Interview with Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, Founder and Director of the Soveya Solution
A. Levy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are numerous diet programs on the market as well as many local nutritionists here in
Lakewood. What makes your program unique?
First, I want to acknowledge that there are many fine clinicians in the Jewish community, some of whom
I\u2019ve helped begin their careers.
One of the key elements that sets my program apart is the focus on behavioral change as an essential
step toward achieving lasting success, an aspect that is rooted in my personal and professional
experience. Quite frankly, my greatest credibility\u2014even more than my certification as a nutritionist and
weight-management specialist\u2014is the fact that I\u2019ve been maintaining a 130-pound weight loss for more
than 18 years\u2014without surgery, supplements, or any other kind of shtick.
Additionally, I place a strong emphasis on the Torah perspective on proper nutrition and how that directly
impacts our overall health and wellness, both from a hashkafic and halachic point of view. This includes
not just the daily obligation of v\u2019nishmartem me\u2019od l\u2019nafshoseichem, but why and how to prioritize and
maximize your optimal nutritional choices on Shabbos, at simchos, and during the chagim.
No one wants to just lose weight\u2014we want to be able to keep it off. And the only way to consistently
maintain a healthy body size is by developing and maintaining a healthy relationship with food in
whichever food environment one may be. We need a driver\u2019s ed instructor even more than a mechanic.
What does that mean?
A mechanic can tell you if your tires are low on air or misaligned, if you need an oil change or if something
is wrong with your engine. They can diagnose and repair the technical aspects of your car\u2014but they can\u2019t
teach you how to avoid potholes, drive mindfully in bad weather, or stop getting off at the same wrong exit
and end up getting lost just because it looks interesting in the moment.
The vast majority of people struggling with their weight are not lacking the basic information about healthy
eating. Long-term success has much less to do with a person\u2019s blood type, metabolic sensitivity, or
physiological predisposition\u2014although those are important \u201ctechnical\u201d considerations\u2014than it has to do
with the need to learn to navigate through life\u2014good times and bad\u2014by adhering to a lifestyle that
prioritizes your health and well-being. This includes how to grow past perpetual temptations, not just
constantly fight them; how to enjoy good food within proper boundaries and not feel deprived or restricted;
how to plan for and accommodate your nutritional needs, giving it the same importance as you do others\u2019
nutritional needs; and how to finally throw away the crutch of emotional bingeing and learn to stand on
your own two feet when confronted with challenging circumstances.
In the past 15 years, I\u2019ve developed and fine-tuned a program that guides a person through this process,
incorporating multiple modalities for comprehensive nutritional health as well as sustainable behavioral
change without any need for supplements, surgery, starvation, or any other type of quick-fix appetite
reduction. You don\u2019t need to get scanned or put balls behind your ears. You do need the willingness to be
unconditionally honest with yourself and be open to doing whatever it takes to develop and maintain a
healthy lifestyle.
Sounds easier said than done.
Exactly. And that\u2019s why promoters of most weight-loss programs and fad diets don\u2019t tell you that. They
promise you magical success and show you pristine pictures, telling you that you can \u201ceat all your favorite
foods,\u201d \u201close 20 pounds in two weeks,\u201d \u201ctake this revolutionary formula that will burn all the calories like a
five-hour workout,\u201d etc. They tell you what you want to hear.
Besides being a seasoned \u201cmechanic\u201d as a dually certified nutritionist, my primary role is that of a weight-
loss coach\u2014a \u201cdriver\u2019s ed instructor,\u201d if you will\u2014to tell you what you need to hear so you can learn to
stop crashing into the ditch of dieting despair that has perhaps dominated much of your life.
And, yes, it\u2019s not easy. Change is not simple and doesn\u2019t occur overnight. But the only way to begin is by
taking the first step\u2014because nothing changes if nothing changes.
What are the first steps toward change?
There are three target areas of change; I call it the \u201cthree h\u2019s approach.\u201d You have to change your Head,
your Heart, and your Hands. Without addressing all three, it\u2019s just another recipe for relapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your head is your attitude and understanding\u2014having intellectual clarity\u2014as to the purpose of eating and
the function that food is meant to fulfill. Changing your whole mindset about dieting, as well as
overhauling the language of weight loss, is crucial. It\u2019s not about being perfect. It\u2019s about being precise.
It\u2019s not about failure. It\u2019s about being focused and seeing that your relationship with food is the essential
element in your overall health and wellness.
Your heart is having a healthy and mature emotional association with food. It\u2019s the ability to break free
from the overwhelming feeling of dependency on the immediate gratification, comfort, escape, or
indulgence that eating provides you with.
Your hands are your actions: what foods you should eat, how much, and when. This is a well-defined
food plan with clear goals, guidelines, and boundaries that is customized exclusively for you and that can
adapt to your changing schedule, situation, and station in life.
What holds people back from making these changes?
Changing your eating habits and relationship with food can seem overwhelming\u2014it\u2019s not a piece of cake
to not take that piece of cake. It\u2019s much easier and more comfortable to act on instinct and feed your
desire for immediate gratification.
