Telling It Like It Is

Diet books are popular for people wanting to lose weight. Whether weight loss or fitness goals are achieved by joining a gym to help lose weight or if working out at home is preferred, diet books can help motivate and inspire people to get moving and lose weight once and for all. For many people, this is the time of year for self reflection and making resolutions to lose weight and start an exercise program. Diet books are a great asset towards weight loss and healthier living, but diet books won’t do the work of losing weight and getting fit for you.

Reading some of the best diet books to help in achieving your goal to lose weight, exercise, get fit and live a healthy lifestyle includes several new diets books listed on the New York Times best seller list for weight loss. Listed below are a total of 20 diet books that are amongst the most popular, best selling and best rated diet books in the effort to lose weight.

Best Diet Books of 2009

1. Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zincenko and Matt Goulding was the best selling diet book in 2009 as is just one of the very popular diet books included in the Eat This Not That series. This diet book includes nutrition tips and advice on which aisles in the grocery store are the best and which to avoid, with focus on healthy eating habits. Advice on how to decode and understand food labels, tips on selecting and choosing the healthiest foods for you and your family to eat to help you lose weight, save money and live a healthy lifestyle. This must read diet book offers practical lists and information about the 20 Worst Foods in the Supermarket, the Ultimate Supermarket Label Decoder, 17 Secrets the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know, Shop Once, Eat for a Week and How to Stock the Perfect Pantry.

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How thin is too thin? If you think childhood obesity statistics are shocking, there is increasing concern about how the pressure to be thin in society is affecting girls and boys through the media, and how girls in particular are more obsessed with dieting than in previous generations. The obsession to be thin has lead to an increase in eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia in girls as young as 5-years-old, according to recent studies and surveys.

Girls whose moms are on a diet are almost twice as likely to suffer from an eating disorder, according to a recent survey of over 500 teenage girls between the ages of 12 to 18, conducted by teen magazine Sugar. Most of the teenage girls surveyed said they felt damaged by their mother’s dieting obsession and views on food and considered their mothers to be the biggest influence on their own self-image.

Got boys, rather than girls? You’re still not out of the woods moms and dads. Boys struggle with body image too, even though boys may not be as vocal about it, but unrealistic, unhealthy body image standards for boys are very common. Media and peer pressure to be thin and not “heavy”, build big biceps, and create those hard, toned bodies and six-pack abs has become society’s idea of the ideal body for boys and men.

“Thinheritance” is the new modern term describing females who have “inherited” their mothers views and opinions about her own body image, which is then projected onto the daughters by way of comments about body weight issues and concerns about being “fat”. Moms, ask yourself, do you have poor body image? When you look in the mirror or put your clothes on in the morning, do you tell yourself that you are too fat, too thin, ugly, old and tired? The things you tell yourself about how you feel about your own body, shape, size, weight and measurements may very well be affecting your daughter’s perception and beliefs about her body image.
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Childhood obesity in children and teens who are considered overweight or clinically obese is on the rise, according to research studies on the prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents in the U.S. Child obesity statistics speak for themselves, with the term “childhood obesity epidemic” creating concern for parents and health officials, as well as city and state government officials searching for ways to reduce and even prevent obesity in children.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over nine million kids and teens between the ages of 6-19 years of age have been diagnosed as being overweight or morbidly obese, an alarming number that has tripled since 1980.

The CDC reports that over the past three decades child obesity rates have more than doubled for preschool children between the ages of 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.

Childhood Obesity Statistics

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Resources, overweight kids and teens have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults, which jumps to 80% if one or more parents is overweight or obese themselves.

In the U.K., parents of overweight school kids are to receive a letter from schools telling them their child is underweight, a healthy weight, overweight or very overweight. Included in the letter are tips and advice on getting kids to eat healthy, the risks of being overweight and physical activities their child can do to lower their weight and risk factors.
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Is childhood obesity child abuse? Should parents of overweight or obese children be criminally charged with child abuse or neglect, where parents may be found guilty of child abuse and sentenced to jail time for having an overfed or obese child? When does parental indulgence become child abuse or neglect? Who is responsible when children are overweight or clinically obese, and should governmental agencies get involved?

A report by USA Today has attracted national attention to the case of a 555-pound teenage boy in South Carolina, whose mother was arrested in June and charged with criminal neglect because of her son’s weight. 14-year-old Alexander Draper is now in foster care, pending the outcome of charges against his mother, 49-year-old Jerri Gray.

“Jerri Gray was doing all she could to help her son lose weight, her attorney says. But something had gone terribly wrong for the boy to hit the 555-pound mark by age 14. Authorities in South Carolina say that what went wrong was Gray’s care and feeding of her son, Alexander Draper. Gray, 49, of Travelers Rest, S.C., was arrested in June and charged with criminal neglect.”

