GOLDBERG, Larry 1934-2003 (Fats Goldberg)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born January 10, 1934, in Kansas City, MO; died of complications from Alzheimer's disease January 26, 2003, in Kansas City, MO. Restaurateur, editor, and author. Goldberg is remembered for two primary accomplishments: the Chicago-style pizzas he sold at his New York City restaurant chain Goldberg Pizzerias and the weight-maintenance plan he developed, which he referred to as "controlled cheating." Goldberg established his restaurants in the 1960s and operated them for some twenty years. During that time he also reduced his oversize body by some seventy-five pounds, a weight loss he reportedly maintained for the rest of his life and for which a friend awarded him the nickname "Fats." Goldberg's controlled cheating strategy was to combine a low-calorie diet with exercise for a specified period of time, then to declare a holiday (cheating day) during which he could binge on all his favorite culinary delights. Goldberg had begun his career in the newspaper business, where he was involved in advertising sales and editorial work. In the 1970s he wrote a food column and a diet column for the New York Daily News. He also wrote a handful of food and diet books, including Goldberg's Pizza Book, Goldberg's Diet Catalog, Controlled Cheating: The Fats Goldberg Take-It-off, Keep-It-off Diet Program, and The New Controlled ChEATing Weight-Loss and Fitness Program; or, How I Lost Seventy-five Pounds and Kept It off for Thirty-two Years.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

periodicals

New York Times, January 29, 2003, obituary by Paul Lewis, p. A25.