Pounds off for good behavior

By Jeannie O’Sullivan
Times Staff Writer

If weight-loss is the goal, lean meat is good and bread is bad.
Wait, nix that. High-carb, low-fat is definitely the way to go.
No, no, no. Grapefruits — all grapefruits, all the time — are the answer!
Eggs?
Liquid shakes? Pills?
Depending on the diet guru you consult, any of these solutions may apply. Each year, new research yields theories as plentiful and disparate as the number of body shapes in existence.
In 1970, a Philadelphia insurance salesman lost 100 pounds by controlling the only constant factor in a world of food and fads — himself. David Zelitch subsequently founded the Trevose Behavior Modification Program in 1973.
It started with 10 members and has mushroomed to include satellite groups in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
The Trevose group meets Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Bucks County Technology Park.
The program is based on behavior modification theories of Dr. Albert Stunkard, a professor of psychiatry and director of the obesity research clinic at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Zelitch read about he doctor’s research and enlisted him as a consultant for the program.
After Zelitch died in 1998, Mary Jackson took the helm.
Jackson was successful member who had served as program co-director since 1976.
The main focus is the lifelong maintenance of a healthy weight, according to Jackson.
"It’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle approach. No gimmicks," said Jackson, a weight-loss consultant and self-proclaimed "former yo-yo dieter."
First of all, it’s free. Second, it’s strict.
Membership is limited to those who need to lose roughly 20 to 100 pounds and final selection is based on likelihood of success.
Program members must attend every meeting, keep written records of foods eaten, and lose a predetermined amount of weight each month.
The tools are calorie-counting and physical activity governed by five "modifications:" eat in the same place every time, write down everything consumed ("no sheet, no eat"), finish meals slowly, leave a leftover, and exercise. Other modifications must be individually determined.
Stunkard and Jackson collaborated with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University to formally test the program’s effectiveness.
Their study, which appears in the July 2000 edition of the International Journal of Obesity, found that program participants lost 19.3 percent of their original body weight within two years and maintained a 17.3 percent loss over five years.
While a fair number drop out, the success stories are numerous, said Jackson.
The weekly meetings gauge progress.
"The first thing we address is how to help people having trouble," said Carole Azeff, of Rhawnhurst.
Azeff, 59, joined four years ago after years of wanting to lose the pregnancy weight.
The 80 unwanted pounds have not returned, thanks to weekly meetings and her self-imposed rules of daily walks, limited sweets intake and "banking" calories to leave room for treats at special occasions like holiday parties.
Azeff said the program has been relatively easy since food was never really a big temptation.
Leathett Jackson — no relation to Mary — on the other hand, was an emotional eater.
When the 19-year-old from Langhorne started getting heavy in high school, she tried Slim-Fast, a liquid diet, and Weight Watchers — which also entails weigh-ins at meetings. Liquid diets didn’t offer enough options and she found that Weight Watchers wasn’t strict enough for her, Leathett said.
"Here, if you slack, you know it," said Leathett, who has lost 50 pounds in two years.
Mary Jackson urges the members to lean on each other for support. This means calling a "buddy" when you feel tempted and pairing up to exercise.
"It’s easier if someone is saying, ‘Come on, let’s go!’ " Jackson said. ••
For an application and information about the program, compose a letter with details about your health, weight, past diet and exercise habits, and why you feel you are ready to lose weight. Send it to Trevose Behavior Modification Program, P.O. Box 11674, Philadelphia, Pa., 19116. The Web site is www.tbmp.org
Reporter Jeannie O’Sullivan can be reached at 215-354-3038 or osullivanj@phillynews.com