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ANGELA D'AMICO, 43, speaks with the fervor of the converted. "I've always battled weight but I've taken the addictive personality that made me overeat and have become equally committed to living mostly salt and dairy free with the Rice Diet Program.
Angela freely admits that her big and extended Italian family
(her mother had nine brothers and sisters) made sharing food
the center of family life. "By 9 A.M. on Sunday mornings,
a huge pot of sauce was simmering on the stove and the family
came together. My father died before I was born, so it is
easy to see how food became my comfort and companion."
Experiencing the usual ups-and-downs of the scale and on-and-off-again dieting, Angela first came to the Rice Diet Program in '91. She lost sixty pounds in three months; returned to New York to pursue a career; and married. She became pregnant and was ill and bedridden from the second month of her pregnancy. She gained 140 pounds prior to giving birth to her son Jayme.
When her son was four, Angela returned to the Program and lost 80 pounds in four months. She lost an additional 70 pounds when she returned home. For more then four years, the Rice Diet Program has been her "mission" in life and she returns to Durham periodically to "re-fuel" and inspire and support others in their quest.
Angela, now divorced, admits that weight was an issue with her husband and is an on-going concern with her now eight-year-old son who has his own struggle with weight. She is in the art business and travels widely. Exercise is also a key to her continuing success.
But she asserts that the magic of "salt free" is that it eliminates all the foods that are triggers for food addicts. "Pizza is not an option for me. Eating plain foods plainly is as close as one can get to abstinence for the food addict. I always advise patients to keep it simple and remember that when they make mistakes, and we all do, to return to eating fruits, vegetables and grains immediately."
Why is it so important to share her enthusiasm for the Program? "This is a spiritual quest for me. I have seen people come to the Rice House close to death and I have seen them return to health and hope. This program is my life.
"There is hope. Nothing tastes as good as feeling fit feels."
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