Wee Winfrey Keeps Firm’s Phones Busy

Five minutes after the dramatically downsized Oprah Winfrey modeled her size 10 Calvin Klein jeans and told her national TV audience Tuesday how she’d shed 67 pounds in 3 1/2 months, phones were ringing off the hooks at Lifetime Health outlets where her secret had been kept.

“From five minutes after 4 straight through to now, people have been calling wanting information,” said Janice Evans, a medical coordinator at one of San Diego’s two Lifetime Health outlets. “To say we’ve had some response is a master understatement.”

Lifetime Health, which has outlets nationally, promotes a medically supervised program of weight reduction that includes the use of a liquid protein supplement called Optifast. To say the product got a free plug from wee Winfrey on Tuesday is another master understatement.

Evans estimated that her San Diego office had received more than 1,000 calls within 24 hours after the show was aired. Even the information operator who gave out the company’s number said she’d been deluged with calls.

KABC-TV in Los Angeles said Wednesday that overnight ratings revealed that twice the normal number of viewers were tuned in to its broadcast of the heavily promoted weight loss revelation episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The station said 46% of available viewers in Los Angeles--about 850,000 homes--watched the show.

“Oprah is well loved,” Evans said. “Everyone wants to see her in those size 10 Calvin Klein jeans.”

And many have obviously been inspired to go for the gaunt themselves. Evans said Oprah’s 67-pound loss is not an unusual goal. She said the average weight loss for Optifast users is 85 pounds.

But it takes both Winfrey’s stick-to-itiveness and some of her wealth to get there. Evans said the cost of the Optifast program--with classes, medical and exercise supervision and the powdered protein supplement--costs about $100 a week.