If your child or teenager is overweight or clinically obese, could your child be taken away from you, followed by you being charged with child abuse or neglect? Jerri Gray’s attorney, Grant Varner, says this case could open the door to criminal charges against parents whose children become dangerously overweight.

“If she’s found guilty on those criminal charges, you have set a precedent that opens Pandora’s box,” Grant Varner says. “Where do you go next?”

Childhood obesity is on the rise all across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and many states have begun to take legal action against parents. According to a 2008 report published by Child Welfare League of America, state courts in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Indiana and California have been trying to decide what to do about obesity in children.
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Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents, and is usually caused by eating too much and not getting enough exercise. Obesity in children living in the United States is of particular concern since 12.5 million children are overweight, and are at greater risk of serious health problems and diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, according to the Office of the Surgeon General.

While there are some genetic and hormonal causes of childhood obesity, studies show the primary cause of children being overweight is due to lifestyle issues such as eating more calories than is needed to support their growing bodies, daily activities and metabolism. Diseases like Prader-Willi syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome affect a very small proportion of children in society, whereas eating and exercise habits in families play a much larger role in the increase of childhood obesity.

Overweight children and adolescents are also more likely to become obese as adults. For example, one study found that nearly 80% of overweight children between the ages of 10-15 were obese adults at the age of 25. Another study found that 25% of obese adults were overweight children, also concluding that if excess weight occurs by the age of 8 years old, the likelihood of being obese as adults is far more severe.

Prevalence of Childhood Obesity

The risk factors and prevalence of childhood obesity threatens an entire generation of children, with serious health problems such as heart disease, strokes and cancer, causing scientists to forecast a 2 to 5-year drop in life expectancy unless drastic measures are taken to reduce or prevent obesity in children.

The most effective way of treating and preventing childhood obesity is for the entire family to adopt healthier eating habits and making exercise a priority. Dealing with overweight children, or preventing obesity in children, is a family matter that helps protect the health of children now and into their future. Parents who exercise poor nutritional habits and who lead sedentary lifestyles role model these behaviors for their children, with increased psychological problems such as low self-esteem and depression being common in overweight kids.

Kids are spending less time getting needed exercise, but more time parked in front of the TV, computer, or playing video-games. Sedentary kids are more likely to gain weight because they’re not burning calories through physical activity, but are often loading up on soft drinks, candy and other high-fat, high-calorie snacks and junk food.

Children that come from a family of overweight people may be predisposed to obesity, especially in a family environment where parents and other adults practice poor eating habits themselves, with high-calorie foods readily available and physical activity virtually nonexistent. Are you or your child overweight?

Treating and Preventing Obesity in Children

Express your unconditional love. Let your child know he or she is loved and appreciated whatever his or her weight. An overweight child probably knows better than anyone else that he or she has a weight problem. Overweight children need support, acceptance, and encouragement from their parents.

Be a good role model. The old saying, “practice what you preach”, couldn’t be more true. Parents are responsible for putting healthy foods in the kitchen at home, as well as leaving unhealthy foods on the grocery store shelves. You really can’t blame your kids for wanting junk foods; after all they taste good. But, you can and need to control the amount of access children have to unhealthy foods, making sure to have an abundance of healthy foods and snacks for you and your kids to eat.

Set realistic goals. Even if you believe your child is a very picky eater, you can still establish reasonable goals for your children such as having your child eat fresh fruit for afternoon snacks, or limiting fast-food meals to just once a month. Offer milk or water instead of sodas or high-calorie fruit drinks. Use small food portions for children, rather than heaping too much food on their plate, as more food can be added as needed.

Don’t use food as a reward. Using food to reward children for good behavior is extremely counter-productive. Don’t do it. Plan frequent fun family activities that the entire family can enjoy together as a reward, that also help increase physical activity for your children and for yourselves, as well as offering praise and encouragement. Keep the TV turned off during meals, and consider having the family go for a walk or to the park after dinner a couple times each week.

Keep it positive. Don’t focus your attention on the weight but rather on the goal to living a healthier lifestyle. Never make fun of your child’s weight, or criticize them for their appearance, as this will cause them to want to comfort themselves with even more food. Treating obesity in children takes time and effort, and should never be treated as if it were a race.

Forget the clean-plate obsession. Learn to recognize hunger cues, and when children show their hunger has been satisfied, don’t force them to finish everything on their plate. Even babies turn away from a bottle or breast when they are no longer hungry, so it’s important to reinforce healthy behaviors by encouraging children to only eat when hungry and stop eating when they’ve had enough in order to avoid childhood obesity.

Do you have any further suggestions for parents and families dealing with childhood obesity that you’d like to pass along? Please leave your comment or question below.

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