2006 Press Releases

Saint Barnabas Offers Eight-Week Summer Weight Management Program for Teens and Adults

Healthy LIFE® : Cornerstones of Weight Management for Teens and Adults

Livingston, N.J. - The Saint Barnabas Medical Center Healthy LIFE® Weight Management program is offering an eight-week summer program for teens and adults - ideally two members of each household who will partner in this state-of-the art, multidisciplinary approach to weight loss and lifelong weight management.

"We are encouraging adults and teenagers from the same household or family or close friends to join the program together to serve as reinforcement and support for each other as they learn how to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lose weight and keep it off for life," says Debra Gill, Ph.D., Behavioral Director of Healthy LIFE.

Healthy LIFE: Cornerstones is designed for those who want to achieve a healthier weight and lifestyle, but don't know the best way to approach weight loss. The program can help set people experiencing frustration, hitting roadblocks, or lacking proper structure and tools for weight loss on a successful path to a healthier life.

Unlike many commercial programs, specific diet plans, or nutritional seminar series, Healthy LIFE teaches weight management through an intensive, multifaceted lifestyle approach. It is designed and taught by highly experienced and educated instructors in three essential areas: behavioral skills, nutrition education and fitness instruction. In addition, both before and after the program, all participants will receive comprehensive behavioral and psychosocial assessments, body measurements, and a state-of-the art body composition DEXA scan.

According to Dr. Gill, the Healthy LIFE Cornerstones Program differs from other commercial weight loss programs as follows:

• The Healthy LIFE Cornerstones Program is much more intensive and multifaceted, as it provides 2.5 hours of educational experiences every week in three essential areas: behavioral skills, nutrition education, and fitness instruction.
• It is more sophisticated and responsive to participant needs because it is designed and taught by highly experienced and educated instructors.
• The focus is on living a healthy lifestyle and losing and managing weight within that framework.
• Participants do not follow a suggested diet plan, but rather, they learn how to make sound, thoughtful plans and decisions in widely varying situations.
• Daily fun physical activity is heavily emphasized.
• Participants learn how to balance enjoyment and nutrition and develop healthy attitudes about their own behavior and bodies.
• Drastic unrealistic changes, quick easily reversible weight loss, perfect performance, starvation, and deprivation are all discouraged.
• Weekly weight loss and changes in body composition are measured, but are not seen as the sole determinant of success. Participants are acknowledged for making changes that are in their direct control.

"Weekly group sessions will immerse participants in the skills and information needed to make changes in eating and activity that they can maintain for life, says Dr. Gill. Participants can expect to reduce excess body fat and weight, learn to eat in healthier ways, and improve their physical fitness. Moreover, our participants will be well equipped to make even more progress once they have completed the eight-week program."

The program will be held on Thursday evenings beginning
June 29, 2006, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Friends or family members who join together will receive 50 percent off the second registration. Family members who are already living a healthy lifestyle can attend the program for free to learn more about healthy living and ways they can better support the primary participant.

Those interested in learning more about the program and the cost are invited to recruit a partner and attend a free information session on
June 5, 2006, at 7 p.m. at the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center, 200 South Orange Avenue in Livingston. Registration is required by calling Sean Nealy, Healthy LIFE coordinator, at (973) 322-7496.

MAY 1, 2006

CONTACT: PUBLIC RELATIONS (973) 322-9904

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