THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611050136
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DOUG BEIZER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 71 lines
Weighing more than 340 pounds, Sheree Gompers was always jealous of the attention her thinner friend, Heather Warren, received. Now, four years later and 170 pounds lighter, the Virginia Beach woman wanted to share her weight-loss accomplishment with her old friend.
And where else would be better to do just that, thought Gompers, than on the Maury Povich daytime talk show?
The premise of the ``Maury'' show, which aired nationwide last Friday, was ``surprise old friends with another friend's huge weight loss.'' The people who lost weight waited back stage while the unexpecting guests waited in front of the cameras for the surprise.
Dressed in a long, dark green cocktail dress, Gompers, 37, ran onto the stage and into Warren's arms.
The difference in Gompers' appearance was so profound, Warren told Povich and the audience, ``I think I'd walk right by her on the sidewalk.''
Gompers and Warren were friends when the two lived in New Hampshire. Gompers grew up in Virginia Beach, graduated from Kempsville High School and has been back here for four years. She picked Warren for the show because of the ``unconditional support'' she provided during the hard times, she said. Warren encouraged Gompers to lose weight without being mean or condescending.
``I was always really jealous of her,'' Gompers recalled. ``Everywhere we went, all the guys would always look at her and it used to make me mad. But I would always make jokes about being overweight.''
What might be more shocking than the weight loss itself is how Gompers started the transformation more than a year ago. In August 1995, while swimming at a friend's house, the above-ground pool and deck collapsed on Gompers, injuring her back, ribs and esophagus. While recuperating from the accident, she realized her life would have to change.
``It damaged my esophagus, so I had to relearn how to eat,'' she said. Medication relaxes her esophagus to make eating easier. Rather than binging on nonhealthy food, Gompers started eating small healthy portions throughout the day.
She cut down on fats, sugars and caffeine and stopped eating red meat. A typical day's diet could include a bagel, orange juice, salads, chicken and vegetables.
``I don't use the word diet because every diet I've been on I would ruin it by rewarding myself,'' she said. ``So I feel like diets set me up for failure.''
Changing her whole lifestyle, along with her diet, is the key to her weight loss and recovery. She walks five miles a day on the beach and works out with her roommate, Brenna O'Neill. Gompers, a divorced mother of two teen-agers, also did water aerobics all summer on the advice of her physician, Dr. Garrett Kelly.
In fact, she said besides Warren, the other big inspiration in her life has been Dr. Kelly.
``Her weight-loss story is special because of all her stress and injuries,'' said Kelly, who works for the Providence Road Family Practice of Sentara Medical Group. ``Better nutrition helped get her back on track physically,'' he said. ``I told her by always maintaining hope and motivation you can accomplish almost anything.''
Now every aspect of her life has improved, whether it's being able to shop for smaller-sized clothes or noticing men's glances in her direction.
``It has also helped my self-confidence,'' she said. ``I feel better about myself, I don't have to hide. It's exciting.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo, at top, by STEVE EARLY
ABOVE: Sheree Gompers works out in the living room of her Virginia
Beach apartment to try to maintain her weight at 165 pounds.
AT RIGHT: A copy of a photo taken four years ago shows how Gompers
looked when she weighed 343 pounds. by CNB