Who's the new kid

Nine year old Breanna Bond weighed 186 pounds. At such a young age, she was experiencing the health consequences of obesity, not to mention the teasing and taunting from classmates. Something had to be done. Breanna's mom, Heidi, had made attempts to limit food, but almost always gave in to her daughter's wants. Finally, Heidi made one more attempt to save her daughter. Who's the new kid is their story.

Heidi started by throwing out all the junk food in the house and buying healthy foods instead. She had been unwittingly enabling her daughter by just having junk food in the house. Next she and her daughter started exercising. She soon realized they both needed to start slow and work up to running. So began their daily walks. Over time, with Heidi's firm hand, her daughter began to lose weight. Eventually, Breanna lost enough weight to be considered normal.

This book has received some criticism. Some believe Heidi acted like a bully, though she did have to take a tough stance. There is also the sustainability of her eat less, move more approach. With all the nutrition and health books I have read, I have to agree that it could become a problem. There were moments where Breanna complained of being hungry. Still, Breanna did lose the weight and eventually wanted to eat better to feel better.

This book is an interesting look at childhood obesity and one family's experience. It may motivate other families to make different lifestyle choices. From a nutrition perspective, it is problematic since the eat less, move more concept has been largely debunked. I have to wonder where Breanna is now. Has she maintained her weight loss? Does she have a healthy relationship with food?

The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog