Taking Charge from page A35

Left: Mark DeVore works on balance and
strength. Right: Part of his daily

exercise routine is working on the
weight machines.

what to do at a restaurant or club. I used
to eat until I was stuffed; I've changed my
mindset absolutely. It's a completely differ-
ent life."
The changes have not gone unnoticed.
"I have lots of friends who are physi-
cians and don't see me on a regular basis;
now they want to run tests on me to make
sure I'm OK;' he said. "My patients all
comment on it. Now I can look overweight
patients in the eye and tell them, 'You've
got to lose weight; without feeling like a
hypocrite. Now we are the motivators!'

"My goal was to find time for another hour."
So he got in a groove, often exercising
twice a day, once early in the morning and
then again after work. He swam, lifted
weights, worked on the machines and did
squats and lunges. He drank plenty of
water and enjoyed the Everyday Gourmet
meals, even learning to eat that all-impor-
tant breakfast. And he lost weight.
Often, he lost three to eight pounds a
week. Dietitian Orit Rosen-Yazdi suggested
he add more fruit and whole-grain carbo-
hydrates to slow it down to two to three
pounds a week for a more sustainable
weight loss. But Mark was determined,
and he kept up his pace.
By the end of the 16-week program, he
was down 60 pounds to 211. His size 42

pants were traded in for 34s. His neck size

went from 18 inches to 16.5.
"I wore one pair of pants from 20 years
ago:' he said. "When I used to spill spa-
ghetti sauce, it would land on my stomach,
now it hit my lap. I could tell how much I
was losing!'
His body fat went from 36 to 23.9 per-
cent. He was off his cholesterol medicine.
He looked younger and felt happier and
healthier.
"Mark found the athlete in him again;'
Shannon said. "He took bad habits and
formed new ones. He worked really hard."
Perhaps no one's support was more
important than wife Carol's. Once Mark
got into the program, she decided to
exercise with him and to buy Gourmet

Everyday meals each week so they could
learn about portion control together.
"It would have been much worse to
come home and have her eat a ham-
burger and me eat my chicken breast," he
quipped. Though Mark had to adjust to
the portion size, they both appreciated the
flavorful meals awaiting them when they
came home from the gym.
"I am supportive and helpful, but I
needed it, too:' said Carol, who lost 24.5
pounds in 16 weeks. "It is the time in our
lives — over 50 — to make a change.
Without our health, we have nothing. This
has made us feel younger."
Mark agrees. "It also changed the
dynamics in our relationship;' he said. "It's
easier to go out because we both know

Into The Future
Though no formal maintenance plan is
in place with the program, both Carol
and Mark now know what to do. They are
regulars on the exercise floor at Franklin.
They've continued Pilates sessions with
Shannon twice a week. Carol takes kick-
boxing and other classes.
"We do realize we need support and
structure she said.
"Mark will stick with these new habits;
he loves how he feels:' said Shannon, who
bragged that he only gained a pound once
in 16 weeks. "I enjoy working with Mark.
He has a sense of humor and he's deter-
mined. He's never down on himself and
never frustrated!'
For the DeVores, it's a new lifestyle that
affects everything — from their relation-
ships with sons Zach, 20, David, 18, and
Matthew, 16, to their interactions with
friends, to how they find time in busy
schedules to care for themselves and others.
They are involved members of Temple

rP h magloc net hieforari

Eighty percent of our current weight is
related to what we eat, so a sensible
food plan should be combined with
exercise for optimal success, says
Michelle Kobernick.
She is founder of Gourmet Everyday,
a Ferndale company that plans menus
according to specific diets, then pre-
pares portion-controlled bistro-style
meals for delivery to clients.
She just joined forces with Franklin
Athletic Club and its new weight loss
and fitness program. Food now can be
delivered to Franklin without a delivery
cost. She also has an office there.
Kobernick, a former personal chef

A36

November 27 • 2008

with an exercise science, health and
education background, started her
business as a way to make the time
and expense of planning, buying and
preparing flavorful weekly meals and
snacks less of an obstacle to the
weight-loss process.
"I believe that food is best when it
is prepared closest to its natural state,
and cooked without chemicals and
preservatives," she said. "Herbs and
seasonings, not fats, impart flavor and
depth to the dish. Lean cuts of meats
are tender and moist when they are
prepared properly. Vegetables and let-
tuces should be dark green and full

of nutrients. And lastly, everything
should be made from scratch."
Her salad dressings are so popular,
she is working to bottle them for sale.
Kobernick offers these tips:
• Put food on smaller plates and sit
down to eat. As you adjust to smaller
portions, meals will seem bigger.
• Drink plenty of water, and reach for
it first if you feel hungry. It provides a
full-belly sensation. Being hydrated is
important to the weight-loss process.
• Keep your hands busy. Choose a
snack that makes you work, like pista-
chios in a shell.
• Try a strong mint to curb your

appetite and satisfy your urge.
• Eat every few hours to keep your
metabolism active and use calories
efficiently.
• Stop eating at least two hours
before bedtime.
• Get moving! You need to use more
calories than you take in to trigger
the weight-loss response. Studies also
show vigorous exercise can temporar-
ily suppress hunger as well.
For information, call
(248) 398-5559. or go to
GourmetEverydayDelivery.com .

- Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor