Program helps obese families slim down

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) - Breakfast for 13- year-old Allie Fernandez takes a little more thought than just pouring cereal in a bowl. She has to measure out just one serving each morning. After discovering her cholesterol hit unhealthy levels, Allie's doctor signed the family up for Get Fit, Get Healthy, Get Movin' (G3) . It’s a free weight management program offered by Scott and White Healthcare and the Williamson County Health District .

“It’s one thing to come to your pediatrician and get one-on-one information and I think that that’s where children should start,” said Dr. Jennifer Helmcamp, G3 creator and a pediatrician at Scott & White Healthcare. “But, we need to have other levels that children can go to that bring the whole community into it.”

For Allie, that meant getting rid of soda, watching her portion sizes and exercising an hour a day.

"The easy stuff, the rewarding stuff is finding out you can lose weight from that,” said Allie Fernandez. “It feels great after that."

The Fernandez family has seen success with the G3 program. Allie has dropped 16 pounds since the summer, and her mother has even lost 35 pounds.

"We cheer her on,” said Allie’s mother, Ruth Fernandez. “[She’ll say] ‘Mom, do I have to ride the bike today?’ Well, yes, you do. Yes, you have to. The whole family has to be involved. And she does me the same way."

Helmcamp said involving the whole family is the key to the program's success.

"We know that the children can’t be successful if the parents aren’t modeling that behavior for them,” said Helmcamp. “So we want the parents to be involved so they can go home and be really good models."

G3 includes an initial meeting, nutrition counseling, separate parent and children classes, and monitoring for a year. Children ages 7 to 17 are eligible, but need physician approval. They also must live or go to school in Williamson County. Call 512-248-3252 or 1-800-890-6296 with questions or are interested in participating.

The Williamson County and Cities Health District, St. David’s Foundation , Scott and White Healthcare , City of Round Rock Clay Madsen Recreation Center , the Allen R. Baca Center and CORESpeed1o1 all support G3.