Product Description

If you think your chubby child will outgrow his or her weight, think again. Today's world of fast food and sedentary pastimes does little to encourage physical activity and healthy eating. One in four children in this country is unhealthily overweight, and the physical and emotional costs will shorten his or her life. But there's good news: Parents can take charge -- and Trim Kids shows how.

This easy-to-use, scientifically tested plan helps children achieve a healthy weight -- and have fun doing it. Written by a team of medical experts with over fifteen years of experience helping overweight kids, this book will help you reverse the vicious circle of childhood obesity.

Trim Kids is a unique twelve-week plan that gives parents and children a positive, safe initial approach to lifetime weight management. Each week, parents and kids together will practice scientifically proven ways to increase daily activity and will set (and celebrate!) achievable eating and exercise goals. Children will learn kid-specific exercises especially designed for their weight levels, and the family will enjoy dozens of menu plans with tasty, nutritious, kid-tested recipes. You'll discover easy nutrition strategies -- including shopping lists and dining-out tips -- perfect for busy caregivers, and you'll learn how to coach your child in well-established behavioral strategies for making healthier lifestyle choices away from home.

The Trim Kids Program is based on the fifteen-year success of one of the only multidisciplinary team approaches in the world for preventing and treating childhood obesity, an approach that has been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, and 48 Hours and in USA Today, Ladies' Home Journal, and elsewhere.

No matter why your child is overweight, this book -- and its twelve-week plan -- will provide the support you need to ensure success. Soon, the whole family will be practicing new, healthier nutrition and activity habits.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #320521 in Books
• Published on: 2001-12-13
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.38" h x 7.85" w x 9.58" l, 1.98 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Sothern, an exercise physiologist, von Almen, a research psychologist, and dietician Schumacher team up in this comprehensive workbook to help parents guide their overweight children to better health. Today, 10 million kids that's one in four are overweight, the authors say, and the more overweight the child, the more at risk he is for adult obesity and type II diabetes; he's also more susceptible to low self-esteem and depression. Focusing on a three-pronged approach with nutrition, exercise and behavior modification techniques, the authors help parents assess their children's weight and choose one of four levels suited to the severity of their condition. The 12-week, 12-chapter process which begins with a trip to your child's pediatrician can be repeated as needed; as children progress, they simply graduate to a new level of the program. This kid-friendly method uses weekly goal-setting to prompt motivation and includes suggestions to get kids moving (get them to play tag or put a stationary bike in front of the TV). Snacks and meals clearly have been created with kids' taste buds in mind (i.e. frozen grapes or oven-baked chicken nuggets), though the entire family will enjoy many of the recipes. This practical guidebook will surely help parents get overweight kids on the right track to a healthy future, and its workbook format offers plenty of space for parents and kids to chart their successes.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
With 25 percent of American children overweight or obese, how can parents help a child lose excess pounds without nagging or making him or her develop an eating disorder? Exercise physiologist Sothern, research psychologist T. Kristian von Almen, and clinical dietician Heidi Schmacher have provided readers with the blueprint of their "Trim Kids" program, as developed over the last 15 years at Louisiana State University. The 12-week plan offers concrete guidelines for nutrition, exercise, positive reinforcement, and feedback based on each child's color-coded weight level (assigned initially by the severity of the child's weight problem). Part 1 provides background on the program and its components; Part 2 is a week-by-week guide to menus, recipes and suggested grocery lists, exercises, record keeping, and helpful hints, with comments from both parents and children at various stages of success. Relapses and backsliding are addressed as well. A little daunting if read in one sitting, this book is chock-full of advice that can be used even outside of the program. Recommended. Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp., NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
“The results of this program are absolutely remarkable and definitely long-term. I highly recommend it.” (Rhonda Miller, Harvey, LA )

“This book is not only practical, but lifesaving--and life-changing for kids who are overweight...This program is phenomenal!” (Annette M. Holtz, Holland, MI )

…Parents with an obese child...would do well if they first consult Trim Kids. (Claude Bouchard, Ph.D., Executive Director, George A. Bray Chair in Nutrition, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University )

“Trim Kids is an authoritative approach to understanding and treating childhood overweight.” (David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Obesity Program; Associate Director, General Clinical Research Center, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA )

“This book is filled with delicious but low-calorie recipes, fun activities... [and] behavior techniques...I recommend it highly!” (Dennis M. Styne, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, University of California Davis )

“The strategies in Trim Kids are practical, effective, and fun for kids. I strongly recommend this comprehensive guide to parents.” (Nancy Butte, Ph.D., Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine )

“Trim Kids is a much-needed and unique comprehensive program for achieving healthy weight in children...and it works.” (Michael I. Goran, Ph.D., Associate Director, Institute for Prevention Research, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Physiology & Biophysics, University of Southern California )

“This book does an excellent job emphasizing that kids are not just mini-adults. Their opinions are important...” (American Association for Active Lifestyles & Fitness (AAALF), David Chong, Reviewer, Physical Activity Coordinator, Hawaii Department of Health )

“When I hear a mother say, ‘I am worried about my whole family’s health,’ I consider offering this book as one of the tools she can use to address her concerns and move forward. I highly recommend this book.” (--Daniel Bessensen, M.D., University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, in Obesity Management, June 2006 )