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Student serves as inspiration for mother's book of weight-loss tips for teens

A Minnesota State University senior who loves food has trimmed 65 pounds from his frame, and is an inspiration for his mother's book of tips for teenagers who want to lose weight.

2007-01-22
By Rhoda Fukushima, Pioneer Press staff writer [published in the Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, 1/22/2007]

Wes Gilbert was in the sixth grade when his weight started to climb. From chips to chocolate, he pretty much ate whatever he wanted. Though there were healthy foods at home — his mother is a dietitian — Gilbert relished sweet, salty and fatty treats.

By the end of his junior year of high school, Gilbert was 6-foot-2 and weighed 270 pounds.

"I love food. Period," says Gilbert, now a 23-year-old senior at Minnesota State University in Mankato. "And I still do."

Except now, Gilbert weighs 205, a 65-pound weight loss he has maintained since his senior year of high school. His experiences became the impetus for a new book written by his mother about teenagers who shed pounds sensibly and kept them off.

"It's their solutions for how they do the strategies we all know," says Anne Fletcher, author of "Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lose Weight and Keep It Off — and What They Wish Their Parents Knew."

Fletcher, of Mankato, interviewed 104 teenagers from 31 U.S. states and Canada. On average, they dropped 58 pounds each and have maintained their weight for three years. Sixty-three are female, 41 male. One in 10 are African-American, American Indian or Hispanic. She also interviewed some parents.

Fletcher's approach is similar to her previous books, "Thin for Life" and "Sober for Good," in which she sought the input of everyday people who succeeded at changing their eating and drinking habits.

Fletcher said parents should not make weight the focus of their relationship with their overweight children. Rather, encourage their talents and skills, which could empower them to make changes elsewhere. Gilbert was a champion debater, which his parents wholeheartedly supported.

"My mom didn't put pressure on me directly," Gilbert says. "She wasn't too pushy. But it adds another layer of guilt when your mom is a nutritionist."

Fletcher also tells parents to involve their teens in the decision-making process. She kept healthy treats and snacks in the house, but Gilbert rejected them at times.

"They weren't what I wanted — baked chips and pretzels, not the greasy stuff," he says. "When I was out of the house, I'd get the worst foods."

With college approaching, Gilbert was ready to make permanent changes in 2001. He started counting calories. He recorded them faithfully in his planner. He quit eating a nightly 500-calorie bowl of ice cream. He began playing pick-up basketball.

"The motivation has to come from within," he says.

For many of the teens, exercise was key in battling the bulge, Fletcher says.

That was the case with Kyle Johnson, now a senior at the University of Minnesota. In fifth grade, Johnson was 5-foot-4 and 185 pounds. He never exercised and endured taunts from friends and family.

Johnson says his parents were at both ends of the spectrum: One was too blunt ("You need to lose weight"); the other, too supportive ("You're not fat; you don't have a weight problem."). He would have preferred a middle ground, with more choices and cooperative goals.

"As an adult, you see things cut-and-dried: You need to lose weight. It's unhealthy. If you don't, you'll die," Johnson says. "As a kid, I didn't see the future. And I didn't realize how bad it was."

Johnson joined his school football team, which he loved for the structure. His teammates also encouraged him. "When things got tough, I didn't have a choice," he says. "I kept going to practice."

Johnson lost 25 pounds and eventually grew 7 inches. He also competed in swimming and track and field.

Now 6-foot-1, Johnson weighs 180 pounds, works out regularly and watches what he eats. "I try to get a nice balance," Johnson says. "Because I really like eating food."

Tips that work:

Anne Fletcher's light-bulb moment came when her overweight son, then 13, talked to another boy about how he had lost weight. She realized this book could not be "Anne Fletcher's take on teenage weight-loss"; it had to be a book about teens helping teens. Here are some of ways the teens got a grip on their eating habits:

• They changed what they drink. They drank more water, less soda.
• They cut the fat. They added back flavor by using seasonings like hot sauce.
• They reduced portions. They measured. They made less food. They didn't eat anything out of a bag or container.
• They ate more fruits and vegetables. They prepared them in ready-to-eat portions so they can grab and go.
• They ate regular meals. Nearly three-fourths of them said they ate breakfast, a morning snack or both.
• They shifted their carbs. They ate less high-sugar carbs, like sweets and desserts.
• They didn't deprive themselves. They had designated "extras" days but limited portion sizes.
• They snacked smarter. They ate healthier snacks, like apples with peanut butter or cottage cheese.
• They switched restaurants. They'd go to places that offer healthier choices. They substituted vegetables for higher-fat extras like fries.
• They partied wisely. They'd eat something before the event and then focus on socializing, not food. Author asked teens who have succeeded at losing weight to tell it like it is.

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