Starts tonite, 9/8 central
I do hope they help the whole family, and not just the kids.
Shaq helps six kids face 'big challenge' of obesity
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal says he understands why so many kids today are too heavy.
They live in a society in which "it's easy to eat a bag of chips and watch TV, easy to eat a bag of chips and play with your PlayStation. It's easy to eat a bag of doughnuts and just sit down and not do anything," O'Neal says.
DIETICIAN: Stress the smaller portions and veggies
That must change, and the Miami Heat center told USA TODAY that he wants to be a "firecracker" who encourages overweight kids and parents to eat better and become more physically active.
O'Neal is the star and executive producer of a six-part reality series, Shaq's Big Challenge, beginning Tuesday (ABC, 9 p.m. ET/PT). He and a team of medical, nutrition and fitness experts worked with six obese middle-school students from South Florida for nine months. They had the kids follow an intense exercise program and improve their diets.
He's also meeting Wednesday with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to push for more nutritious school lunches and mandatory physical education programs.
Currently, one-third of U.S. children and teens about 25 million kids are either overweight or obese, putting them at an increased risk of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
Pediatric gastroenterologist William Muiños of Miami Children's Hospital, who monitored the health of the kids in the challenge, says the show illustrates the "extensive struggle these kids went through to lose weight, even with all the support they had."
"To lose 80 to 90 pounds in nine months takes a Herculean effort," he says.
Working with the overweight kids was "very emotional," O'Neal says. In the first episode, the kids told him they were often teased and called names such as "chubby freak."
O'Neal says he could relate to these children because he knows what it feels like to get picked on and feel depressed. When he was growing up, he was tall and "kind of awkward."
He didn't have a weight problem as a child. In fact, he could eat whatever he wanted to because he stayed so active running and playing. At 7-foot-1, O'Neal now weighs 335 pounds. His six children are also active and don't have weight problems, he says.
He used to do commercials for Burger King but says he stopped a few years ago when he realized the scope of the "horrible" childhood obesity epidemic.
O'Neal would like to see other superstars join in the fight against childhood obesity.
He is staying in touch with all six kids via e-mail and says he may sneak in a visit to check up on them. The key to weight-loss success for kids is "believing in yourself, eating the right foods and being active," O'Neal says.
I do hope they help the whole family, and not just the kids.
Shaq helps six kids face 'big challenge' of obesity
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal says he understands why so many kids today are too heavy.
They live in a society in which "it's easy to eat a bag of chips and watch TV, easy to eat a bag of chips and play with your PlayStation. It's easy to eat a bag of doughnuts and just sit down and not do anything," O'Neal says.
DIETICIAN: Stress the smaller portions and veggies
That must change, and the Miami Heat center told USA TODAY that he wants to be a "firecracker" who encourages overweight kids and parents to eat better and become more physically active.
O'Neal is the star and executive producer of a six-part reality series, Shaq's Big Challenge, beginning Tuesday (ABC, 9 p.m. ET/PT). He and a team of medical, nutrition and fitness experts worked with six obese middle-school students from South Florida for nine months. They had the kids follow an intense exercise program and improve their diets.
He's also meeting Wednesday with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to push for more nutritious school lunches and mandatory physical education programs.
Currently, one-third of U.S. children and teens about 25 million kids are either overweight or obese, putting them at an increased risk of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
Pediatric gastroenterologist William Muiños of Miami Children's Hospital, who monitored the health of the kids in the challenge, says the show illustrates the "extensive struggle these kids went through to lose weight, even with all the support they had."
"To lose 80 to 90 pounds in nine months takes a Herculean effort," he says.
Working with the overweight kids was "very emotional," O'Neal says. In the first episode, the kids told him they were often teased and called names such as "chubby freak."
O'Neal says he could relate to these children because he knows what it feels like to get picked on and feel depressed. When he was growing up, he was tall and "kind of awkward."
He didn't have a weight problem as a child. In fact, he could eat whatever he wanted to because he stayed so active running and playing. At 7-foot-1, O'Neal now weighs 335 pounds. His six children are also active and don't have weight problems, he says.
He used to do commercials for Burger King but says he stopped a few years ago when he realized the scope of the "horrible" childhood obesity epidemic.
O'Neal would like to see other superstars join in the fight against childhood obesity.
He is staying in touch with all six kids via e-mail and says he may sneak in a visit to check up on them. The key to weight-loss success for kids is "believing in yourself, eating the right foods and being active," O'Neal says.
