ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180025
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on January 19, 1996. Joyce A. Bonds was
pictured on the front of Wednesday's Extra section. The photo's caption
gave the wrong name. (story ran Thursday).
If you are among the estimated 30 percent of Virginia women who are overweight, then when it comes to dieting you've probably been there, done that and bought the proverbial T-shirt.
That is assuming you could find one to fit - which, according to YWCA of Roanoke Valley's residence coordinator Joyce A. Bonds, isn't always that easy to do. She said clothing manufacturers often ignore plus-size women's needs and make few attractive or proper-fitting garments for them.
That is just one example of society's subtle ostracism of large women, said counselor/ advocate Mary L. Moore, who tonight will hold an orientation meeting of large-size women who want to take the bite out of weight issues. The meeting is set for 7 at the Central YWCA in downtown Roanoke.
"Dieting doesn't work over the long term," Moore said in a recent telephone interview.
Power Moves, a six-week session that she will facilitate at the YWCA, dispenses with the dieting and concentrates instead on education, physical activity and peer support to help large women improve their eating habits, learn to accept their bodies, and gain understanding and control of weight and food issues.
Moore, a Ph.D candidate in counseling at Virginia Tech with a special interest in eating disorders, described herself as "never skinny ... probably just average sized." But she said that she is nonetheless an advocate for large-size women.
"Society has created a monster that says that thin is ideal. When large people are ostracized by society, it affects their self-esteem and their ability to feel valued. We try to look more at non- [weight] scale changes and show how you can be large and still be healthy," Moore said.
She said participants in the two previous Power Moves sessions that she taught ranged from their early 20s to one woman who was close to 70 years old, and included various races and socio-economic groups.
"The core characteristic that they shared was that they had a history of weight problems that in some way impaired their functioning," Moore said.
She noted that some of the women who considered themselves large actually weren't. For most clinical purposes, obesity is defined as 20 percent over ideal body weight, Moore explained. For the average woman, that would probably fall in the 200-pound or heavier range. But Moore added that people vary widely in their
definitions of "large" and said that height, bone size, muscle mass and body type also must be considered in relation to weight.
In maintaining that heavy doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy, Moore said that people need to assess factors besides weight, among them muscle-to-fat ratio, cholesterol levels, physical stamina and blood pressure. Exercise helps to improve those factors.
Depending upon the group's desires, Moore said that she might teach suitable low-impact land-based exercises. Bonds, a certified arthritis aquatics instructor, will definitely teach Power Moves' popular water-exercise component.
"Basically, it's to get the women moving without causing pain or putting stress on the joints. There is resistance against the water, but no pounding against unyielding surfaces," Bonds explained.
She said that the twice-weekly, 30-minute workouts, held in the YWCA's newly renovated swimming pool, will include a warmup, sustained aerobics and a
cool-down period. Participants needn't be able to swim.
Bonds said the environment was supportive in the past two sessions that she taught, friendly and like a big family. Participants also weren't so self-conscious about putting on or being seen in a bathing suit - something that intimidates many large women because of negative experiences they've had.
"Nobody looks at you funny or criticizes you if you can't do something. You just do what you can. The water is warm and relaxes you, and the new pool is just beautiful," Bonds said.
During weekly sessions, Power Moves participants in addition to learning how to eat
healthfully will track their personal eating habits and examine food and weight issues such as binge eating, incessant snacking and emotional triggers. Two optional books, "Making Peace With Food" and "Great Shape: The First Fitness Guide for Large Women," also will be used.
In the end, the women may or may not lose actual pounds, since muscle developed through increased exercise will be heavier than fat. Plus, as Moore emphasized, Power Moves does not encourage dieting and weighing.
The basic cost will be $40 for YWCA members; $50 for nonmembers, plus an optional $12 refundable books fee. Bonds noted that YWCA members will have open access to the pool, which will allow them to work out outside of Power Moves meeting times.
There is no fee for tonight's session, which will cover the program's goals and philosophy and assess participants' expectations and needs in order to best tailor an itinerary for the group. For information, call 345-9922.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Stephanie Klein-Davis. Power Moves coordinator Mary L.by CNBMoore is an advocate for large-size women. color.