Dear Jewish Fairy Godmother:

Okay I know this is an annual lament, but how can I recover from all the holiday
eating. I packed on ten pounds this year, in part because I agreed to take a
cooking class this fall with my best friend that turned out to be a baking class,
and the few dishes that were considered entrees seemed to be based on heavy
cream. I loved them all and since I had promised by hubby that he could taste I
ate all of them twice, in addition to all the usual holiday meals and fressing at
various art shows, Chanukah parties, and end-of- year parties. So my scale is
accepting no excuses and even my “fat clothes” are tight. Can you motivate me
without shaming me?

Over the Line

 
Dear Over the Line:

Shame is a horrible motivator. It’s often used but rarely gets lasting results, and
usually makes people feel worse about themselves than when they begin their
diet plans and sometimes backfires completely with secret eating and added
rather than lost pounds. It&'s never worked for me and I would be loath to inflict it
on anyone else.

 
It is always tempting to jump for the quick weight loss scheme, perhaps thinking
easy on/easy off. But that logic fails because even though the pounds add on
easily, they attach like super glue. Even if you decide to do something differently
in a month, my best suggestion is to choose a plan like Weight Watchers or
another balanced diet for one month. It will recalibrate your relationship with
sugar, with portions, and reintroduce the balance of vegetables and protein over
sugar and fat. Yes it is slower than a quickie plan, but once you are down even a
handful of pounds you will become self-motivating. You’ll have lots of company in
January.