Nutritionist draws on life in both weight extremes
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

WOODBRIDGE- Karen Marino, who began struggling with her weight through starvation when she was only 9 years old, can now say she has been happy with her weight for 14 years.

"I have been on both spectrums," she said. "In my junior year of high school I was 40 to 50 pounds heavier than I am now, and I even went down to 95 pounds. I would not eat for three to four days."

Marino, who is now a nutritionist, weight management counselor and certified personal trainer, realized that she had to get away from the yo-yo dieting.

"I started my own weight-loss program called Best You Can Be in 1993," she said.

Marino said she began her business because she saw a gigantic problem where she worked as a lecturer and counselor for Lean Line in Plainfield.

"I worked there for 12 years, and I realized that maybe only five people had reached their goal," she said.

Marino said she observed three obstacles.

"An individual on a diet would stick to their diet until a party or occasion arose," she said. "Either the individual would refuse to go to the party or just blow off their diet. I felt that the individuals would be missing out on life because of their socalled diet. Yes, they would lose weight, but they were not investing in a lifestyle change."

Marino observed that some individuals would reach their goal of losing 20 to 30 pounds and then go to the showers and weddings and not worry about their diet.

"The problem is they would put the weight back on," she said.

Marino said another obstacle involved maintaining an individual's weight loss once they had reached their goal.

"This is a gigantic issue," she said. "One would look to maintain their goal [and realize] they could only have 200 extra calories, which is nothing, for the rest of their lives. It becomes very frustrating."

Marino said she looked at the weightloss program at Lean Line and realized that the program just taught how to lose weight, but not what to eat.

"Yo-yo dieting is dangerous to one's health," she said. "Losing 100 pounds and then putting 100 pounds back on puts more strain on the heart than having the 100 extra pounds."

Marino said with her program, she is very honest with her clients.

"I write programs that cater to my clients' needs," she said. "I have pre-determined that some of my clients have yeast conditions because they have too much pasta and bread in their diet. What really appeals in my program is my clients don't feel that they are deprived of certain foods."

Marino said she breaks her clients' food intake into eight portions.

"I'm not going to say my program has worked 100 percent," she said. "I have had clients give up because they want the quick approach to lose weight, and I have had those same clients come back."

In February, Marino teamed up with Jeff Zirpolo, owner of the Club at Woodbridge, to offer her weight-loss programfor children ages 8 to 13.

"Jeff has had the desire for years to help children [who are either obese or overweight] in the area," she said. "Child obesity is very scary. I have prewritten menus consisting of real and enjoyable foods. For example, for lunch the children can have sandwiches and small bags of chips. The big thing is kids don't want to feel like they are on a diet."

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, being obese increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and some cancers.

"My menus allow the kids to have a little snack- for example, a half a cup of ice cream before they go to sleep," she said. "I stress for my clients to find time for free time on the weekends. Psychologically it's impossible to have someone be gung-ho on a weight-loss program365 days a year and 24 hours and seven days a week. Usually someone is gung-ho until they reach that plateau where they don't see any more weight loss. This means the body is either malnourished or has a caloric deficiency and the body is holding onto fat."

Marino said the 100-calorie pack snacks have worked well with her program.

"We have about 15 children in the program right now, and we hope that we can grow," she said. "The kids do fun exercises including shooting a basketball and relays at the club three days a week. The program includes weigh-ins, and every week I give them a different menu, which the kids like."

Marino said her philosophy is to help her clients with the notion of "stop eating."

"According to themenu, they know they can eat something two hours later, so they can do an activity like washing the dishes before eating again," she said. "My program is based on fun; it is very important not to deprive."

Marino runs her weight-loss programin her Staten Island, N.Y., office from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she is at the Club at Woodbridge from 9 a.m. to noon and 6-9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

"The program is open to anybody," she said. "With the program at the club with the children, I offer the parents a plan as well to work with at home."

Marino keeps her weekends free because she gives lectures on nutrition throughout the country.

For more information, contact Karen Marino at (718) 967-1833, e-mail her at bestucanb@aol.com, or visit www.bestu canb.com.