THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 8, 1994 TAG: 9409070064
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
THE AUTHORS of ``The Choose To Lose Diet: A Food Lover's Guide to Permanent Weight Loss,'' will discuss their weight-loss program at 7 p.m. today and 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Holiday Inn on Godwin Boulevard in Suffolk.
Dr. Ron Goor and his wife, Nancy, wrote the book in 1990, with Katherine Boyd, a registered dietitian.
Their program is used locally by the cardiac rehabilitation department at Maryview Hospital in Portsmouth and by Obici Hospital in Suffolk.
``Choose To Lose'' advocates boosting consumption of complex carbohydrates, limiting fat intake and exercising regularly for permanent weight loss.
The hospitals got involved because the programs emphasize weight loss and heart health.
``One of our heart patients had high-cholesterol problems,'' said Taresa Tomlin, Maryview program coordinator. ``She couldn't lower it with diet, exercise or medication. She went through `Choose To Lose' and her cholesterol count went down from 240 to about 220.''
About 200 people have participated in the program at Obici since it was begun in 1990; about 80 people have gone through the Maryview program, begun last year.
``You don't have to buy special foods, and it's inexpensive,'' says Betty Earnhardt, corporate services coordinator at Obici.
``Choose To Lose,'' eschews liquid diet drinks, pre-packaged meals and food exchanges, but encourages exercise along with the low-fat, high-carbohydrate lifestyle.
``You may lose weight on most other programs, but you almost always gain it back because you don't learn what's making you fat,'' said Becky Tate, a registered nurse serving as Obici's ``Choose To Lose'' instructor.
But Linda Carilli, a registered dietitian and general manager of Corporate Affairs for Weight Watchers International, said her company follows similar guidelines.
``Our program is a low-fat, high-carbohydrate food plan. We stress behavior modification - strategies to overcome obstacles, such as binge eating, grabbing sweets when you're upset, too much snacking.
``We don't restrict; we offer guidelines,'' she said.
Not a ``diet'' program
Ron Goor compares dietary restrictions with asking someone to hold his breath for 20 minutes.
``You can do it for two minutes, then you gasp,'' he said. ``That's what happens with most diets - starve yourself for a time, then go crazy and start eating everything in sight.''
The Goors, on who live in Bethesda, Md., stress that theirs is not a ``diet'' program.
``The main thing,'' Ron Goor said, ``is that you can eat a lot of foods, never be hungry, lose weight and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.''
``It's a way of eating, a way of life,'' Nancy Goor said. ``That's what makes it different from almost any other program. Most other programs have restrictions in calories or food intake.''
An expert on cholesterol and heart disease, Dr. Goor has worked with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health. He coordinated a study that showed that lowering elevated blood cholesterol reduces the incidence of heart attack.
Nancy Goor authored earlier books, such as ``Eater's Choice,'' and developed recipes.
They recommend any of the 230 recipes in their book, plus complex carbohydrates like steamed rice, sweet or baked potatoes, steamed broccoli or other vegetables.
``Beef, lamb, chips and snacks are high in fat,'' Ron Goor noted. ``You can have them, but fat-wise they add up fast.''
The Goors' book also stresses the importance of exercise, even 20- or 30-minute walks.
``Its main value is to build and preserve muscle,'' Ron Goor said. ``The average person between 20 and 50 years old loses 40 percent of muscle mass if they spend the day sedentarily.
``Muscle burns fat, so the more muscle you have the more fat-burning capacity you have.'' MEMO: Ron and Nancy Goor will speak at at 7 tonight and 9:30 a.m. Friday at
Suffolk Holiday Inn on Godwin Boulevard. Cost is $5 in advance or at the
door. For information or to register, call Obici Hospital, 934-4999. For
information on Choose To Lose programs, call Obici, or call Maryview
Hospital at 398-2591. by CNB