She based it on her own experience of focusing more on her overall health.
I thought other parents would want to read about these women, all of whom ultimately knew the right way to care for their bodies, but didn’t think they had the time to do so. Read their stories to learn what inspired the fresh start for their health and to pick up some tips.

Dorit Ben-Moha, MD: 44; practices internal medicine and is president of the medical staff at Plainview-North Shore Hospital; mother to three sons, Douglas, 7, Max, 10 and Jeremy, 13; lives in Melville. Over a 10-year period in which she had her three boys, Dr. Ben-Moha says her weight went up and down. But the breaking point was when she realized she had gone from a size 6 to a tight size 12 and that she was starting to feel more tired. “I became strict about watching what I eat and exercising, and over time I went back to a size 6,”

she says. “I did all the tricks people know, like when you’re full, stop eating. Sugars increase appetite, so when I ate less sugar, I noticed I wasn’t as hungry. And I don’t weigh myself; if my clothes are tight I know I have to be more careful.”
Dr. Ben-Moha says that all families have some challenge when it comes to eating healthfully. “My third son is a carb-happy child so as his mother I have to try to find a way to supply what my sons like while making it healthy. It’s about portion control and wise choices. A salad isn’t healthy if you put 500 calories of dressing on it. Many parents don’t know what to eat and we’re the ones who set the example for our kids.”
Health Tip: Dr. Ben-Moha says we need to eat fewer pure sugars, no more than 25 grams a day. She also doesn’t believe in calorie counting. “I know my limits. It’s not always what we eat but how much.”

Kerry Gillick-Goldberg: 40; owner of KGG Enterprises, which does publicity, marketing and events; mother of 6-year-old Brittany; lives in Bethpage. “I met Dr. Ben-Moha through an event and she thought I could benefit from her program because I wasn’t focusing on my physical health, but on being a working mom,” she says. “She said to be the best parent, you can’t lose yourself because if you’re not healthy, your family can’t be.” Gillick-Goldberg says that the first thing she realized is that she was always concerned about what she fed her daughter, whose diet is predominantly organic, but not about her own food choices.

“Dr. Dorit didn’t bog us down with counting calories. Instead she focused on cutting down sugars and making healthier food choices,” says Gillick-Goldberg, who has lost 20 pounds. “I was eating low-fat, so I thought I was doing the right thing. But now I eliminate milk in my coffee and I cut out sugary yogurts.”

Health Tip: Making time to go to the gym is the number one change Gillick-Goldberg made because she wasn’t exercising at all. She joined a 24-hour gym so she could work out at the time that’s best for her, after 10 pm. And she’s often joined by Suzanne Beck, which keeps her motivated.

Yonit Viner: 53; commercial real estate broker; mother of 19-year-olds Guy and Daniel, and 21-year-old Maya; lives in Massapequa. Viner’s husband of 22 years died from sarcoma in 2007, and less than two years later, Dr. Ben-Moha diagnosed her with breast cancer.

“I’d been taking care of my husband and my kids and didn’t get around to a mammogram. I fell off the list of people who needed things,” she says. “I’m now a cancer survivor, looking forward to rebuilding my life both on a physical and personal level.” 

Viner says that through the Jump-Start program she went from “being depressed and heavy” to watching what she eats and exercising. She lost 38 pounds and attends a kick boxing class “that transformed the way I look and think. I’m a much stronger, healthier and prouder human being today with a much more positive and exciting outlook into the future.”

Health Tip: One of the most important lessons Viner says she learned was how to read labels, since before she didn’t know what to look for, like hidden traps such as saturated fats and sugar.

Marie Cantone: asked that her age not be published; financial planner with Center for Wealth Preservation and volunteers with numerous charities, including co-founding Camp Northstar for persons with developmental disabilities; mother to Tracy, 40, and grandmother of Nicole, 12; lives in Eaton’s Neck.  Cantone says she knows all the diets out there since she’s “been dieting on and off my whole life.” But she lives alone and has a hectic work schedule, so she didn’t have time to plan meals. Instead she’d pick up something quick, like pizza, on the way home from work.

What’s different for her now, she says, is that through the support group she has the tools to be more conscious of what she eats.

“As you get older you need to gain control of your health,” says Cantone, who has lost 10 pounds. “For me the biggest change is to watch all those `diet foods’ I ate, like low-fat snacks and cranberries and grapes, which have more sugar than the daily allotment.”

Health Tip: Cantone says she now plans her meals. She packs a cooler for the day and keeps snacks with her so she doesn’t get caught feeling hungry and stopping for the wrong food choices.

Suzanne Beck: 40; events coordinator for the Lustgarten Foundation; mother to Abby, 7, Bradley, 11 and Sabrina, 15; lives in Oyster Bay. A year ago when her mother had a heart attack and stroke, Beck says she knew she had to take a look at her own health and change her habits. “I wasn’t so worried about my weight as about my health down the line so I could be there for my kids,” she says. “I felt I was eating the wrong way. I had to stop saying it’s the baby weight when I have a 7-year-old.”

She says that she always made sure her children ate a lot of fruit and vegetables. “I knew what to do, and did it for the kids, but was too busy to think about it for myself,” says Beck, who has a flexible, but harried work schedule because her job involves travel and local events.

Health Tip: Beck says she lost 10 pounds and her most significant  change is “joining a gym and actually going.” She tries to go five days a week. “Before that I was just walking on the treadmill a few times a week and Dr. Dorit said I wasn’t pushing myself enough. Now I’m addicted to spin class.”

Kimberly Voigt-Blum, M.S., Ph.D.: 39; director of toxicology at a global biotech company;  mother of 3-year-old Karsten and 5-year-old twin daughters Heike and Vibeke; lives in North Bellmore. For Voigt-Blum, the difficulty was selecting healthy options on a daily basis while trying to balance a full-time, fast-track technical career involving travel and a 5-and-a-half-hour daily commute.

“Because I couldn’t plan meals in advance, most of the time I’d grab whatever was easiest. What I learned in the group was not to choose convenience over nutrition,” she says. “I also learned that they’re not mutually exclusive because now I know about other products to choose from. For instance, I now put chick peas in salad so we can get convenience and good nutrition.”

Health Tip: Voigt-Blum says she and her husband Steven joined a gym where the kids have a program as well. “We can be together and I feel good about the fact that my kids see my husband and me work out on a regular basis. I take yoga and I really enjoy my own personal time, which I need with my schedule.”
Above all, says Dr. Ben-Moha, the most beneficial options are those that become your new lifestyle. “Everyone does yo-yo dieting, and many fad diets are confusing,” she says. “At some point you have to make the decision to recharge and make choices that are healthy and that you can live with. Everyone has setbacks, but awareness will help busy multi-tasking moms to get back on track and set a good example for their children.”

Liza N. Burby is publisher of Long Island Parent magazine.

We’d like to thank all the people who helped make our photo shoot such an enjoyable experience for our cover moms, including: our photographer, Rick Kopstein; Alexandra Karcev for the clothes and accessories from Bloomingdales at Roosevelt Field; Karen Vito from Cactus Salon & Day Spa for arranging for hair and make-up and make-up artists Lauren Magalhaes and Diane Marshall; and the Pulitzer & Panetta Writing & Art Studio in Huntington for their location. Special thanks to Kerry Gillick-Goldberg for helping to make all the pieces come together.