Local Chiropractor Offers Free Six-Week Diet Challenge

Anthony Barone, a chiropractic physician for Chairo Healthcare LLC in Lanoka Harbor, is offering a free six-week weight loss challenge beginning Feb. 15.

Participants would go to Barone’s office by appointment to get certain measurements taken including weight, height and waist and hip circumferences. From there, Barone will calculate body fat percentage and the basal metabolic rate to determine the diet for the next six weeks.

Barone will then provide an outline of food that the participant should eat and avoid. The packet also will include a sample meal plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a daily health-tracking chart.

“It’s really just a challenge to eat healthy and lose weight. It’s the source of information that I’m using is really to help reverse diabetes or high blood pressure but you lose weight in the process,” Barone said.

The diet is based on one that Barone was on last year. Barone said he had been overweight, and his cholesterol was affected.

“Realizing there is an obesity problem and heart disease and diabetes. The way to solve that problem is through diet,” Barone said.

Barone lost 40 pounds while on the high nutrient dense diet. The focus of the diet is eating enough fruit and vegetables but unlike other diets, carbohydrates and proteins are still permitted.

“It’s a diet for everyone so they can obtain a better level of health. It’s becoming pretty mainstream,” Barone said.

According to Barone, the United States Department of Agriculture plans to revamp the food pyramid based on a high nutrient dense diet. This diet can help the immune system, prevent cancer, reverse diabetes and enable participants to lose weight, Barone said.

The six-week program is the strictest part of the diet, Barone said. There are four to five other diet plans.

“It is a challenge to go on the strictest form of the diet to know how it works and gives a good tool to control weight,” Barone said. “I’ll be there for coaching and to give them any advice they need. It’s just a challenge. We’re going to really challenge people to break the status quo.”

Throughout the six-weeks, participants can call or e-mail Barone at any time and he plans to contact participants and check their weight periodically, as well.

“It’s a community service. I’m not going to charge anything for it. I’m just going to be their coach,” Barone said. “If they’re going to commit to it, they’re going to commit to it on their own. But I’m going to coach them throughout the six weeks. They’ll have me as a resource."

So far, approximately six people will be participating in the challenge. Participants have no obligation to be a patient or have chiropractic services.

Although the challenge starts on Feb. 15, Barone said the program would be ongoing so anyone interested can contact him and begin the diet at any time.

Once the six-week challenge is over, the participants will have the choice to continue the diet on their own.

On March 23, as a part of the challenge, there will be a light and healthy cooking demonstration with tasting at Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center in Lanoka Harbor. The event will feature holistic health and wellness educator Yvonne Stern and natural foods chef Barry Greenstein.

People interested in attending can pre-register by calling 609-693-5558. The demonstration begins at 6 p.m. and is $5.

For more information on the challenge or to set an appointment with Barone to begin the diet, call 609-994-3730.