Anne Fletcher: Weight Loss Confidential

By JULIETTE ROSSANT In this world of foodie fanatics and chef groupies, it is important to examine the darker side of food: the bleak reality of the obesity epidemic in America, especially childhood obesity. Anne M. Fletcher, M.S., R.D.'s Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lose Weight and Keep It Off and What They Wish Their Parents Knew (Houghton Mifflin 2008) tackles the problem by going to the source, teenagers with successful weight loss strategy. Anne's own son gained 60 pounds even though his mother was a weight loss expert and eventually lost the weight and kept it off. She learned that kids listen to other kids more than their parents – she listened to him, too. The book is filled with interviews of kids and multiple weight loss strategies for different kinds of kids. Accompanying the book is Weight Loss Confidential Journal, a hardbound weekly journal with space to write down what you ate, what exercise you did and what you plan for tomorrow. It's a strategy book to get beyond thinking short term and it has plenty of tips to get parents working with teens to help them accomplish their goals. Weight Loss Confidential is practical and positive like a section on Dealing with "Food Pushers" and Skinny Friends (pp. 68-9) and Making the Transition from Losing Weight to Keeping it Off (pp. 108-9). Anne lets the teens speak for themselves but provides plenty of analysis and guidance. The back of the book includes a section on Weight Programs Used by Teens (p. 193) that evaluates such programs as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and teen oriented programs like Way to Go Kids and various weight loss camps. If you know a teen with a serious weight problem, this is an excellent gift for the child and their parents. Previous articles: [Kid's Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef