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Did you know that today 65% of adults and 34% of children are overweight or obese? The rate of overweight or obesity in children has tripled since the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, 14% of two- to five-year-olds and 17% of adolescents ages 12 to 19 in the U.S. are now overweight.

This disturbing development is due to several lifestyle factors including but not limited to: more sedentary lifestyle, TV/video games use, fast food, abundance of other high calorie, low nutrient foods, and abundance of food in general. There are severe health, quality of life and economic consequences to this trend. Overweight and obesity has increased the prevalence of chronic health conditions starting at an earlier age, even in school-age children including: type II diabetes, early atherosclerosis, increased triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and gall bladder disease. Early childhood obesity that persists into adulthood is associated with more severe obesity among adults (Dietz WH. Overweight in Children and Adolescence. N Engl J Med.2004;350:855-857). Consequences of childhood obesity result in declining health status as the children become adults, increasing risk for some forms of cancer, kidney failure, cardiovascular disease and early death. Additionally obesity has psycho-social consequences for youth and is associated with lower self-esteem and depression.What can be done?

This is a family issue and strategies to curb weight gain in children are best dealt with in a multimodal approach. Intensive family based programs that include exercise, nutrition and behavior modification have been found to have the most favorable outcomes (Savoye M, et al. Effects of a Weight Management Program on Body Composition and Metabolic Parameters in Overweight Children. JAMA. 2007;297:2697-2704.) Families that eat meals together tend to be healthier, so try to schedule some family meal time on a more frequent basis. The National Weight Loss Registry identified several factors for successful long term weight loss. Among the factors were, exercising at least an hour per day and avoiding fast food. So, consider some activities that you can do as a family that are fun and burn calories. Here are some ideas: Take the whole family ice skating or bowling. Encourage your child to participate in sports. Your middle schooler wants a dog? Get one that needs lots of exercise and make it a contingency of getting a dog only if he/she agrees to walk him twice per day.

In order to pass on the fast food more often, you will need to do some pre-planning such as going to the grocery store and having the right foods on hand to make quick, healthy meals. The grocery store is full of healthy short-cuts these days. I cook extra “good stuff” on weekends that can be extended into other healthy meals during the week. Don’t forget to buy items for packing healthier lunches and to have on hand for healthy sanck alternatives. Although there are some recent efforts in some districts to make school lunches healthier, most still resemble your local fast food restaurant fare. Remember, every little change you can make adds up to a healthier family.

… Strength Training Keeps You Slim

This is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the ‘Research in the News’ section of the Dec 2007 issue of the American Dietietic Association.

“Attention ladies—don’t be afraid to pump some iron! Strength training can prevent overweight and obese premenopausal women from gaining body fat and reduces increases of intra-abdominal fat, according to the results of a randomized, controlled trial reported in the September 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. An ethnically diverse sample of 164 overweight or obese women (body mass index 25 to 35) aged 25 to 44 years participated in the randomized study. Eighty-two women participated in twice-weekly strength training for 2 years, while the control group received brochures recommending aerobic exercise. Assessments at baseline, 1, and 2 years included intra-abdominal fat by computed tomography scan, and body fat and fat-free mass by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. For the treatment group, changes in percentage body fat were –3.68%±0.99% compared to –0.14%±1.04% for the control group (P=.01). Changes in intra-abdominal fat were 7.05%±5.07% for the treatment group and 21.36%±5.34% for the control group (P=.05)….”

What does this mean for you? Adding strength training just twice per week to your weight management program is one of the most effective ways to lose fat, especially that dangerous fat around your mid-section. Look for future posts on strength training programs on my web site.

I take pride in the fact that my dog is in such good shape. I take dog ownership seriously. I play with him and walk or run with him 2-5 miles almost every day. We have had a lot of fun rediscovering Massachusetts. The many benefits include the plants, wild life, the change of seasons and the landscaping and decorations we see as we walk in the parks or through neighborhoods as well as getting fresh air and spending quality time together.

In November I had surgery and had to give up our daily excursions for a while. And guess what happened, my dog gained weight. Yes, he was getting a little thick around the middle. I probably was too, but it wasn’t as noticeable on me. You see, Buddy is a thirteen inch beagle and normally weighs 22-23 pounds, so just a little extra weight shows up on him. Fortunately now, I am better and we are back to our daily walks - looking and feeling as fit as ever.

This made me think back to my cat Frisky. Frisky was seven ounces when I rescued him from under a pine tree, all wet from the rain. Two years later, he weighed 25 pounds. I have never had an overweight cat. But observation in pet behavior tells you a lot. Unlike my other cats, Frisky just sat around all day, except for frequent trips to the food dish. He would even eat the other cat’s food after finishing his own. I tried everything, but he remained overweight. He went on to develop diabetes and required daily insulin shots.

Obesity is not just a problem in people; pets are packing on the pounds too! A recent report from the National Academy of Science shows that one in four pets is overweight or obese. If you have an overweight pet check out the “Top 10 nutritional tips for overweight pets"

This story wasn’t really meant to be about pets, rather to learn a lot about our own issues with weight management by observing animals. In fact, many of the tips on the ASPCA web site for pets can be applied to humans. On another site, I found out that most commercial pet food contains 45-65% of its calories from Carbohydrate. We know that adequate protein is very important for the health of your dog. In humans, research shows that a high protein, low fat, moderate carbohydrate, with the carbs coming from whole grains and other plant sources is the most effective formula for weight loss. And as suggested at ASPCA for your pets, we also need to exercise and change our unhealthy behavior patterns.

Never mind stressing out at the mall, this holiday season treat yourself and your love ones to a gift that will improve health and quality of life.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Go to www.simplefitnesssolutions.com and choose from some inexpensive but effective fitness tools such as exercise balls and bands. You can get a strength and flexibility work out nearly as effective as going to the gym with a ball and some bands or dumbbells.
2. Order KJ’s Daily Food and Activity Tracker at www.achieveyourgoalweight.com. Check out my post on “Track Your Way to Fitness”.
3. Sign up for the upcoming Body Transformation by KJ Webinar. This session starts the week of January 14. Get $30 off when you register by Jan 11, 2008 and begin the journey to end the struggle with your weight once and for all.

I'm Kathy Jordan, KJ to my friends and family, and I'd like to help you achieve your goal weight. This is my blog where I'll offer tips and tricks you can use to get you started achieving the body you'd be proud to have.