Testimonials

What parents are saying about KidShape

“The best part of KidShape was the time to talk and learn what other families struggle with and to know that we are not alone.”
--KidShape parent, Washington

“The KidShape program addresses both the emotional and physical health of the child and parents. It also promotes family togetherness. Words cannot express my appreciation. Without this program, I don’t feel that I could have made the changes.”
—KidShape parent, California

“My 12 year old son enjoyed coming each week – that’s amazing.”
--KidShape parent, Pennsylvania

“It is a program that understands kids and talks to them in a language that they understand without offending them.”
—KidShape parent, California

“The most valuable things about the program were nutrition information and the emphasis on self-esteem. I would definitely recommend KidShape to others because it is important and necessary to take action when our children’s health is at risk.”
—KidShape parent, California

“KidShape gave my daughter the ability to choose for herself the right foods to eat, without feeling different from others.”
—KidShape parent, California

“KidShape gets the whole family involved. It shows both the parents and the children that they are not alone and not the only ones with weight and mind/attitude problems.”
—KidShape parent, California

“The focus is on nutrition, not weight loss, and my daughter really got into it. She was really able to understand the information and is motivated.”
—KidShape parent, California

“KidShape is a program that kids will always carry within themselves. Once they learn, they can’t go back to being ignorant or naïve.”
—KidShape parent, California

“I enjoyed getting the measuring cups for the kids to measure their foods at home. It was a big eye opener.”
-- KidShape parent, Washington

“My three children learned how to read labels and think before eating. Now they forget about TV and get some exercise.”
—KidShape parent, California

“Words cannot say how grateful I am for all KidShape has taught us. KidShape gave us tips and techniques that have created an awareness in us that will last a lifetime. Thank you again.”
--KidShape parent, Pennsylvania

“The best subjects we covered were restaurants, portion sizes, and how to read a label. KidShape empowers the kids!”
—KidShape parent, California

“The KidShape program provides a safe environment for children to discuss their feelings regarding the issues of food and weight.”
—KidShape parent, California

KidShape makes the whole “eat healthy” focus easy to swallow.
--KidShape parent, Pennsylvania

“I have tried everything, and I recommend KidShape. The program is designed to get the kids involved. It helps them understand about good eating habits and exercise.”
—KidShape parent, California

“KidShape is amazing and we have learned a lot as a family. Thank you for everything. The staff was awesome!”
--KidShape parent, Pennsylvania

“KidShape taught us how, with love, we can help our children succeed.”
—KidShape parent, California

What kids are saying about KidShape

The most memorable part of KidShape for me was making friends.
--KidShape student, northern California

The KidShape instructors were so helpful!
--KidShape student, Pennsylvania

The KidShape program is perfect!
--KidShape student, Pennsylvania

Stories about KidShape Graduates

GABRIELLA’S STORY

Marcia didn’t want to make Gabriella go to bed hungry, and so she gave her a sandwich almost every night when Gabriella asked for one after supper. But Gabriella was overweight, kids at school called her names, and that made her feel really bad.

When Gabriella turned six, she and her mother started the program at KidShape, where Gabriella learned to read food labels, began to drink water instead of soda, and liked playing outside with other kids who didn’t tease her. She felt herself getting stronger. “I was amazed how quickly Gabriella picked up the information,” said Marcia. The mother and daughter began exercising together by walking uphill to a park about a mile from their house.

“Gabriella loves walking the trails,” said Marcia. People began to notice her weight loss almost immediately and say nice things. Kids aren’t picking on her anymore. She likes school now, whereas before she dreaded it. She’s happy now.”

By the time Gabriella finished the nine-week KidShape program, she had lost 12 pounds, dropping from 73 to 61 pounds.


KEVIN’S STORY

Roberta and Larry became concerned when they noticed a bump on the neck of eight-year-old Kevin near the top of his spine. A pediatric endocrinologist diagnosed it immediately. “Your child is overweight and the bump on Kevin’s neck is called a ‘buffalo hump.’ They’re fairly common among people struggling with a weight problem.”

Roberta had never regarded her son as overweight, although “I noticed he was always tugging at his shirt to cover his belly and he’d cried once and said he didn’t want to go to school because kids teased him.” Even though Kevin ate relatively healthy meals with his family, he snacked on chips and soda while doing his homework. Roberta realized that she had always used food as a reward. Kevin liked to go to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza slathered in melted cheese and to all-you-can-eat buffets.

Kevin and his parents attended KidShape classes where they met with a nutritionist for 30 minutes, and then a mental health professional to talk about the emotional issues underlying Kevin’s eating. Kevin and other kids also worked with a trainer, playing games and doing exercises.

Kevin and his mom and dad learned how to read nutrition labels on foods. “I’d watch him out of the corner of my eye and see him read the backs of the labels and then put the high-calorie items back on the shelves,” Roberta says. “He decided what he wanted on his own.” Roberta thinks KidShape works because it “lets kids take charge of their own weight and health, by teaching them how to be conscious of what they are eating.”

The entire family has become much healthier. Even Larry, who had been health conscious and worked out regularly, lost 10 pounds. Kevin lost 6 pounds while growing two inches taller—the equivalent of losing 14 pounds. Now Roberta sees a much happier boy, one who really likes being in control of what he is eating. “He came home one day and had a big smile because that day two people had told him he was looking better.”


