Can you image how shocked I was to step on the scale this morning and see the number 60 flash out at me? I hadn't seen that number since I was seven! Unfortunately, someone changed the setting on my scale from pounds to kilograms.

All kidding aside,  one out of every five children in the U. S. is overweight or obese and this number is continues to climb. Overweight children are at high risk of becoming overweight adolescents and adults, placing them at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes later in life.  So it should be no surprise to learn that children almost half of our youngsters also want to be thinner, but we are not teaching our children how to "make good choices."

Yes, I know it's all in how you prepare the food and the snacks you eat along the way. But when we raise our children to "clean your plate" we are doing a lifetime of damage. In our house, the men come in all sizes. But the health concerns are the same. My slimmest son has to avoid the sugary sweets and eat more protein, and the other two, who are well within their weight ranges, know how easy it is to eat too much of the wrong foods.

The word diet should be banned from the American lexicon; making good choices includes avoiding fatty foods that cause heart disease, sugary foods that cause tooth decay and diabetes, or foods loaded with chemicals that may cause cancer. It's also important to note that the first three letters of diet are die...and any young girl will tell you, that she'd rather die than be fat. Or have to admit that she was fat. Rather we should be on a live-it, because we have to live our lives making these choices, to improve our health now and in the future.

As one who has struggled with weight for most of my post-pubescent life, I know how hard it is to stay in the correct weight range, and how easy it is to be discouraged.   In a world of super-sized meals, biggie fries and double beef whoppers, it is very easy to forget that the suggested calorie intake for a women is between 1,500 and 1,800 per day. 

A live-it is when you know that the choices you eat each day impact the other ones. If you have a bagel for breakfast (quick, six points on weight watchers with out the smear of cream cheese), then avoid a sandwich for lunch. Have a salad, with low-cal dressing and a hard-boiled egg on the side. Baked or steamed fish or chicken for dinner... a green vegetable... and that bagel did little to damage your calorie intake. Better yet, have a half a bagel, with a glass of skim milk and save the rest for lunch or the next morning. Throw in two pieces of fruit and you've covered your daily requirements without gaining weight.

So, you can imagine how pleased was I when my youngest child informed me that today was pizza day, and he had a single serving! Good choice.