Because Nothing Should Weigh a Child Down

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Live Light Live Right Celebrate Weight Loss Success at their Annual Holiday Party

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Press Release

Brooklyn, NY(January 17th, 2014)-Live Light Live Right (LLLR), an adolescent obesity program, funded by Robinhood Foundation www.robinhood.org, held their annual holiday party Friday January 17th at Brookdale Hospital Center www.brookdalehospital.org. Nearly 200 hundred children and their families attended to celebrate the achievements and successes of those who have joined LLLR on this journey to promote health and fitness that have transformed their lives. The event celebrated the success of the children who have lost weight and remained committed to the program.  Additionally, children who had the highest show rate at their exercise classes were rewarded. The children and their families enjoyed an evening of food, games, fitness and dance competition.  Healthy food was prepared by the chefs at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, which included nutty chick pea quinoa salad, grilled barbeque chicken and a low fat lasagna to name a few of the menu items. Robinhood Foundation, graciously donated the gifts that were given out to our children.  “We are commited to providing them with all the tools necessary to keep them on track on their journey to a healthy.”,  stated Sarita Dhuper, Executive Director.

About Live Light Live Right

Live Light, Live Right is a Brookdale Hospital and community-based partnership, non-profit 501 ( c) (3), serving overweight and obese children ages 2-19.    Nearly half of the children in the program are those who live below the poverty line; suffer from a BMI >95th percentile or are at high risk of developing diabetes or other serious chronic diseases.  By providing free or highly subsidized services, Live Light has already helped over 2,500 children improve their diet, exercise habits, and their health.  The novel, multi-disciplinary approach has resulted in positive health outcomes, including the reduction of Body Mass Index scores, cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin levels for nearly three-quarters of all participants.

About Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center

The Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center is one of the largest voluntary nonprofit teaching hospitals and regional tertiary care centers. Brookdale provides general and specialized inpatient care to thousands of people every year. Our community centered organization provides numerous outpatient ambulatory care services in both on campus and off site facilities. Our mission is the commitment of being the focus of a healthy community, stressing the organization’s values of caring and respect for everyone.

Press Contact:

Alisha Rappaport
Director of Marketing and Development
Alisha@livelight.org
516-984-6865

Website: www.livelight.org
Twitter: @livelightright
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/live-light-live-right
Facebook: www.facebook.com/livelightright

LLLR Receives $35,000 Grant for Volunteer Program

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We are thrilled to announce that we received a $35,000 Health Care Improvement grant from the United Hospital Fund, our first grant from the organization. The grant will help us promote voluntarism through our  new Let’s Share Volunteer Program, which operates in conjunction with Brookdale Hospital Medical Center. Each year, Brookdale’s over 700 volunteers’ selfless contributions of time and energy help make a difference. 

Continue reading →

Help Your Child Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

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During the holiday season it is easy to pack on the pounds. Mixing large amounts of tempting food with time off from school to indulge in sedentary activities like watching TV and playing computer games can lead to unwanted pounds. With a little advance planning, you can help your child navigate the holiday season successfully. So what can you do to see that your kids enjoy this year’s festive season without gaining unnecessary weight?
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Dr. Dhuper Speaks at GNYHA Event

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On Oct. 22, the Greater New York Hospital Association held its first learning session. The association focused on best practices in hospital/community-oriented childhood and adolescent obesity prevention and reduction initiatives. Five hospitals that have implemented evidence-based initiatives shared their interventions, including their evaluation efforts. Continue reading →

Mark Bittman on How to Feed the World Well

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Food writer Mark Bittman offers a nuanced and complicated analysis of the persistent problem of global hunger and obesity in the New York Times. He takes a long, hard look at industrial agriculture and argues that the current model doesn’t work. Instead, we should consider using more traditional farming methods, which might be a better way to get food to more people. Here are some interesting experts from what he wrote:

The current system is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable, dependent as it is on fossil fuels and routinely resulting in environmental damage. It’s geared to letting the half of the planet with money eat well while everyone else scrambles to eat as cheaply as possible.

While a billion people are hungry, about three billion people are not eating well, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, if you count obese and overweight people alongside those with micronutrient deficiencies.

As Raj Patel, a fellow at the Institute for Food and Development Policy, puts it, “The playing field has been tilted against peasants for centuries, and they’ve still managed to feed more people than industrial agriculture. With the right kinds of agroecological training and the freedom to shape the food system on fair terms, it’s a safe bet that they’ll be able to feed themselves, and others as well.”

Yet obviously not all poor people feed themselves well, because they lack the essentials: land, water, energy and nutrients…. It’s a formula for making not only hunger but obesity: remove the ability to produce food, then remove the ability to pay for food, or replace it with only one choice: bad food.

Parents Are Key in the Fight Against Obesity

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Parents play an important role in the fight against obesity. They shape their children’s behavior by direct influence, predisposing psychological variables or by controlling the child’s environment. In the fight against obesity, it is key that parents are involved.

Obesity rates have tripled in the past few decades and childhood obesity is global epidemic. In our practice, we see the effects the epidemic is having on children living in the city’s poorest neighborhoods like like Brownsville, East Flatbush and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Two out of every three children are overweight here, nearly three times the national average. The higher rates are caused by a combination of genetics and an environment where too many calories are consumed, children do not have enough opportunities to exercise and sedentary behavior is commonplace. Continue reading →

Participant Spotlight: Rushell Walker

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Almost two years ago, a mother and daughter set out on a journey to better health and well-being. At the time, Rushell did not like herself very much. She couldn’t fit into the clothes she wanted to wear. She had a hard time playing and exercising, feeling out of breath when she moved around. Her weight made her feel distant from other kids who didn’t share the same, frustrating experience.

Rushell’s mother was also going through her own struggles with weight. After she gave birth to her son, she was unable to lose the weight. At over 300 pounds, she was was burdened by all the things that came along with being morbidly obese. She couldn’t walk down the street or up stairs without becoming out of breath.

So together, mother and daughter decided to make a change. Rushell was referred to Live Light Live Right.  She started exercising with the program. At first, it was difficult to be in the program. She wasn’t used to moving around so much, nor to the feeling of exercising and having sore muscles. Then things started to change for Rushell. She started to feel energized, stronger, and the fatigue wasn’t as pronounced. She was able to wear some of the clothes that she had longed to wear. She lost 20 pounds. She started making friends. Pretty soon she was taking other exercise classes at the Y.

Rushell’s mother knew she needed to make changes in her own life as well. She decided that she would have bariatric surgery. Along with bariatric surgery, she incorporated daily exercise and eating healthy. It wasn’t an easy journey, but the journey was transformative. She lost 100 pounds, and her outlook on life has turned around completely.

Rushell’s mother wants to let all the families who are considering change to know that change isn’t easy, but the benefits are well worth the struggle. She encourages everyone to rejoice in the small changes, make changes as a family, and celebrate every step you take towards a healthy life.

Healthy Tip: Know Good Fats from the Bad

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Did you know that there are different kinds of fat in foods?

There is “bad” fat, which are the ones called saturated or trans fats when you read a label. These aren’t good for your heart. Then there are “good” kinds, which are called unsaturated fats. You might see the words “monounsaturated” or “polyunsaturated” on food labels. These are good! They make you feel full and all of the cells in your body actually need them to survive. Next time you’re at the store, try some of them and see if you like them. Continue reading →