From John, Child's Age 12 - 12/06/04 - IP#: 192.203.40.xxx Click here to reply
Myself and my wife are both overweight. We have three boys, but I am really writing about Jordan. His two brothers were always overweight, but Jordan was always "normal."Â He has been the star of his basketball team for two years now and he is 12 years old. He is about 5 feet tall. About 6 months ago he broke both of his legs and was out of commission for about 6 weeks. During this time, I noticed that he put on some weight, but it didn't look like much. (He had casts on his legs and wore t-shirts all the time) It wasn't till he was better that we really found out. He was getting dressed to go back to school for his first day back when he called me upstairs. He could not button his pants! We tried another pair and it was the same thing. After calming him down, he got on a scale and to my surprise he weighed 120 pounds. He put on 20 pounds in 6 weeks. I gave him pants from his older brother and sent him off to school. About a week later was his first basketball game back. The crowds were all expecting him (he used to be the star) but when he walked out on to the court with his team shirt tightly stretched around his new belly, I noticed some people talking amongst themselves. He didn't perform very well out there that night and came home later crying about his weight gain. He has since gained another 30 pounds and has become one of the worst players on the team. His self esteem is way down and all his friends are making fun of him. It was even mentioned in the sports section of the school's newspaper. We had to buy him almost all new clothes and his belly now hangs over his belt and he has developed a big double chin. I feel very bad for him and want to help but I don't know what to do.
Reply from HEY I CAN HELP!!, Child's Age 16 - 12/07/04 - IP#: 24.233.71.xxx Hey, Well first off, your son doesent have a lot of weight to loose. But if he wants to be the star again, (which he deffinitly can be) he must MUST loose the weight. Tell him he needs to go on a diet. Get rid of all the junk food in the house. And I mean everything. Make healthy meals at night. NO SNACKS! For lunch, pack him healthy stuff, and exersize and lift weights. (Weight lifting will not only help him to burn off the fat, but help him get stronger for b-ball.) I'm an athlete too so I know how important it can be. But since he's young, this will be easy for him, and give it till the spring and your son will be good as new.
Reply from Kelly, Child's Age 14 - 12/06/04 - IP#: 24.7.116.xxx hey John. nothing personal, i promise, but seeing as you are overweight, and your wife, and your three sons, you may want to consider that what your family eats could be optimized. do you or your wife cook for the family? does your family get enough fruits and veggies? this is very important to weight control. your son jordan sounds like, befor he broke his legs, he was quite an athlete. this means he burned a good many calories. when he broke his legs, he couldn't burn those calories, obviously, so his body was left with extra calories. for now, i'd say it's pretty important to make sure he gets enough exercise, even if it's just walking, thats a great way to burn calories. maybe try taking the whole family on a hike at a nearby trail? my parents sometimes take me on hikes and i've learned to appreciate exercise, so it mite help. i could go on with suggestions, because there are many, but this should be enough to get started. you'll notice what works for jordan as time progresses. also, the internet is a wonderful tool. type in 'weight loss help' to google and instantly, you'll have thousands of ideas. good luck!
Reply from Jennifer, Child's Age 13 - 12/06/04 - IP#: 4.159.181.xxx i also get made fun of a lot, like at least 15 times a day, and called fatty, tubby, lard ball, and some more at lest 14 of those 15...i kno how it is, kids are cruel
Reply from Jennifer, Child's Age 13 - 12/06/04 - IP#: 4.159.181.xxx wow, he sounds like an awesome person. im going through kinda the same thing with basketball. we had a game tonight, and i am the slowest on the team, and like 3 worst. ive gained like 70 lbs. in the past couple of years, and its really getting on me. i would like to be jordans friend. he can e-mail me any time at jene4_15@hotmail.com i would love to talk to him!:)
