myth
Does Tayyibat Make You Gain Weight, or Lose It?
It is the question people ask before starting, and the one they ask again three weeks in when the trousers get loose. The honest answer has two halves, and neither of them is a promise.
The short answer, before the detail
Most people who follow the system carefully lose some weight in the first weeks, whether they wanted to or not. A smaller group gains. Both happen, and neither is what the system is aiming at. That matters, because the question is usually asked backwards. Tayyibat is not a weight programme with a direction built into it. It is a filter on what goes in the plate and a rhythm for when it goes in. Weight moves as a consequence of that, and the consequence depends on portions, on how many meals you keep, and on what you do with your body during the day. So the useful question is not whether it makes you gain or lose. It is which way you want to go, and which settings send you there. The rest of this article is about those settings.
Why the weight usually drops on its own
Nothing mysterious is at work. Four ordinary changes stack up, and together they remove a lot of what people were eating without noticing. The snacks disappear first. Three meals with nothing between them takes out an entire layer of eating that rarely gets counted. Sugar goes next, along with industrial pastry and soft drinks, which is where a large share of the daily total used to sit. Then the plate itself gets simpler: one protein, cooked vegetables, a measured portion of grain. And finally the two-hour spacing between eating and drinking slows the whole meal down, which usually means less of it. That habit is explained on its own in [the article on the two-hour rule](/en/journal/pourquoi-attendre-2-heures). Put end to end, that is a real reduction, and it happens whether or not losing weight was on your mind. If you did not want it, this is not a sign that something went wrong. It is a sign that the settings are still on their default, and defaults can be changed.
And yet some people gain, for real reasons
This surprises people, and it should not. The allowed list contains some of the most calorie dense food there is, and none of it is capped. Olive oil is the clearest case. It is welcome in the system and it carries a great deal of energy in very little volume, so a generous hand at every meal adds up quickly and quietly. Dates do the same, especially eaten as a habit rather than as a portion. Rice and freekeh are allowed and easy to serve in large amounts. Red meat five times a week, with generous portions and little movement in the day, is not a light way of eating. And the cream and dates pairing, which is a real part of the system, is dense by design. None of that is cheating, and none of it is forbidden. It simply means the plate is capable of going both ways, and the direction depends on quantity rather than on the list. If you are gaining without wanting to, look at the oil, the grain portion and the dates before you look for anything more complicated.
The three dials that decide the direction
You do not need a different system to change direction. You need to move three things, and only three. The first is how often protein days come round. Three or four a week is the ordinary rhythm. Five pushes the whole week upward. The second is the size of the portion, both the protein and the raw grain that goes with it. The third is whether a fourth meal exists at all: cream with dates between dinner and bedtime, spaced by the usual two hours, is the simplest way to add a real amount without adding anything the system rejects. Turn all three up and the direction reverses within a few weeks. Turn them down, keep three meals and a measured hand on the oil, and it goes the other way. Someone who wants the upward setting laid out in full, with the eight week framework and the training that goes with it, will find it in [the weight gain guide](/en/guides/prise-poids). And whoever is only starting out should settle the basics first, in [the seven-day guide](/en/journal/commencer-tayyibat-7-jours).
When the number on the scale is a medical matter
Adjusting portions is a kitchen matter. Some weight changes are not, and telling the two apart is worth more than any plan. See a doctor without waiting if you are losing weight steadily without having changed anything you eat, if the loss is fast, if it comes with fever, night sweats, a lasting cough, blood anywhere, a lump you can feel, or a thirst and a need to urinate that will not settle. The same applies to weight that climbs quickly with swelling in the legs or breathlessness. Sudden and unexplained is the part that matters, in either direction. If you are being treated for anything, keep your treatment as it was prescribed and tell whoever follows you that you have changed how you eat. That is not a formality: several ordinary medicines are adjusted according to what and when you eat, and a silent change on your side can matter on theirs. Food is a support here, never a substitute for care, and we set out that same line in [is Tayyibat dangerous](/en/journal/tayyibat-est-il-dangereux).
Continue reading on the Sehtin journal
myth
Lemon to Lower Blood Sugar: What Is Myth and What Is True
The idea that a glass of lemon on an empty stomach lowers blood sugar circulates everywhere. The reality is more modest and more interesting. Lemon works no magic, but its acidity, its vitamin C and the water it comes with do play a small, honest part. Here we separate what the studies say from what the trend promises.
myth
Can Diabetics Eat Honey? Myth and Reality
The idea goes around that honey, being natural, is a free sweet for someone with diabetes. Reality asks for more nuance. Honey is a valuable food, but it is still sugar and it raises blood glucose. Here you will see what studies say, what amount makes sense and when it is best to avoid it entirely, always with your doctor's final word.
myth
10 Tayyibat myths debunked
Every viral diet attracts a layer of distortion. We picked the ten most repeated Tayyibat myths circulating on Arabic TikTok and Instagram and answered each one factually with reference to the actual system.
This article relays the public teachings of Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi for educational and informative purposes. It is not medical advice. Consult your physician before any dietary change. Legal notice.