The Salvation Army Kroc Center-San Diego and CalorieKing® Partner to Develop a Community Weight Control Program

SAN DIEGO--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center-San Diego has partnered with CalorieKing®, the most-respected, science-based weight management program on the web and the leading provider of calorie-centric tools for weight control, to break new ground in the battle against obesity and related diseases and chronic conditions. The two organizations will pilot a new concept, a community weight control program. The goal of the pilot is to learn whether it may be possible to provide a long-term, community-based treatment program for the public. A longer-term goal is to offer something that people can move in and out of as their personal circumstances require and as their need for assistance and encouragement rise or fall over time.

“What the Kroc Center and CalorieKing hope to achieve is a program that will follow you and assist you as you work to prevent weight regain, potentially for the rest of a healthy life. Imagine that.”

“Just about any diet will cause weight loss, but how many can you think of that stay with you as you fight to keep the weight off,” said Keith McGuinness, CEO of CalorieKing. “What the Kroc Center and CalorieKing hope to achieve is a program that will follow you and assist you as you work to prevent weight regain, potentially for the rest of a healthy life. Imagine that.”

On January 28, First Lady Michelle Obama, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced plans to help Americans lead healthier lives through better nutrition, regular physical activity, and improving communities to support healthy choices. Also, HHS released The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation. In her first release to the nation, Dr. Benjamin highlights the alarming trend of overweight and obese Americans, and asks them to join her in a grassroots effort to commit to changes that promote the health and wellness of our families and communities.

The Kroc Fit Challenge will incorporate CalorieKing print tools and the online CalorieKing Program in a way that teaches the fundamentals of weight control. Subsequent pilot phases will experiment with outreach, using the connectivity tools within the CalorieKing Program to communicate with participants in creative ways.

The CalorieKing Program is divided into three stages, corresponding to three stages of weight loss. The Bronze stage is where initial weight loss happens and the basic principles of healthy weight loss are learned. During Silver the goal is a significant shift in behavior that constitutes a true turn-around in terms of weight control. Finally, during Gold, preventing weight regain is the focus, participants learn to transition to independent weight control. As needed, participants return for help with a particular obstacle, a tune-up, or just a pep talk.

“Losing weight is a temporary phase, keeping it off is a never-ending phase that requires support systems and relationships,” said Jesse Lyons, Director of the Kroc Fit Challenge. “The Kroc Center’s mission is community support based in relationships. Our partnership with CalorieKing will add effective science-based tools to our community focus. We expect the result will be an effective community-based weight control program that serves as a model for other community-based efforts to address obesity in underserved communities.

One of the most comprehensive weight management programs available, the online CalorieKing Program is offered as a monthly or annual subscription. The Program leads members to understand how they are personally affected by calories-in and calories-out, guiding the user to develop new behaviors that support their personal health objectives. CalorieKing also offers a prescription program for physicians to help treat overweight or obese patients. The goal of the prescription program is to facilitate treatment by combining a trusted, consumer-friendly, weight control program that may be offered by prescription with monthly electronic feedback to the primary care physician or other medical home. Visit www.calorieking.com for more information.

The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in San Diego provides facilities, programs and services that encourage positive life-changing experiences for children and adults, strengthen families, and enrich the lives of seniors.