Parents: A letter from a proud parent
My journey with OPT for Fit Kids started about a year ago when my then 4-year old son had gained a pound a month for four months. I was concerned and mentioned this to our pediatrician who referred us to OPT. My family thought this was crazy because surely my little boy didn't look fat, but I made the appointment and went into the experience sure that I knew exactly what they were going to tell me.
The first thing I learned was that our views of healthy and unhealthy weights have been distorted over time. As so many of our children and adults get fatter and fatter we see a child, like my son, who looks just fine, but is actually too high on the BMI charts. I learned that yes, he wasn't grossly obese, but why let him get to that point? I needed to take steps now to ensure he didn't grow up to be a young man with a severe weight problem. Thankfully, OPT for Fit Kids has taken me on a path that will allow my son and daughter to grow up as healthy, happy children.
I knew my son already ate pretty well. He loved fruits and vegetables. Therefore, I didn't really understand why he was gaining weight so quickly. I soon learned that I was clueless when it came to the proper portions for a 4-year old. I fed him two waffles, he should have been eating one. I always made him a whole sandwich, now he eats half. I was simply over feeding him. This was my first of many valuable lessons.
I love that the nutritionists at OPT weren't asking me to completely change my family's life over night. We met about every six weeks and during that time we discussed what seemed to be the most important issue for us at the time. From that discussion we would set a few goals that I would try to reach prior to the next appointment. I am proud to say that we met every goal, which all revolved around lifestyle changes. Some were harder than others, but all were attainable, and none had to do with how much weight my son would need to lose. We made goals as simple as creating grocery lists prior to shopping, adding a salad to our meals, and making one nice dinner a week that wasn't processed. We also tackled more difficult goals like cutting back TV time to one hour a day! Was this childless nutritionist crazy? Well guess what? We did it. We don't do it all of the time, but setting this goal made me realize that we could do it! My other demon was fast food. When I first began at OPT I could easily count how many times a week we ate out at fast food. It was a minimum of 3 times a week. Now when I am asked I have a hard time even remembering the last time we ate out.
From day one my son never felt like he was targeted as being heavy or having a weight problem. The staff at OPT simply took his weight and height at the beginning of each visit and then he played while the nutritionist and I talked. My son knew that we were there to help our family get healthier, but I know he never felt targeted. In fact, he was the one who often kept me in line saying such things as, "The nutritionist wouldn't think this is a good idea."
As I stated earlier, we have been going to OPT for about a year. I feel that we have really gone over almost every possible aspect of creating a healthier life for my family. However, I find it difficult to break free of their support. I love checking in and seeing the progress my son has made and it will be difficult for me to wean myself from our nutritionist. This has been a wonderful experience for me and my son. I wish that all families with children, thick and thin, would take the time to assess their lifestyle and see what changes they could make now that will help their children forever!
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