Matt's Story

“Matt feels good about losing weight. When he played outside last summer, he would have to catch his breath. Now he doesn’t have to catch his breath anymore,” says Matt’s mother JoAnn.

Six-year-old Matt, nicknamed “Bear,” has lost 18 pounds since last December, when he weighed 117 pounds. His family doctor told JoAnn that Matt had the height of an eight year-old and the weight of a 14 year-old.

But Matt also had medical problems related to his weight, including high blood pressure. His doctor was so concerned with Matt’s health he referred Matt to a specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

The Dartmouth-Hitchcock doctor told Matt and JoAnn that Matt needed to lose weight. JoAnn was surprised. She hadn’t really thought about the health implications of Matt’s weight.

Experts nationwide have become increasingly alarmed about childhood obesity. National studies have shown that 15 percent of American children are overweight or obese. A recent New Hampshire study reported that 22 percent of boys and 17 percent of girls of elementary-school age are overweight and another 20 percent are at risk for becoming overweight.

But, being out of breath is nothing compared to the health risks associated with obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for the development of a variety of complications, including type 2 diabetes—a disease doctors once called “adult onset” diabetes because it appeared so rarely in children. A recent Yale University study revealed that 25 percent of obese children were at high risk for developing diabetes.

Matt’s Head Start teacher referred JoAnn to Terri Schoppmeyer, a UNH Cooperative Extension Nutrition Connections educator. Terri taught JoAnn the basics of nutrition, label reading, how to eat well on fewer calories, and the importance of parents serving as role models for good nutrition.

JoAnn started by writing down everything Matt ate, then decided what she needed to cut back on. “Matt used to eat two salami sandwiches on white bread with mayonnaise, but now has only one sandwich with mustard, instead of mayonnaise,” she said. “It was difficult at first to cut back on food for Matt. He’d say, ‘There’s nothing good to eat!’”

JoAnn and her husband have five children. The whole family began following a more healthy diet and lost a total of 65 pounds since December 2, 2004.

Dad plays a special role, because what Dad eats, “Bear” eats; if Dad eats well, so does “Bear.” JoAnn said, “Matt even likes asparagus and swordfish, just like his Dad.”

JoAnn says she is spending more on groceries; “I’m buying more fruit and other foods that sometimes cost more.” But when it comes to food, JoAnn now thinks first about her family’s health. “It’s hard at first to change eating habits, but you have to stick to it. Your child’s health is more important than anything.”

Some of the changes JoAnn made:

• Cutting back on items like chocolate milk (Matt was drinking four or five glasses each day)
• Offering fruits instead of breakfast pastries and other sugary, fatty foods
• Reading labels to identify the most nutritious foods
• Buying lower-fat products
• Finding ways to get her kids to eat vegetables
• Offering water instead of high-calorie drinks
• Encouraging more exercise

One of the best ideas JoAnn has for the summer is to keep a cooler full of ice cold water on her porch. When the kids get thirsty, they just open up the cooler and get their water. No hanging out in front of the refrigerator on hot summer days in this household!

If you’d like nutrition help from a UNH Nutrition Connections educator, call 1-800-FOODLINE and leave a message. We will have your local educator contact you.

By Valerie Long, UNH Cooperative Extension Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program Coordinator