For San Francisco readers keeping up-to-date on world news, we are pleased to present this story from The BBC.

By Jane Elliott
BBC News, health reporter

For the first time in years teenager Lizzie Butler is happy with her body.

The 14-year-old has bought a gorgeous strappy red and gold dress for Christmas – her first UK size 14.

From the age of eight she had been overweight, she over-ate and snacked on sweets and biscuits.

Last November she was an an overweight UK size 18, she did little exercise and was fed-up with her shape.

THE WATCH IT PROGRAMME

• Designed to help and support 8-16 year olds who have difficulty with their weight
• On enrolement, trainer carries out a thorough assessment
• Over the next few weeks, the family is guided through a step-by-step programme covering eating, nutrition, activity and emotional well-being
• Each week, the family looks at ways to set targets, and make changes to achieve weight loss
• Special weekly activity sessions help increase fitness and other skills
• The programme has links with community groups and organises extra activities from time to time

With her mother’s support Lizzie joined the NHS Watch It programme, which was developed and pioneered in her home town of Leeds.

It aims to motivate children, aged eight to 15, and their parents to lead healthier lifestyles by giving them individual and group help.

Children and teenagers sign up for a year’s programme concentrating on physical activity, nutrition and emotional wellbeing.

Now Lizzie has been given her gold award to recognise her encouraging progress.

She plans to continue to attend classes as she hopes to get down to her ultimate goal of size UK 10 – but she is delighted by her progress so far.

Real achievement

“It was an achievement to get my first size 14,” she said.

“I went into a really expensive shop in Harrogate that only goes up to a size 14 and I tried on some clothes that fit me for the first time so I was really happy.

“Since January I have lost 9kg (19lbs) and 10cms off my waist.

“I am 90 kgs (190lbs) and next month I want to be under that. In six months I would love to be a size 12.”

But it has not been easy for Lizzie. Unfortunately a back operation she underwent in April stopped her exercising.

This meant she was unable to achieve her target of getting down to a UK size 10 within a year of starting on the programme.

And she admitted she had found sticking to her diet and exercise routine difficult.

“When bad stuff happens and I feel down I want to eat the bad stuff,” she said.

“I particularly miss eating crisps, I had to stop eating them because they were so addictive, but I am having a few over Christmas.

“I have been good really though as I have had downs, but I carried on with the programme.”

Lizzie says she is now really starting to notice significant changes.

“I feel physically fitter than when I started. I now go to the gym and can go on the treadmill for longer,” she said.

“Before I just could not be bothered to do exercise, but I do enjoy PE now at school.

“I also hated getting dressed in front of everyone, but now I am fine about it.

“Although you can’t really see that I have lost much, I feel much happier in myself than I did at the beginning of the course.

“I do still want to be a size 10 – give me another year. My mum says the longer it takes the better.”

Progress delays

Her mother Deanna said Lizzie’s back problem had put her progress back considerably, but said her daughter had remained firm to her goals.

“It has been a hard slog, but she is back at the gym now,” she said.

“She has got into her first size 14 so she is quite buoyed up. She is a lot more comfortable with her size.

“She has not lost dramatic amounts of weight but it has got to a point where she is happy and that is the main thing.

“Because I have always been such a ‘yo yo’ dieter myself I thought Lizzie would have to lose a lot of weight to be happy, but she is more confident now and thinks that maybe being a size 10/12 is not the be all and end all.

“She is definitely healthier and has more confidence.

“I am very proud of her.”

Clare Wyke, Lizzie’s trainer at Watch It, said that she had been very impressed by Lizzie’s tenacity.

“She has been very much engaged throughout the whole programme,” she said.

“She has had quite a tough year so has had to limit what she does.

“For a while she was not allowed to do anything but gentle walking for a number of months which obviously meant she could not do the things she had started to such as going to the gym and the Watch it! activity sessions.

“But she has felt the programme has been helpful and has put quite a lot of changes into place regarding portion sixes and snacking so she has been very successful.

“For many young people struggling with their weight success is weight management, because it is very difficult to stop that snowball effect.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

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