Adhering to boundaries\u2014whether that means holding yourself back or pushing yourself forward\u2014requires
intellectual, emotional, and physical effort which your mind and body often don\u2019t want to exert. Change is
challenging. Inertia is inviting. That\u2019s not a medical pathology\u2014it\u2019s the human condition with which we all
struggle.
But we also have a choice: to endure the discomfort of discipline or submit to the comfort of complacency,
which in the end isn\u2019t so comfortable at all. You have a choice to break out of your own, personal comfort
zone to meet and maintain your goals or continue feeding on the bitter dessert of regret and remorse.
And I\u2019ll end with this one secret: if you do it the right way\u2014and the honest way\u2014from the very beginning,
it\u2019s actually easier than trying to continue fooling yourself that there is some kind of shortcut, magic wand,
or miracle cure. All it takes is the courage to take that first step.
Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, is the founder and director of Soveya and the author of the highly
acclaimed book Enough Is Enough\u2014How the Soveya Solution Is Revolutionizing the Diet and Weight-
Loss World. He has worked with thousands of clients around the world and has been maintaining a 130-
pound weight loss for 18 years. For more information about Soveya\u2019s programs call 732-578-8800, email
info@soveya.com, or visit www.soveya.com.
Sidebar
Enough Is Enough
How the Soveya Solution Is Revolutionizing the Diet and Weight-Loss World
Dr. David Lieberman
Eli gets it.
Eli understands the failure and frustration of dieting because he was a frequent rider on the weight-loss
roller coaster for many years, losing and gaining so often that he earned himself what seemed like a
lifetime pass. But it certainly wasn\u2019t free. In fact, it nearly cost him his health.
At a morbidly obese 300 pounds, his struggles with overeating were significant but not uncommon. His
physical and emotional discomfort were profound but not unusual. Two out of every three people in this
country are either overweight or obese. Those who don\u2019t fight the battle of the bulge are the exception,
not the norm.
That\u2019s one reason why he is such an effective weight-loss coach. He can intimately relate to his clients,
and they can relate to him. He has firsthand experience with the overwhelming cravings and temptations,
the temporary hope and the devastating despair. He lived the life that so many people still live and made
the lifestyle changes that so many desperately desire to make\u2014but so few have.
Eli gets the fact that long-term weight loss is not about crash dieting or merely counting calories. He
recognizes the real issues and fundamental problems people need to address, because he went through
it himself\u2014and has maintained a healthy body size for the past 18 years. He has no plans to change that
anytime soon.
And Eli has the honesty, courage, and credibility to confront the billion-dollar weight-loss industry. He is
exposing the misleading messaging, defying the distorted mindset, and challenging the broken<\/p>\n\n\n\n
methodology that is so rampant in so much of conventional dieting. His message and method are clear,
concise, and current, stressing that we have to once and for all stop focusing on just changing our weight
and start focusing on changing ourselves and our relationship with food, to finally acknowledge that the
only quick fix is to admit that there is no quick fix.
But Eli also gives it.
In addition to his personal experience and clinical accreditation, Eli possesses a unique and
transformative three-dimensional skill set. He is a seasoned and skilled educator, an enlightening and
engaging communicator, and an effective and empowering coach. He is, as he likes to call himself, the
CCO\u2014Chief Change Officer.
His dynamic and compelling style is complemented by his completely down-to-earth and relatable
personality, allowing him to deal with this sensitive subject in a disarming and nonjudgmental manner. Eli
creates an atmosphere of comfort and commitment whether working one-on-one or with hundreds.
Eli has developed a proven and practical system which has impacted thousands of people around the
world. The Soveya Solution pinpoints the vital areas upon which a person has to focus in order to effect
real and lasting success. It\u2019s a constructive and comprehensive approach to weight loss, providing
concrete tools, guidelines, and procedures applicable to anyone willing to step outside of their comfort
zone, learn new behaviors, and challenge their previously held beliefs about dieting.
I can professionally and personally attest to the impact and efficacy of Eli\u2019s approach. I\u2019ve seen his work
firsthand and witnessed how people have changed their attitudes toward food and their relationship with
eating and self-indulgence. It\u2019s a learning and growth process that is not always easy but is forever
rewarding.
I highly recommend the Soveya Solution to anyone who is looking for a long-term answer to what has
been a lifelong problem. It\u2019s not just a weight changer, and it\u2019s not even a game changer. It\u2019s a life
changer.
David J. Lieberman, PhD, is an award-winning author and internationally recognized leader in the fields of
human behavior and interpersonal relationships. Techniques based on his 11 books, which have been
translated into 27 languages and include two New York Times bestsellers, are used by the FBI, the
Department of the Navy, Fortune 500 companies, and governments and corporations in more than 25
countries.
This article was adapted from the foreword to the book Enough Is Enough\u2014How the Soveya Solution Is
Revolutionizing the Diet and Weight-Loss World (Outskirts Press), available on Amazon, at Barnes &
Noble, and at Judaica Plaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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