Welcome! Why I am here, and why I hope you will come back!

At no time in history, has there been more emphasis on obesity than there is right now.  As a culture, we have become acutely aware of nutrition and genetics and how the combination of those two things affect body type and size with a particular emphasis on childhood obesity.  There is tremendous media focus on this issue.  Countless Miss America contestants have made the topic their "platform issue," and even the first lady, Michelle Obama, has made the subject her focus issue.  I am sure something good will come from this national focus, but from my early observation, two very dangerous ideas are emerging.  One, the medical profession, and the media are quick to offer trite, sugar-coated (pardon the pun) advice that is really useless, and two, the general population is increasingly intolerant of overweight children.  With this intolerance comes prejudice, ridicule and exclusion.  I cannot imagine a time in history when it has been more painful to be an obese child or more heartbreaking to be the mother of one.  And that is my life. 

I have two wonderful, kind, multi-talented boys both of whom are obese and always have been.   We have been aware of this body type tendency since the boys were infants.  I had the "talk" with my pediatrician when the boys were 3 and 2.  I saw my first nutritionist when the boys were 5 and 4.  In the past ten years, we have tried Weight Watchers, A Physicians Weight Loss program, participated in a Duke University pediatric study on genetics and obesity and met with several doctors, dietitians and counselors.  My boys are both three season athletes, active outdoors, worked with personal trainers, and are not big gamers, or television watchers.  Also as an avid reader, I have devoured articles and books on the subject.  All of the advice is basically the same.  Don't keep junk food or sodas in the house; I do not.  Eat home cooked meals at the table as a family; we eat out occasionally, but the recommended strategy has always been the traditional model.  Keep children active and limit television and computer time; my boys have always played sports and chosen activity over technology.  In other words, we have been doing everything "right" for years and our children are overweight.

Thanks for reading this brief introduction to our family challenge.  Please visit my blog again soon.  In my next several posts, I will share some of the experiences I have had involving my children and their weight,  where we are now, and our plan for 2012.  I hope you will make the journey with us.  For the health of your own family, to understand the complex nature of obesity, to share stories parent to parent, or just to see for yourselves what becomes of us.