When
I first met George, he and his mother seemed sad, discouraged and disconnected.
They had tried other solutions, but nothing worked so why would this be any
different? They were reluctantly optimistic to say the least. It seemed that
this might be the final effort for George to control his weight.
The
first tool we teach families is to keep a journal. Keeping a journal provides a
baseline of where to start making change. It also makes you aware of what you
are eating because you have to write it down. Keeping a journal is often the
least favorite tool of kids and parents but it is a critical component to
lasting behavior change. This task was particularly tough for George.
When
George started writing down what he ate, I learned that he was eating chicken
nuggets several times a day. He ate very few fruits and vegetables and seemed
to survive on frozen foods with very little nutritional value. In the parent
group, his mom confided that she did not know what to do. He only liked chicken
nuggets so that is what she prepared for him.
After
a few weeks in the program, I was concerned that George and his mom were not benefitting
from the program and I was starting to feel a little disheartened. George was
not keeping a journal and his mom was frustrated - but they still kept coming
to class!
Then
there was a change. It seemed like it was all of a sudden but looking back, it
probably happened over the course of a couple of weeks. I could tell that George
and his mom enjoyed coming to class. He was smiling a lot and his mom was
making an extra effort with her appearance. Each week, he started losing a little weight. When
I saw him for his personal check in after 20 weeks in the program, George had importantly
had reduced his BMI by 35%! It
was a complete transformation in attitude and behavior. His mom told us that
George had received a "most improved" award from his PE teacher and
an academic achievement award from his History teacher. I
did not fully realize the significance of this achievement until she told us
how much he struggled academically, physically and emotionally the previous
year.
What
happened? It is hard to say what motivates people to make change. The answer is
different for each individual and each family. For George, his mom said she
attributed his life changes to the feeling of empowerment and self confidence
he got from participating in the program.
I
asked George what motivated him and he said he was finally sick of feeling
badly and feeling like he was struggling. He knew he needed to make a change
but he did not know how. The Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program offered
him the chance and the tools to do that.
Follow-up: I saw George recently.
In the final weeks of class, George’s mom thanked us many times for saving
their lives. George received 4 awards at school recognizing
his academic achievements, health achievements and his motivation. He was
giving health tips over the loud speaker during morning announcements and was
working with the school district to provide healthier lunches. He has joined
the crew team and interns at our offices during the summer.
