On Sunday night, January 12, Let’s Get Real with Coach Menachem featured a virtual session with Tanya Rosen and Michael Szpilzinger.

Coach Menachem opened the program and shared that, as Jews, we need to be healthy in all areas of our life because that is what Hashem wants. Rav Avigdor Miller taught that Hashem created enjoyable foods with beautiful colors for us to enjoy, and that we should thank Him for all the food.

Michael Szpilzinger, Nutrition Counselor for men at Nutrition by Tanya, first shared his personal story and then his view on sustaining weight loss for a healthy life. In 2018, he was 75 pounds overweight and had high blood pressure. His doctor recommended medication, and he didn’t want to go on blood pressure medication. His whole life, he had experienced yo-yo dieting, going up and down in weight. He then began a two-year journey that resulted in losing 75 pounds and changing his life. He explained that he totally changed his relationship with food when he joined Tanya’s team. He then wanted to help others to reach their goal in weight loss and sustaining it.

First, you need to learn which foods you should be eating. Weight loss is an event, and once you lose the weight, that is in the past. The only way to sustain weight loss is to change who you are. You need to ask yourself what your relationship with food is. The purpose of eating should be to fuel you with energy. Are you eating for emotional reasons, due to boredom, or as a reaction to adversity? These things can trip up a person. What story are you telling yourself?

He shared that he’s spoken to hundreds of people who share that after a while they lose focus or motivation to continue maintaining their weight loss. They only changed what they did, but they didn’t change who they are. He said, “Why wait? Become the person you want to be. You can do it naturally with the body entrusted to you by your Creator.”

Next, Tanya Rosen, owner of Nutrition by Tanya and Sculpt by Tanya, and also creator of TAP Health food and Shape Fitness Kosher work-out DVDs, as well as Tanya cookbook series and all-natural weight loss vitamin, shared her expertise and insights on sustaining weight loss. She shared that, 20 years ago, she gained 50 pounds from pregnancy, and she was trying to lose it after the baby was born. She started eating healthfully and exercising and she decided to study nutrition. “I am passionate about helping people with this,” she said.

She noted that she has seen all the trends and fads, and she has had clients come back after weight loss surgery or using Ozempic. She’s counseled thousands of people over the years. Physical health is an important factor in mental health. There is a lot of awareness now about maintaining a healthy weight. Ozempic is not around that long for us to know its long-term effects. It’s all speculation right now. She stressed an important point. “Exercise does not cause you to lose weight.” It is healthful, of course, but 90 percent of how to lose weight is due to the food you eat. She pointed out that even if you use Ozempic, you still need to learn how to eat properly.

She then shared her opinion about motivation. It’s not easy to maintain a healthy weight. Motivation is elusive. As adults, we do things every day – whether we are motivated or not – because we know it’s the right thing to do. Every meal should include a vegetable, protein, and starch – and amounts and types of food vary according to the person’s needs and wants. She noted that the biggest issue with Ozempic is that when you go off of it, you develop an extremely huge appetite and gain weight back.

You want to be a person who honors commitments to yourself and to others. She noted that if we go on a very restricted diet and eat too little, then we mess up our metabolism. You can’t go back to normal eating after that. So, it’s best to do it the right way, which is slow and not extreme.

Next, Saul Greenberger, a client of Tanya’s, shared his story. He had always been skinny and able to eat large quantities of food with no problem. He weighed 165 pounds when he got married. When he grew older, his weight went up. He went to Tanya weighing 220 pounds. He tried a lot of diets, but his problem was he liked junk food and pizza. She sat with him and helped create a program with a weekly log. Five years later, he is down to 175 pounds. “It was a game changer for me when I started Tanya’s program.” A month after he started, he was able to start a Daf Yomi program and is continuing to do the Daf every day. “Dieting is about discipline,” he said. “Discipline helps you feel good about yourself.” He replaced junk food with Tanya’s snacks. He exercises regularly. He explained that maintaining weight loss requires planning. He plans meals and snacks ahead of time. “Planning is part of being successful in anything you do.”

Some tips that were shared include making sure to have healthful meals with vegetables. Salmon is healthier than processed gefilte fish. Stay away from fried foods.

By Susie Garber