What our participants have to say...
I have been wanting to write you for some time now to let you know how Darylyn is doing. When people are overweight or have an overweight child, they want a quick fix. The focus is on how many pounds can he/she lose and how fast. The result is often people who will have an issue with weight for the rest of the their lives. Yo-yoing up and down all the time (like myself). What I loved about this program is that it is training your mind and body for a healthy life - for life. When we first discussed the program with Dr. Gill, and she gave me the average weight/body fat loss for the participants during the initial phase, I thought that was a low expectation. I wanted my daughter to lose all her weight in the program - a quick fix. At first I was frustrated that the pounds weren't pouring off. But what I have noticed since we finished the classroom instruction portion of the program and got back to our own weigh of life, was that there was a definite shift in my daughter's thinking. Part of me worried that getting back to normal would mean getting back to eating more. My daughter once seemed to be hungry all the time. When we would tell her to stop, she started sneaking the food. Now I have seen her say no to birthday cake and ice cream at a party, instead going for the fresh fruit. After school, she reaches for carrots instead of chips, yogurt instead of ice cream. There was a time when she got home from school and went straight to the computer for hours. Now she rides her bike. She even went out for the school softball team and loves it! It was becoming harder and harder to buy clothes because things just didn't fit right. Now she is finding things in the back of the closet that she had once given up on, but now fit beautifully. People keep asking what we did to lose the weight and its hard to put it into words. I know they want to hear about a magic pill or eating nothing but grapefruit for a week because that is something they can grasp. But the truth is we made subtle changes every week and eventually those changes became habits, and the habits became a way of life. She no longer needs to fill herself up with food, because she is already full - of good feelings about herself, her choices and her accomplishments It's funny I mentioned on the phone that one of the substitutions we learned about on our field trip was low fat ice cream instead of frozen yogurt. Ironically, I was the only one that was excited about that. She goes for other things, fruit, hummus, carrots, yogurt etc. When she thinks she wants something for a high calorie treat, she reads the label and counts out the correct serving size. More often though she reads the nutrition facts and decides its not worth it. I lost weight on this program because I was trying to support her and be an example. Now I find myself following her example. I'm so proud of her. Thanks Dr. Gill - for everything! "I would like to take this time to let you know how lucky I feel that my daughter Marissa was able to find a program like Healthy LIFE. While I explained to her that this is not a weight loss program—it instills healthy life values and tools—she still lost 15 pounds (while growing 2½ inches) and lost 10 percent body fat in the first year (8 percent in the first 6 months). She now uses the tools that she has learned in the program on a daily basis and is totally aware of what she is eating without being afraid of gaining weight. One of my favorite classes was the day we discussed “dot days” which showed both Marissa and me that there will be days when you will not always eat as healthfully as usual, but it will be easy to get right back on track. I wish more people had a pediatrician like we have who are aware of programs like this so that when a parent comes to them with a concern; they know where to send them. When I took Marissa to the pediatrician in June of 2005 I asked him for some help with her weight because she gained 20 pounds each year for the past three years. He gave The Healthy Life Program brochure and I called immediately from my cell phone. I can’t say enough about Dr Anhalt, Dr. Debra Gill, Mitch, Sean, and Reid. I feel as if not only has my Marissa gotten the tools she needs for living a healthy life, but she has also gained so much support. I know she will continue to get the support she may need in the future. I can tell you that this program has changed our whole family. In order for our daughter to be successful, we, as a family, decided that we needed to eat more healthfully and eat the same foods as she. As her parents, we have given her a gift, and that
gift is a Healthy Life. I would recommend this program to anyone
and everyone as I have seen a dramatic difference in our eating
and thinking patterns. This program could change so many children’s
lives if given the opportunity. It would be wonderful if the epidemic
of child obesity would disappear. Thank you for this program, and
for changing our lives, I will always be truly grateful. “My son Brandon used to gain 15 pounds every
9 months. This program helped him stop the cycle of weight gain
and actually lose weight, lost fat and improve his self- esteem.
These past 6 months, I am very happy with his accomplishments,
the program, and everyone involved.” “The Healthy LIFE program proved to be successful for us during the 6-month period. We learned the skill of how to choose healthier foods. Physical activity is emphasized and encouraged. These two components, healthier foods and physical activity will result in weight loss, which we have seen in our daughter. Self-esteem and self-confidence improve immensely
when your child’s body image changes for the better. Another
positive note was that the group of children all have similar
weight issues and have the same emotional feelings. They express
their feelings and concerns in a group setting and this is very
helpful. What some of our parents reported as their child’s “Biggest Success” in the program • My child has been more active and more conscious about food choices To learn more, contact our Program Coordinator at
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