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 Dear Alice:

Here is my problem. I have been dieting for months and lost a lot of weight – almost 40 pounds. However, I still have over 25 pounds to lose in order to reach my goal weight, but I don’t seem to be losing anymore. I don’t eat cake or cookies, and don’t touch a bite of kugel, but I am still not losing any weight. Is this the dreaded “plateau”? Did my body just get used to the way I am eating? Please help!

Recap: Bayla calls home and is surprised that her parents want her to stay longer. They don’t say why, but she hears fear in their voices about the situation in Poland.

Every person has his own particular situations that frighten him, as fear is part of the human condition. Some things are universally scary, like illness, accidents, and natural disasters. Other fears are more subjective. Many people fear the unknown. But what is unknown and frightening to one person is just plain ordinary for another, causing the other to have difficulty understanding why the person is even afraid at all.

  Dear Alice,

I just got back from Miami and I am so disappointed. For the first time ever, I actually stayed on my plan while on vacation. I didn’t touch the bread basket or desserts at restaurants, stayed away from the late-night munching aside from my “treat,” and chose sugar-free frozen yogurt instead of milk shakes. However, when I came to weigh in, I found that I had lost less than half a pound despite all my efforts! What went wrong?

Waking up to beach views in Mexico, shopping at The Shuk in Jerusalem, the clean mountain air of Northern Italy… Some of my vacations, I’ll remember forever.

Vacations can be the best, can’t they? Especially for the family. You pack everyone up, skedaddle to the perfect spot, and everyone is blown away. Ideally.

Recap: Sophie sees someone in shul and demands to be taken home.

 The rest of the walk home, Sophie was quiet. I noticed she was brushing away tears. I felt so bad for her, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Seeing that girl in shul had upset her so much. Why?