At her 64th birthday party last month, Fair Oaks resident Bea Kobza was treated to chocolate cake – not that she wanted it. Her grandkids insisted.
"I had just a sliver," she said. "And, the funny thing was, I didn't even want to finish that. I thought, 'I'm going to overload on sugar.' It was too much. I guess my taste buds have heightened."
No, it's just that having changed her eating habits, exercise pattern and, well, entire lifestyle in the past decade, Kobza no longer has the craving. Same with french fries, another of her erstwhile gustatory passions. Gone.
Back in 1998, Kobza lost 25 pounds using the Weight Watchers eating plan. While not an eye-popping amount, this fact is impressive: She has maintained that same weight – 127 pounds on her 5-foot-1 frame – for nine years.
She credits those two fundamentals that nutritionists repeat like a mantra: Eat less, exercise more.
We recently talked to Kobza about her tale of losing weight and keeping it off.
• How she gained the weight: "Menopause set in and I went to the doctor and said, 'Hey, I'm putting on weight. What can I do?'
"He said, 'Nothing. You'll have to live with this.' I thought, 'There's got to be something.' I cut out butter and mayonnaise, thinking that's where my fat was coming from. That didn't work. I really needed something else."
• The first thing she learned about dieting: "What a portion size is. To me, that was the big thing. If it's bigger than the palm of my hand, it's not going in my body. It'll be two meals instead of one. I do that all the time when I eat out."
• Eating strategy at restaurants: "Usually, I have friends willing to split a meal with me. My friends always say they get the better half of the deal. I always want the smaller portion.
"I'm more satisfied with less and not miserable anymore. I always tell people my favorite thing to order in a restaurant is a fork, because then I can eat off my friends' plates."
• The exercise equation: "I thought I was getting enough, but I wasn't even close. I exercise almost daily now – yoga once a week, a home gym, walking at the Sunrise Mall.
"I put in a home gym because I absolutely hated the health club because I didn't want people looking at what I used to call my 'fat jiggles.' Walking at the mall is good because no dogs chase you, it's an enclosed area, air conditioned and costs you nothing. A good pair of tennis shoes and you're off."
• On the benefits of a supportive environment: "At Weight Watchers, I've started a maintenance circle for people who've already reached their goals. It's important to hear from people who have done it, long-term."
• What she considers an indulgent dessert: "My husband (Jerry) – he lost 40 pounds sort of on the sidelines because I wasn't going to cook two meals – and I will have a bowl of strawberries in the evening. So good. A big treat."
• What she formerly craved: "French fries. Used to love them. Now I taste grease when I eat french fries. I don't want them now, whereas before I called them salt licks, because I'd take the fries and dip them into salt. That craving is gone."
Call The Bee's Sam McManis, (916) 321-1145.
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