Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Nearly 20% of children and 18% of teenagers in the United States are obese. It's an embarrassing and uncomfortable situation for kids, but we found two area children brave enough to share their struggles.
It's time for Kassidy Kellerman's weigh in at Geisinger's Get Fit Clinic in Lewistown. The 16-year-old is about 50 pounds lighter than when she joined the program, two years ago. She'd been overweight for years, and finally decided she wanted to do something about it.
Kassidy says it's a struggle to maintain her momentum. "At the very beginning, I lost a lot of weight, but now I'm kind of at a standstill."
"Kassidy is still pretty heavy. Kassidy had more than just the weigh issue going against her and she has done phenomenally, to be honest," says Valerie Karper, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Geisinger Medical Center's Lewistown office. She helped start the Get Fit Clinic.
Kassidy's now less likely to develop heart problems or diabetes, since her cholesterol and blood sugar levels have dropped. But nine-year-old Baylee Mitchell could be headed for medical trouble down the road. His cholesterol's extremely high and he's on the verge of diabetes.
His mother Kelly says, "they told us he had the counts of a 50 year old man. That's a scary situation, my mom has extreme diabetes, my husband is a diabetic and that's not something i want for my son."
His test results led Baylee's family to enroll him in the Get Fit program about a month ago. Since then, their meals have changed from pizza and tacos,to vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce, as well as plenty of fruits. Baylee says it's good.
The clinic requires Baylee and Kassidy to keep a record of everything they eat, how much water they drink and how much they exercise.
The eating plan is simple: 3 meals a day , only in the kitchen or dining room, not in front of a television or computer.
up to 2 healthy snacks, no sugary drinks, and no second helpings.
Shawn Kellerman Kassidy's father, says the whole family now follows the plan. "Change your eaitng habits," he says, " because kids will eat what you eat. What you have in the house is what they'll eat."
Baylee's mother Kelly says it's the same at her house, "it's not something we're just pushing on him. We're making sure we all do it."
Baylee now sits around less and likes to get outside. He says "me and my Aunt Barb always take walks about ten blocks every day ."
Getting exercise is harder for Kassidy than watching her diet, but she's doing better. "I can walk a longer distance without getting out of breath and I dropped like 3 pants sizes." Kassidy's dad says she's losing a pound or two week now. Both families are in this effort for the long haul.
It's time for Kassidy Kellerman's weigh in at Geisinger's Get Fit Clinic in Lewistown. The 16-year-old is about 50 pounds lighter than when she joined the program, two years ago. She'd been overweight for years, and finally decided she wanted to do something about it.
Kassidy says it's a struggle to maintain her momentum. "At the very beginning, I lost a lot of weight, but now I'm kind of at a standstill."
"Kassidy is still pretty heavy. Kassidy had more than just the weigh issue going against her and she has done phenomenally, to be honest," says Valerie Karper, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Geisinger Medical Center's Lewistown office. She helped start the Get Fit Clinic.
Kassidy's now less likely to develop heart problems or diabetes, since her cholesterol and blood sugar levels have dropped. But nine-year-old Baylee Mitchell could be headed for medical trouble down the road. His cholesterol's extremely high and he's on the verge of diabetes.
His mother Kelly says, "they told us he had the counts of a 50 year old man. That's a scary situation, my mom has extreme diabetes, my husband is a diabetic and that's not something i want for my son."
His test results led Baylee's family to enroll him in the Get Fit program about a month ago. Since then, their meals have changed from pizza and tacos,to vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce, as well as plenty of fruits. Baylee says it's good.
The clinic requires Baylee and Kassidy to keep a record of everything they eat, how much water they drink and how much they exercise.
The eating plan is simple: 3 meals a day , only in the kitchen or dining room, not in front of a television or computer.
up to 2 healthy snacks, no sugary drinks, and no second helpings.
Shawn Kellerman Kassidy's father, says the whole family now follows the plan. "Change your eaitng habits," he says, " because kids will eat what you eat. What you have in the house is what they'll eat."
Baylee's mother Kelly says it's the same at her house, "it's not something we're just pushing on him. We're making sure we all do it."
Baylee now sits around less and likes to get outside. He says "me and my Aunt Barb always take walks about ten blocks every day ."
Getting exercise is harder for Kassidy than watching her diet, but she's doing better. "I can walk a longer distance without getting out of breath and I dropped like 3 pants sizes." Kassidy's dad says she's losing a pound or two week now. Both families are in this effort for the long haul.
Charlotte Ames is the area's only local Health Reporter and brings you the latest medical health news weeknights. You can catch Healthcast on WTAJ News at 5:00pm and her Health Headlines report on WTAJ News at 5:30pm.