Pursuit of good health has pounds melt away
BY ERIN O. STATTEL
Correspondent

MARLBORO - A group of Marlboro residents recently completed the Mayor's Weight Loss Challenge, a 10-week program that encouraged participants to learn how to change their unhealthy lifestyles for the better at no charge. The town played host to the first weight loss program of its kind in Marlboro.

"When I look back on my tenure as mayor of Marlboro, this is one of the many things I am most proud of," Mayor Robert Kleinberg said of his Mayor's Weight Loss Challenge.

A total of 1,655 pounds has been lost to date by all of the program participants. The total number of pounds shed is expected to increase with the participants' continued commitment to their healthier lifestyles throughout the rest of the summer.

Kleinberg is a chiropractor and a dietitian, practicing in Brooklyn, N.Y. He learned of a similar program in Brooklyn and decided to bring it to Marlboro.

"I first heard of 'Lighten Up Brooklyn' and decided to refine it to fit Marlboro," Kleinberg said. "I contacted CentraState Medical Center and they loved the idea. This was a perfect example of the

public and private sectors coming together to help the community they both serve."

Combined with the services of CentraState nutritionists and dietitians, residents were able to attend classes on proper nutrition. The classes were televised on Marlboro's community cable television station so people at home were able to participate in the learning.

"I was really proud to be a part of the program," said Wendy Hammond, the program's health facilitator and dietitian representative from the CentraState Health Awareness Center, Freehold Township. "People expect to be perfect when it comes to diets, but this was a more realistic effort. It was an education on nutrition and vitamins and exercise."

As health facilitator for the weight loss program, Hammond was just one of the many volunteers who were responsible for tracking participants' progress, giving lectures on diet and motivation, and canvassing local restaurants for healthful menus.

Classes were held at the Marlboro Recreation Community Center. Local eateries such as Entree Vous in Marlboro and Super Suppers of Manalapan also held classes for participants to learn about healthful food and healthful cooking.

Mandatory weekly weigh-ins were also set up around town and neighboring communities for convenience and to encourage continued participation.

The program also offered residents a chance to learn how to shop healthier. With the cooperation of the local Pathmark and ShopRite supermarkets, participants attended four supermarket tours accompanied by the CentraState nutritionists.

"People learned so much from that," Kleinberg said of the supermarket tours. "The tours really taught them how to read the nutrition labels and shop accordingly."

The mayor explained how the program also targeted another problem people have with their lifestyles.

"People in Marlboro like to go out to eat," Kleinberg explained. "So we had to offer some sort of guidelines for people when they were heading off to local restaurants."

The program coordinators gathered menus from local restaurants and enlisted the help of the Freehold Regional High School District's culinary arts program. Students and dietitians selected menu items that would be a healthful alternative for the weight loss challenge participants. The participating restaurants would in turn list the healthful alternatives in their daily specials and the like.

In addition to teaching residents about nutrition and healthful alternatives, program coordinators sponsored community walks to tie in the aspect of exercise. The walks targeted everyone from mothers with young children in strollers to senior citizens.

"People really got out in the community and were able to see things they had never seen before," said Kleinberg.

Over the course of the 10 weeks, participants also became friends.

"It was great," Kleinberg smiled. "People got to meet other community members they had never met before and they became friends."

The results were encouraging. Participants' blood pressure dropped, diabetes medications were lowered and healthy lifestyles took root in Marlboro, according to program coordinators.

The program named two winners of the weight loss program. Thomas Cosentino won the men's greatest weight loss category and Ilene Chalupski won the women's category.

"This has been a wonderful success for me," Chalupski said. "Rather than handing out a prescribed diet, this program equips you to make healthy choices in whatever setting you are in."

"I am really grateful for the program," Cosentino said. "It motivated me to get focused. I would really want this to go year-round."

A continued program is part of the goal.

"Our goal was to lose a ton," Kleinberg said. "I am positive we will be reaching all of our goals with the continuation of the program in the fall."