From Family's Pain, Hope for Obese Youths -- today's Washington Post

[Bertha Venation]

the article -- Washington Post

"Big Louie" had been a well-known figure in Alexandria, where he ran the city's impound lot for 46 years. Weighing more than 500 pounds, he was so heavy that . . . .

It was painful to go out in public with his dad, son Louis H. Yuhasz recalled. "You become so much more acutely aware of the stares -- staring and leering and whispers," he said.

~snip~

Now, the Yuhasz siblings have a mission. As the number of obese children rises nationwide, the family is trying to change the lives of at least a few local overweight youngsters -- including the three girls raptly listening to Louis Yuhasz on this summer Saturday -- by awarding them scholarships to weight-loss camp.

~snip~

Called "Louie's Kids," the $14,000 scholarship fund -- which the Yuhasz family scraped together with their own money and donations from friends -- sent seven children to the "healthy living" Wellspring Adventure Camp in the North Carolina mountains . . . .

~snip~

Big Louie died in 2001 after suffering his second stroke in five months. During that five-month period, his children shuttled him "from hospital to hospital trying to find one willing to take such a heavy patient, and doctors couldn't diagnose his stroke properly because there was no CAT machine big enough to hold him."

Gathering money -- giving money -- to sponsor kids who want/need to go to such camps is a great concept, and I hope to hook up with the Yuhasz family to see if I can donate to their next round of scholarships or otherwise help. I was a fat kid -- began to gain weight at age 12 -- and never tried seriously to lose weight until I began a program in late July this year. I'm 41 years old.

If the subject of childhood obesity interests you, or if you are curious as to why parents don't just buckle down or kids don't just exercise, please read the article. It won't answer all of your questions; it's not really designed to. But it may make it a little more clear as to why some of us can't lose weight "simply" by eating right and exercising. It is far more complicated than that for many obese people.

The article ends sadly, IMO. The last line is a quote from one of the children who received a scholarship and went to the camp:

"'The only reason why I'm doing it is because you're pushing me,' she said to her mom."

The child must not value herself at all. Reading the article, reading about her family -- who continued to eat crap all around her on "movie night" while she had to try to be content with yogurt -- it's small wonder. :eyes:

[shrike]

1. I was a fat child

though certainly not obese; a lot of it turned out to be "growth spurt" fat, since I'm quite tall for a woman. Sadly, the only "encouragement" I got from my family was teasing -- it was my fault I was fat, I ate too much, etc. Looking back, my family certainly never would have altered its eating habits for my sake.

[Bertha Venation]

2. I'd imagine that the family eating as the child must would be essential.

It's too bad your family didn't encourage you. Mine would have been the same if I'd ever tried to lose weight. Fortunately, we're learning to break the pattern of family obesity -- albeit slowly.

One of my sisters (I have two; we're all three obese) has an obese daughter and an underweight son. They are all on different plans, yet they eat the same things -- strictly whole food, wheat-free, low fat, etc. My nephew just eats far more calories than my niece.

I can't imagine being an obese child in a thin family if the family has no sympathy. And I can't imagine being an obese child in an obese family and having to change my eating patterns while everyone else continues to overeat nothing but crap.