MARTIN’S STORY

Martin was only five years old and yet he was as tall as a typical eight-year-old and weighed 72 pounds. He was much taller than would be expected based on his parents’ heights because overeating and becoming overweight had stimulated the secretion of hormones and growth factors.

“He’s always hungry, and thirsty, too,” Melissa, his mother, explained to her doctor over the phone. “He drinks a lot, but it’s just juice.” She also told him that Martin watched several hours of television a day and his daily babysitter did little in the way of physical activity—the sitter watched over him as he played with his toys and sometimes watched television with him. He wasn’t playing much with other kids. Melissa’s concern led to a new program for Martin.

He was allowed to watch only one hour of television a day, with no eating during TV watching. More importantly, he was allowed only eight ounces of juice a day, and was given water to drink instead. The KidShape dietitian showed Melissa that most of Martin’s juices were sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, a sugar that has been known to lead to weight gain. Even the 100 percent fruit juice contained 120 calories in one eight-ounce serving, and Martin was drinking up to 10 glasses a day—an astounding 1,200 calories and 260 grams of sugar just from juice. Melissa had made the same mistake a lot of parents make, assuming that giving Martin a glass of apple juice was good for him. But in terms of sugar intake, Martin was consuming the equivalent of 26 apples a day, without the fiber in apples, which, among other benefits, limits how fast sugar is absorbed.

Other changes were made. His sitter was asked to take him to the park instead of sitting around the house all day. Melissa enrolled him in a play group that gave him a chance to run and chase after other kids. In the first three months of his new regimen, Martin didn’t gain a pound, which, for a growing child, is the same as losing weight for an adult.


MARTA’S STORY

The pediatrician told Sandra that her daughter, Marta, needed to lose 20 pounds. So Sandra and twelve-year-old Marta reluctantly attended KidShape classes. They had just begun to adjust to the new way of thinking about health, diet, and exercise when Sandra foresaw a huge roadblock looming—Thanksgiving.

Sandra was a first-generation Mexican-American. She had spoken only Spanish until she went to school. On Thanksgiving Sandra’s family ate many of the usual Thanksgiving foods. However, for Sandra, a large part of hanging on to her heritage involved traditional Mexican foods made from recipes passed down from her abuela, Rosa, who was very much the matriarch of the family. Sandra remembers tamale parties for the conviviality as much as for the food produced. “We’d all sit around and drink beer and have so much fun,” she recalls.

It’s hard to give up foods connected to such positive feelings and memories. Nevertheless with a big Thanksgiving feast approaching, it was important to make sure Marta didn’t suffer from a significant lapse. When Sandra prepared the stuffing, she used a fat-free margarine in place of butter, added chicken broth to moisten it, and cooked the stuffing outside the turkey instead of inside it. She served steamed vegetables, lightly coated with zero-calorie butter-flavored spray, and a sweet broccoli salad made with turkey bacon and a dressing of nonfat mayonnaise, vinegar, and honey.

Sandra watched proudly as Marta served herself the correct portions of foods, taking only half a cup of mashed potatoes, saying “no, thank you” to the buttered rolls an aunt had brought, and made good choices as to which temptations to give in to and which ones weren’t worth the extra calories. “At a family meal, where other people bring dishes you can’t control, the trick is knowing your choices and your portions, and making trades,” she said.

The turkey was moist and wonderful, the stuffing was a big hit, and everything went well. Best of all, before the feast Sandra organized a family soccer game. Everyone had a chance to run around and “work up an appetite.” Of course, what Sandra and Marta and the others were actually doing was burning calories.

“The only thing that didn’t work was the gravy,” Sandra says. “We bought a can of fat-free gravy at the store instead of making it from the drippings ourselves, and it was not a big hit, even for me. So we’ll try something different next year. We’ll figure it out.”

What the experts are saying about KidShape

“[KidShape will] get your family motivated to a healthier, thinner future. KidShape gives the tools to prevent not only obesity, but other serious medical conditions as well, including diabetes and high blood pressure.”
-- Resa Levetan, MD; Professor and Chief of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism; Drexel University College of Medicine; author of Day by Day Diabetes.

“KidShape reflects the lessons we have all learned together to fight obesity. I have watched this program as patients and their families came, hungry for an awareness of the distress they feel and for education about nutrition.”
-- Chris Landon, MD, FAAP, FCCP; Founder of the Landon Pediatric Foundation; Director of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Diagnostic Center, Ventura County Medical Center, Ventura, California

“If you have children who are overweight, if you know children who are overweight, or if you are simply concerned about stopping the epidemic of obesity and related illness that is threatening our children today, then you must [learn about KidShape]. Dr. Neufeld provides the means to restore and preserve our children’s health.”
-- Donald Bergman, MC; President, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists; Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

“Any parent with an overweight child should learn how to become informed consumers of healthy foods in a marketplace filled with confusion. Here are commonsense solutions that work. I highly recommend KidShape.
-- David Heber, MD, PhD; Professor of Medicine and Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition; author of The L.A. Shape