And Now....the Jewish Diet

Chicken soup (with some chicken fat in it), corned beef, potato latkes (pancakes) fried in lots of oil. Let's face it: typical Jewish food--which does taste really good--is not going to make you lose weight. Just the opposite, in fact. However, recent studies show that when it comes to successful weight loss and maintenance, it's much more important in how you diet, rather than what you do or don't eat. And having a successful weight-loss attitude is very much tied in with Jewish values.

Those individuals who have lost weight and kept it off successfully share certain traits and behaviors, according to the National Weight Control Registry. The most important trait is that they didn't give up. Seldom did anyone lose and keep off the weight during the first or even second try. For most, it took several, even many attempts.

Judaism embraces the idea of persistence--from the efforts of Moses in ancient times to the modern struggles of Israel to find peace. These lofty goals of Judaism can work just as well for the individual in a personal struggle with weight loss and maintenance. It's the Jewish attitude of not giving up that helps weight losers reach and keep their goal.

Now over a decade old, the National Weight Control Registry was formed by doctors from the University of Colorado, Denver, the University of Pittsburgh and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, to study people who had shed at least 30 pounds and kept them off for a year. "They studied 2700 people who entered the Registry from 1995 through 2003," according to CNN.com. "Their average age was 47, most were women, and they had lost an average of 72 pounds initially."

This is another Jewish value which came into play with these weight-loss pioneers. At some point they experienced an epiphany or moment of truth about their weight. Many events in Jewish history involve a moment of clarity, followed by crucial decisions. A Registry participant reported that one day she suddenly realized that she was the same weight and age as her mother when her mother had suffered a heart attack. The woman took this moment seriously and decided to try to lose weight again--and this time she made it.

Besides a no-give-up attitude, there are several other secrets or tips the people in the Registry attest to:

- Those most successful at keeping the weight off ate five small meals a day instead of the standard three big meals. Eating several small meals kept hunger at bay longer during the day.

- In addition to cutting out excess food, these people incorporated regular exercise into their lives. There was no one form of exercise that was common among the participants. Some started running; others took aerobic classes; still others began weight lifting. The deciding factor is that they made exercise as much a part of their routines as brushing their teeth.

- A high, good carbohydrate, low-fat diet took the prize as being the most victorious way of keeping weight off--regardless of what foods were eliminated to lose the weight in the first place.

- All successful weight-loss winners weighed themselves often--at least once a day--to monitor their progress. If a few pounds started to climb on board, participants would start watching their diet and exercise more vigilantly right away.

In today's Western world, losing weight and keeping it off is a lifelong struggle for many people. A small number do succeed. Attitude plays a major role in their success. And that attitude is often no more than good old Jewish-type determination.

Sources:
http://www.nwcr.ws/
www.jewishfamily.com