PHOTOS BY G LENN TRIEST • Two Jewish businessmen say their Just Help Yourself weight-loss program 'represents the future in dieting.' STEVE STEIN STAFF WRITER Tim Cohen talks with Farmer Jack shopper Arlene Agree. eil Gorosh didn't want to state for the record what he weighs, but he did proudly point out these facts: In three months, he's lost 25 pounds on the Just Help Your- self diet plan. "I feel great, and the compli- ments are wonderful. Now I want to lose another 15 pounds," said Mr. Gorosh, 39, a commercial mortgage broker for Daitch Mort- gage & Realty in Southfield. Just Help Yourself, based in Southfield, is the brainchild of Jewish businessmen Mike Shapi- ra and Tim Cohen. They provid- ed the seed money for the venture along with other local investors. Mr. Shapira, the company's chairman and chief executive of- ficer, was with Southfield-based W.B. Doner & Co. advertising agency from 1972-91. He was president during his last eight years there and was the devel- oper of Doner's retail division. Mr. Cohen, vice chairman and chief operating officer of Just Help Yourself, formerly was pres- ident of Consumer Diagnostics, a South- field health market- ing company. He first met Mr. Shapi- ra when Doner did work for Mr. Cohen's chain of furniture stores in Florida. In two years, the 25-employee Just Help Yourself com- pany has placed its portion-controlled frozen meals in approximately 1,000 stores in 28 cities across the nation where other weight-loss programs were previously avail- able. The firm hopes to add 1,000 stores to the Just Help Yourself roster this year. Retail sales reached $50 mil- lion in 1993; that number is ex- pected to double this year. The entire weight-loss industry gen- erates $1 billion annually. Just Help Yourselfs strategy is simple: In each retail market, the company's 28 color-coded meals along with snacks are sold by just one supermarket chain. Dieters only need to buy the meals. There are no classes to attend, centers to visit, or membership fees to pay. Each food package contains di- etary information such as how to supplement Just Help Yourself meals with fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy and grains. Daily exercise is recommended. The plan is designed so the di- eter can lose one to two pounds per week, normally for an initial five-week period. The Just Help Yourself plan meets the dietary guidelines of the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health and National Cho- lesterol Education Program guidelines. A local health-care provider in each city offers educational support for dieters if they feel they need it. In the Detroit area, Farmer Jack and Health Alliance Plan (HAP) have joined forces with Just Help Yourself. Food sales began March 19 in 99 Farmer Jack stores. HAP of- fers classes which emphasize gen- eral nutrition and weight management principles. The classes are promoted where Just Help Yourself food is sold. "Our plan represents the fu- ture in dieting," Mr. Cohen said. "It lets you take complete control, and it's appropriate for today's hectic lifestyle." `Mere are many excuses for not staying with other diet programs," Mr. Shapira said. "Our plan is simple. It's a no-brainer. You go to the market like you always do and buy the food. Period." Mr. Gorosh agreed: "Even though I had never been on a diet plan per se, I was looking forward to Just Help Yourself coming into our area because it seemed so easy to do," the West Bloomfield resident said. "At first, 80 percent of my meals were Just Help Yourself. I really enjoyed them, but I won- dered if that was because they tasted great or I was so hungry. I finally realized they did taste great, especially the chicken en- chiladas. "Now, I'm down to about two to four Just Help Yourself meals a week, but I know what to avoid when I eat. I'm asking myself a lot of questions about nutrition, fat and calories that I wasn't ask- ing before I went on the plan." Mr. Gorosh said he began ex- ercising regularly when he wasn't getting the weight-loss results he wanted, and that has made a big difference. "I work out at the health club at the Jewish Community Cen- ter in West Bloomfield and I do a lot of rollerblading," he said. "I find it's best to have a desti- nation when you're rolleiblading. I try to find a friend about 3-4 miles away, preferably one who has a pool, then I roll back home if I'm not too tired." Paul Reichert, executive vice president of health-care services, and Gwen Klein, vice president of nutritional services, round out the Just Help Yourself manage- ment team. Helping with promotional ma- terials is Cathy Guisewite, cre- ator of the "Cathy" comic strip. Ms. Guisewite is a former copy- writer at Doner.