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'Eating Clubs' Help Overweight Stick To A Diet
posted 02/09/04

By Dr. Stephanie Clements, 9News

By day, she works in real estate, but her night-time hobby is slowly capturing more and more of her time. 51-year-old Micki Conti of Denver is guiding others on their journey toward weight loss. Her compass is her ability to lose 220 pounds herself. Last summer, Conti formed a series of "eating clubs" - groups that met over eight weeks to dine together and learn healthier ways to choose and prepare food.

But Conti, who weighs about 155 pounds now, is not a dietitian or medical professional. She's frank about the fact that her expertise is her own experience.

"My credential is that I really lost the weight," she says.

Standing about 5 feet 2, Conti weighed in at 375 pounds during most of the 1990s. Conti knows about the staring and snide remarks many overweight people experience. She knows about the faceless images of heavy people and the difficulty many have in obtaining medical care. A watermelon-sized fibroid tumor was misdiagnosed for years by doctors who told her she was too fat to examine.

"Constant pain drove my eating. I went through $50 dollars worth of Jelly Bellies in a week," she says.

When it finally was removed - in 2000 - she was at a personal turning point. She had been planning to take care of her parents in old age, but they had passed away.

"I said, 'Micki, you're supposed to take care of yourself."' She had been looking in to gastric bypass surgery, and in 2001 went through with it. But she says it alone is not responsible for her weight loss.

"The only thing gastric bypass does is limit portions...I have proven to myself that if I get into a stage of eating nothing but potato salad, pasta and bread, I'll gain immediately," she says.

What Conti learned - and what she teaches others at mealtime - is "3-2-1 eating." That's a ratio of three bites of protein, two bites of green leafy vegetables and one bite of anything you want. "One bite ain't going to kill you," she says.

She also follows an eating plan she said is best for her blood type, adhering to a practice popularized in "Eat Right for Your Type" by Peter J. D'Adamo and Catherine Whitney. She can't emphasize enough to her clients that not everyone can eat the same foods and lose. Her weight-loss philosophy includes many different ideas and approaches customized to fit individual needs.

"I think she's got a unique plan, and I think she should be on the Oprah show," says client Mary Wilkiewho credits Conti with helping her lose 15 pounds.

"One of the insights she has is that people who are overweight love to eat, so why not eat with other people in the same situation? And eat the right things together?"

Wilkie says her group always ate very slowly and remained conscious of the things that were helping them. "I miss it terribly, I want to start another one," she says.

Linda Perkins and her husband, Dick, say Conti helped them lose between 20 and 25 pounds each. Perkins says the format is more of a fellowship than a lecture. "I think we all try to help each other."

This month, Conti's eating club program has shifted to a monthly meal, which The Art Institute of Colorado's culinary program helps her prepare. Each session costs $25 dollars, which includes "a great meal." Participants meet at the home of volunteers, at recreation centers, or at restaurants. Some members also meet for group walks.

She's also expanding into corporate lunchtime sessions. She says this may be where her future lies, because the work sites offer built-in "buddies" which help keep clients on track. They learn that eating food is just part of the nourishment we need; good company goes a long way toward satisfaction too.

"When we start our program, the first thing we talk about is that you have to believe it's possible that you can truly transform your weight. A lot of people are truly discouraged. They've lost 200 pounds, but they lost 10 pounds 20 times," she says.

"The most important thing for them to learn is that when you go on a diet, the reason you can lose the 10 pounds isn't because of what you eat. It is because of what you are not eating. And the reason you gain it back is because you put that food that was making you gain weight back in your diet."

Conti says participants in her program lose 20 pounds or two dress sizes. She estimates she's helped 75 people, both men and women.

Conti says she never takes her own weight loss for granted.

"No, it's not done. It's every day of my life, but I love it. I love taking care of myself. Every time I eat, I say, 'thank you for taking care of me."'

For more information about Micki Conti's program, go to www.takeonestep.com.

Dr. Stephanie Clements is medical reporter for 9News.

Source: Yahoo News: Denver Post.com.

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