Yesterday I saw a teenage female in our program who has not been very successful in losing weight. Basically, her parents coerced her to start the program and the motivation was not there to begin with. Obviously, for a person to achieve signifcant weight loss, there must be motivation from within; not parents or a spouse "pushing" them.
It is a delicate situation when you have a family member or friend who needs to lose weight and although you have his/her best interest in mind, it seems almost presumptious or "pushy" to even suggest a weight loss program. Even more so, when the affected person is your child, who does not have their own monetary resources, "control" is in the hands of the parents.
Young people are not worrying about heart attacks, strokes or diabetes. Their motivation to lose weight is from a vanity perspective. It is difficult to address these issues with your loved ones for fear of hurting their feelings. However, to not address the issue or offer help could be deemed as somewhat irresponsible. A fine line indeed.
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Dear Dr. Posner;
As Parents, health care providers and concerned citizens, how do we stop allowing our children to become overwieght to this degree in the first place?
How do we "motivate" a child to suddenly stop eating the foods we have given him/her since infancy?
Where do we start, as a nation, to understand what we are doing TO our children. We super-size their drive-thru dinners we cut their allocated time at recess and we give them games which glue them to a chair by the TV for hours on end.
How do we stop this absurd cycle?
I am sick for the day I introduced video games in my own household!
Joanne Johnson
Fitness trainer Second...mom FIRST.
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