I am no longer tired / listless, lacking in energy and my lung capacity is better and posture great no back pain - oh and I am getting my waistline back ! I can confirm, tips from the above article that have helped me and two more 1.Track what you eat - awareness - is a great tool 2.Be accountable preferable to a professional and someone well equipped to spport and guide you through the process 3.Get a weight loss buddy 4. Play "who's the biggest loser" with a bunch of friends, my hairderesser and her colleagues weigh in on Mondays the biggest loser gets the contribution of all her team mates 5. My diet is not regimented by counting calories and or eiminating any foods small regular meals using the Dutch diet "VDH" Vres Die Helfte translated Eat half !
(1) Anonymous, September 6, 2009 3:04 PM
There's nothing new....
Same old, Same old. We all know and understand what is in this article. Over-eating is about emotions, not intellect. The smartest among us are often very over weight. Eating feels good, and to some people is very nurturing and comforting. For some, the morbidly obese, eating is so out of control that they turn to drastic measures such as the gastric by pass. People have to get to the root of their overeating, and in some cases, before they turn to surgery, have to treat sugar and other unhealthy things, the way alcoholics treat alcohol. Never go near it!!