L.A. Weight Loss Centers relocates to Auburn, expands client base

The Citizen (Auburn, New York)
Thursday, July 21, 2005

By Louise Hoffman Broach

AUBURN, NEW YORK — L.A. Weight Loss Centers is Auburn’s gain.

The national weight control chain has opened at 53 Water St. It
relocated its Camillus store there because so many of its clients live
in Cayuga County, said Yvonne Taylor, the manager of the Auburn center.

Taylor and three other L.A. Weight Loss counselors meet privately with
clients three times a week, helping them learn better eating habits to
achieve effective weight loss. Having so many of them drive back and
forth so frequently was inconvenient, so the company started looking for
a location closer to its client base.

“It was a business decision,” Taylor said, noting there are two other
L.A. Weight Loss Centers in Onondaga County. “We wanted to make it
easier for our clients. A lot of them came from Auburn, Cato and
Weedsport. It was easier for them to get to Auburn.”

L.A. Weight Loss remodeled the space, bringing in new furnishings and
painting the interior. While clients wait to meet with counselors, a
television plays a CD of client testimonials about why the program
worked for them. There are also pictures of local successful weight
losers on the walls.

The Water Street office, formerly Curves and before that, a dance
studio, is busy. The parking lot is full most of the time as clients
come for their meetings. Taylor said they last about 10 to 15 minutes,
giving clients an opportunity to ask questions about the program and get
advice for situations that might prove difficult for them, such as
upcoming parties or other events where food will be abundant. The
counselors develop personalized meal plans that help clients reach their
weight loss goals.

The program does not require participants to eat special foods, although
there are soy-based products, such as shakes, soups and chocolate bars,
that clients are encouraged to purchase to help them stick with the program.

Taylor said the youngest L.A. Weight Loss client in Auburn is 13 and the
oldest is in her 70s.

The initial consultation for the program is free. Taylor did not
disclose how much the program costs, but said the initial commitment is
usually for a year. Weight loss for clients averages two pounds a week,
which she described as a healthy loss. The program runs the same for
people who want to lose 10 pounds as it is for someone who wants to lose
50. There is also a maintenance plan that helps people maintain their
weight loss.

L.A. Weight Loss Centers was founded in 1989 by Vahan Karian. There are
now almost 800 centers in the United States. Canada and Europe. They are
evenly split between corporate and franchise ownership. The center in
Auburn is corporate-owned. According to business tracking group Hoovers
On-Line, L.A. Weight Loss had $156.8 million in sales last year and
employed 1,600 people.

Staff writer Louise Hoffman Broach can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238
or louise.hoffman@lee.net