TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

A Good Economic Fit

ADVERTISEMENT

By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

dlwhite@tampatrib.com

Published: January 14, 2009

BRANDON - After working 28 years for a Park Avenue publishing company in New York, Linda Quirk of Brandon was pretty confident of her job security.

However, like a lot of other residents during the past year, she discovered she was just as vulnerable to the unpredictable economy as the next guy.

She was flabbergasted when she lost her job soon after her employer transferred her to Tampa last year.

"I was here 12 weeks when they laid me off," she said. "I was devastated. For the first week, I didn't get out of my PJs or brush my teeth."

Depression set in, and Quirk began doing what so many despondent people do: she ate, and ate, packing on the pounds until she no longer felt healthy or had the confidence to look for another job.

A 12-year breast cancer survivor, Quirk finally came to the realization that she was slowly committing suicide by food.

A friend lost a lot of weight through the Medi Weight Loss Clinic at 203 W. Bloomingdale Ave., Brandon, so Quirk decided to give it a shot. She began the program in August.

"I've lost over 40 pounds, and I feel like a new person," she said. She admits it's an expense at a time when she and her husband are depending on his income alone. But she prefers to think of it as an investment.

"We'll save in health-care costs and my food bills are down because I'm not buying a lot of junk food," she said. "So, in the long run, it's a bit of a wash."

She added that her husband's company health insurance policy, United Health Care, paid for her initial visit to the clinic, which included a comprehensive blood panel, blood-pressure reading, weight and body fat index and electrocardiogram.

"The expense is worth it because I'm going to have the confidence I need when I go out there to look for a new job," she said.
Market analysts believe that's one of the reasons the weight-loss and fitness industries are booming despite the recession. Americans may have no control over their job security, the stock market, the price of gas and groceries or interest rates, but they can take control of their health.

Open for business only six days, Results Weight Loss at 773 W. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, already has scheduled 30 new clients, said director Ginger Wilson, who previously worked at the company's Bradenton clinic.

"We're seeing an influx of calls," she said. "Part of it is because it's a new year and people have resolutions. But I think people are realizing it costs way more to be unhealthy. We've helped clients who've come in who are taking a page-long list of medications. They are able to get off all of their medications just by learning how to eat right. It's a really powerful thing."

The Brandon clinic is among five Results Weight Loss centers that opened Jan. 1 in Tampa Bay. The company plans to open 12 more locations in Florida this year.

Having waged her own war against weight, Wilson said studies show that 99 percent of people cannot lose weight on their own. She believes that's one of the reasons people seek help from weight-loss programs.

"They need some kind of help, some support," she said. "And obesity is epidemic in this country. It's a major health issue and a big expense."

She noted her clinic offers plans specifically for overweight pediatric and diabetic patients.

Concern for her health is what brought Lois Riggsbee, 63, into Results Weight Loss. With her cholesterol spiking, a warning from her doctor of possible heart problems and the possibility of knee replacement surgery if she doesn't lose weight, Riggsbee is hoping to avoid high medical bills.

"It's an investment in my health," she said. "It's not cheap, but it's less expensive than the cost of health care, and it's definitely worth it."

With health-care costs skyrocketing, and Americans losing their jobs and their health insurance benefits with them, the weight-loss and dieting market has become a $64 billion industry, up 7.7 percent, according to Marketdata Enterprises Inc., a leading market research publisher based in Tampa.

However, the emphasis isn't only on what people are putting into their mouths. A major part of the health equation for Tony Pintarelli of Riverview is exercise.

Pintarelli, 49, is a former Heineken beer distributor who admits to consuming more than his fair share of the product at one time. Then came triple bypass heart surgery and six more heart interventions, along with two knee surgeries and a herniated disk.

"I came to the realization that a big aspect of my life was being ignored," he said. "It was a matter of whether I was going to live a nice, long life or not."

Pintarelli traded the beer for bottled water and began a vigorous workout program at the Campo Family YMCA in Valrico.

"I've made exercise a priority," he said. "That's where I've chosen to do my discretionary spending. And I know I'm saving money on health-care costs."

He's there five to seven days a week doing a cardio workout for 30 to 60 minutes and strength training every other day. In between, he's become a YMCA volunteer.

"I hope to be an inspiration to others," he said. "It's a great habit to get into. It'll get you a lot farther than eating pizza and doughnuts."

Since she began working out at the Campo YMCA, Margo Pietszak, 68, of Brandon, a professional dancer in her youth, has been able to lower her cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

"A membership at the Y is cheaper than medical bills," she said. "And it's nice to feel good, especially when the economy is bad.

She said it amazes her when people complain about health care costs and continue to smoke cigarettes and consume sodas.

"I don't think you can put a price on good health," she said. "You don't appreciate it until you no longer have it."

The Tampa Metropolitan YMCA is promoting a Pay the Day & Save program in which the fee to join is the same amount as the day the person signs up. For example, members who join Jan. 14 pay $14 for the month.

Weightwatchers has introduced its New Momentum Program and is offering free registration. And retailers generally put their fitness equipment on sale during January.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT