If you’re an adult who struggles with extra weight, here’s my mom’s story. She was the first person I coached through my fitness plan. Here are some photos that tell her story.

 

Here’s a picture of Mom and me when I was 14.

Here’s Mom and me now.

 

Here’s Mom before she joined me in getting fit. Funny, smart, talented, and amazingly amazing.

And here’s my great-looking mom now!  Still funny. Still smart. Still talented. And always amazingly amazing. It’s just that now you see all those great qualities right away.

 

Mom lost 75 pounds in less than a year. She customizes my fitness game, but she follows all the basic rules. She works out regularly, doing cardio and weight training. She reads food labels.  But she says that the biggest change for her is the way she looks at food, fitness, and weight.  

Mom says,

“Taylor’s fitness plan helps get rid of negative thinking. I’m now my own number one fan and my own coach. I don’t think of the plan as a temporary strategy to lose weight. I see it as a lifestyle of health and fitness.  

“I’ve come to realize that food is not my enemy. It’s my attitude toward food that can be dangerous.  Most of us expect too much of food. Food is the fuel we need for a healthy body. It shouldn’t be our comfort, our stress reliever, or our entertainment.”

 

Are You Too Close to Notice?

Besides the extra weight, I carried around some pretty big worries—things my family never imagined. I think most kids who are seriously overweight experience the same fears and struggles I experienced.

Sometimes parents are too close to notice, and kids may be too embarrassed to share their feelings or ask for help. 

My family is loving and supportive, and they would have done anything to help me. But incredibly, they didn’t think of me as obese. I was just Taylor—funny, opinionated, optimistic.  If they’d known what I was experiencing as a grossly overweight teen, they would have helped me get fit.  

A chunky kid can turn into an obese kid or teen so gradually that those closest don’t notice.  

You may not see your own child as obese. But check the charts. If your child is classified as overweight or obese, here are some things he or she may wish you knew.

• Overweight kids worry about their health. They may be as terrified as I was about weight-related diseases. I avoided the doctor’s because that’s where I had to face my weight. I was afraid to have blood work because I was certain I had high cholesterol, and I was sure my blood pressure was beyond the safe range. The more I read and heard about weight-related diseases, the more worried I became.

• XXL kids often struggle with self-esteem issues. Though they may not talk about it, they’re probably teased, even if it’s good-natured teasing. And hurtful words can cause long-term psychological damage.

• Overweight kids can feel unwelcome among their thin peers. The more isolated kids feel, the more likely they’ll turn to food for comfort. And the more they turn to food, the bigger they get and the more isolated they feel.

• Most overweight kids are unhappy with the extra pounds and want to lose weight. Though I acted as if my weight didn’t bother me, I promise you it did.

• Many overweight kids have the beginnings of serious health problems. Kids can have all the diseases I was afraid of getting—heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes.

• Most teens don’t blame their parents for the extra pounds. They feel wholly and miserably responsible.

• Overweight teens can feel defeated before they start. When they have a lot of weight to lose, they may feel like it’s useless to try.