Reviewed
by Chris
Woolston -
Consumer
Health
Interactive
As the
father of a
human
flagpole,
I'm not
exactly the
target
audience for
Trim Kids, a
book written
by Melinda
S. Sothern,
PhD, and
other
childhood
obesity
specialists
at Louisiana
State
University.
The heart of
Trim Kids is
a 12-week
program of
diet and
exercise
designed to
help
overweight
kids shed
pounds.
Early on,
we're
introduced
to Jeff, a
10-year-old
who weighed
twice as
much as he
should have
(an
astounding
55 percent
of his body
weight was
fat). By
following
the tenets
of the
program, he
lost 54
pounds in
the next
year and
became the
quarterback
of his
school's
football
team.
But this
isn't just a
kiddie diet
book. It's a
training
manual for
parents
trying to
raise
healthy
children in
an age of
Happy Meals,
satellite
TV, the
Internet,
and
Playstation
2. With
enough
support and
encouragement,
the authors
assure us,
kids of all
sizes can
eat right,
stay active,
and get the
most out of
their
bodies.
After
reading this
book, I
believe it.
A growing
crisis
Many parents
hope their
kids will
just "grow
out of it,"
but obesity
is rarely a
fleeting
problem.
Eighty
percent of
obese 10- to
13-year-olds
will grow
into obese
adults.
Overweight,
inactive
children are
also
vulnerable
to maladies
considered
"adult"
diseases,
such as high
blood
pressure and
Type 2
diabetes. A
study in the
Oct. 26,
2001, issue
of the
medical
journal The
Lancet found
that
severely
obese
children
already had
stiff
arteries,
making them
potentially
susceptible
to
atherosclerosis
as adults.
And even
though
overweight
kids are
becoming
more and
more
numerous,
the stigma
is as strong
as ever.
Fortunately,
young bodies
are
extremely
malleable,
and any kid
can lose
weight, says
Sothern, an
exercise
physiologist
and the
primary
author of
Trim Kids.
As she and
her
colleagues
write in
chapter one,
"There is no
single
solution for
every child.
But we've
found
there's not
a single
child for
whom there
are no
solutions."
The
solutions
outlined in
Trim Kids
aren't
simple, and
they won't
change kids
overnight.
The program
requires
participation
and patience
from the
whole
family. Kids
have to fill
out forms,
weigh
themselves
frequently,
closely
watch what
they eat,
and start a
structured
exercise
program.
They are
practically
guaranteed
to complain.
The authors
urge parents
to stay firm
but flexible
about the
exercise a
child
participates
in. Don't
make them
play
football if
they're more
avid about
skating, for
example. And
encourage
them not to
give up too
soon. All
kids, they
say, want to
be healthy
and active
-- some of
them just
need a
little
coaching.
Food fight
Parental
influence is
especially
important
when it
comes to
food. Kids
love fat and
sugar, and
plenty of
people and
companies
are eager to
give it to
them. Trim
Kids urges
parents to
empty the
house of
"temptation
foods," cook
at home as
often as
possible,
steer clear
of fast food
restaurants,
limit sodas
(many kids
get 1,000
calories a
day just
from soft
drinks!),
and satisfy
their
children's
hunger, not
their
cravings. No
foods are
forbidden,
but every
item has to
fit within
daily
limits.
Trim Kids
attempts to
take much of
the
guesswork
out of
healthy
eating.
Using simple
charts,
parents can
"score"
foods based
on their
content of
fat or
carbohydrate.
Parents can
also refer
to the
book's
sample menus
and large
collection
of recipes.
Most of the
suggested
meals sound
tantalizing,
but a few
seem to be
more about
low-fat
cooking than
making food
that's tasty
as well as
healthy.
You'd better
make sure
your child
is really
committed to
the project
before you
offer a
dinner of
seasoned
lentils,
creamed
spinach, and
a glass of
water.
Get
moving
Of course,
the
healthiest
diet in the
world can't
save a kid
who hardly
ever leaves
the couch.
Modern
society
seems
designed to
keep kids as
still as
possible,
and parents
have to work
hard to buck
the trend. A
core concept
of Trim Kids
is that kids
love to
play. When
parents make
a house
"play-friendly"
-- by
putting
tumbling
mats in the
basement or
a swing-set
in the
backyard,
for example
-- kids will
almost
automatically
burn extra
calories.
The book
highlights
one of
Sothern's
major
discoveries:
Obese
children
often have a
surprisingly
low
tolerance
for
exercise.
When other
kids are
just
starting to
get out of
breath,
hefty kids
may be in
agony. For
many years,
Sothern has
preached a
slow-but-steady
approach. If
a kid hits
the wall
after a few
minutes, he
or she won't
be able to
burn many
calories.
Moderate
exercise is
much more
effective,
not to
mention much
more
enjoyable.
Once again,
the book
provides
many tips,
some more
practical
than others.
I fully
agree that
dads should
spend more
time playing
catch with
their kids
than
watching
games on TV.
(I'll start
this
weekend.
Promise.) It
also makes
perfect
sense to
ration
television
and computer
time
carefully
and to take
family hikes
and bike
rides.
Now it's
time for me
to get off
this
computer. I
have a play
date.
Trim
Kids: The
Proven
12-Week Plan
That Has
Helped
Thousands of
Children
Achieve a
Healthier
Weight
By Melinda
S. Sothern
Harper
Resource
416 pp
Find this book here:
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