Stacey Irvine takes fast food addiction to a whole new level. The British teenager has lived on a diet of practically nothing but chicken nuggets since the age of two.
“McDonald’s chicken nuggets are my favorite,” she said. “I share 20 with my boyfriend with chips. But I also like KFC and supermarket brands. My main meal is always chicken nuggets every day,” she said.
Irvine, who has claimed to have never eaten a fruit or vegetable, was diagnosed by doctors to have anemia, an iron deficiency, and swollen veins in her tongue. The 17-year old was rushed to the hospital after she collapsed and began struggling to breathe. Irvine received nutrient injections and was put on a course of vitamins before being released home.
Even after doctors urged her to change her diet, she says she will continue to eat her favorite food. “I first tasted chicken nuggets when my mum took me to McDonald’s when I was two. I loved them so much they were all I would eat. I just couldn’t face even trying other foods. Mom gave up giving me anything else years ago,” she added.
Read Full Post >
By Dani M. Stone
Isaac “Chism” Cornelison from Magnolia, Texas knows a thing or two about fighting to be well. At the age of 10, Chism was involved in a bad accident, breaking his ankle and injuring the growth plate in his leg. Over the next five years he would undergo seven surgeries to correct this problem with much time spent on crutches and in wheelchairs. At 19, Chism now weighs 361 pounds. This college freshman joins his father Mark Cornelison, a youth pastor, as the “grey team” on Biggest Loser 13. This season, Chism dons the title of youngest contestant.
During the time Chism was recovering from one surgery and waiting for the next, well-intentioned family members waited on him and even brought him delicious treats to cheer him up. Food for the soul, maybe, but not for the body. He admits that when the time came for him to be released from further surgeries, he had gotten so used to his sedentary lifestyle that nothing motivated him to move. A few times he and his father worked together to lose a few pounds for a specific goal such as a family vacation, but then once the “occasion” to lose weight was over, they both went back to old habits.
Read Full Post >
With a potential for 300 calories or more coming from your child’s sugary drink, it’s no wonder studies are being undertaken to find ways to decrease this type of beverage intake in adolescent populations.
Yet decreasing the amount of calories adolescents drink on a daily basis doesn’t have to be that difficult. Simply letting kids know what those calories mean may be all it takes.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recently reported in the American Journal of Public Health that providing African American adolescents with the facts about some of their favorite high-calorie drinks dramatically reduced how much they drank by 40%. Even better, letting the kids know how much physical activity it would take to burn off one drink resulted in a 50% decrease in high-calorie beverage consumption.
Apparently, adolescents, just like adults, want to better visualize what’s in their food. By showing the impact calories play on our daily lives, its much easier to see why getting just the right amount is important.
Read Full Post >
A new season of MTV’s “I Used to be Fat” starts October 11, 2011. This hit show had viewers glued to the screen last year as young adults embarked on intense life transformations.
The show is a documentary series highlighting overweight teenagers the summer before they start college. The profiled teens are desperate to shed pounds and are surprised by a fitness expert knocking at their door to help them accomplish their goals.
The teens go through intense fitness regimens and work alongside experts to learn how to make lifestyle changes. They also begin to understand the habits that caused them to gain so much weight in the first place.
Read Full Post >
Tune in to Dr. Drew’s Life Changers, his new daytime talk show, today, September 26th, as two former American Idols join Dr. Drew in helping two teens fight in their weight loss battle.
Together, through rigorous boot camps and new meal plans, former contestants Stefano Langone and Pia Toscano join two teen girls as they begin their journey to health.
