Local woman loses weight, becomes diet spokeswoman
Pop art icon Andy Warhol once quipped that in the future, everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. Brookfielder Cathy Dauphin is enjoying a heady dose of fame that's lasted longer than 15 minutes, but if it ended tomorrow, she'd have enjoyed every minute of the ride. "It's been really fun," the 38-year-old Brookfield mother of three sons, said of her experiences as spokeswoman for H57 Hoodia, an appetite suppressant. Dauphin is currently appearing in a national television and print ad campaign. She can be seen in the March issue of Cosmopolitan and her ad has been in In Touch and US Weekly magazines. Dauphin said she has seen herself in the TV commercials on AMC, Oxygen and Lifetime.
Hoodia Gordoni is a cactus plant that grows in South Africa, reportedly used by native peoples there to stave off hunger during extended forays into the desert. It became popular as a diet supplement in the last few years and there are several different U.S. companies producing Hoodia supplements, some containing only hoodia, some mixed with other ingredients.
H57 Hoodia, produced by New Jersey-based JEC Nutrition, contains 200 mg Hoodia, 400 mg green tea leaf extract and 20 mg cinnamon bark extract. It is available online and in nutritional retail outlets. Walgreen's was recently selling a bottle of 60 capsules (recommended dosage is two capsules three times a day) for $30 on sale, down from a regular price of $39.99.
Dauphin said she couldn't take the weight off after having her third child and was embarrassed to have her photo taken. She had read an online article about Hoodia and decided to try it last summer. She says she lost 35 pounds in 16 weeks and has gone from a size 14 to a trim 8 as well as gaining more energy. She eats sensibly and exercises regularly in addition to taking Hoodia capsules.
Doctors, dieticians, and other experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase physical activity. When it comes to evaluating claims for weight loss products, the Federal Trade Commission recommends weighing claims carefully, according to its Web site www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/evidence.
Dauphin works from a home office in the field of medical billing. She and her husband, Rob, have three children, Robbie, 12, Shane, 9 and Alex, 5. Seeing herself on TV and in magazines has been a bit surreal but the best part has been reconnecting with old friends, who call her up and say, "Didn't I see you on TV?"
Being a spokesperson has broadened her horizons. She traveled to Miami last fall alone, a first, to film the commercial, which she described as a nerve-wracking experience but said the pampering in the hotel was "quite a treat." The print ads were shot in New Jersey and she appeared on the "Opie & Anthony" radio show on XM Satellite around Halloween, noting the "shock jocks" were very nice to her and she had a fun time the few minutes she was on the air.
It was Dauphin's thank-you letter to JEC Nutrition and her success story and the before and after photos she enclosed that earned her the job as spokesperson. CEO Kelly Lockwood said he was impressed with her letter and has since kicked off a national campaign to find the firm's next spokesperson. "Here's a woman working from home, a mom of three kids, and she took the time to write a letter? I felt compelled me to meet her," he said.
The recognition factor of being spokesperson has helped her motivated to keep the extra weight off. "When you take this, you know you have to eat but you eat the right things," adding, although she has a sweet tooth, she doesn't crave those kinds of food anymore, Dauphin says. "It was kind of a weird thing to happen but exciting."