'' THEE QUEST "

I am one day late for my Monday Health Tips but that’s me sometimes. When your Body,Mind and Spirit are in tune life is much more exciting and full of new things. My walking is improving my overall health tremendously and giving me great ideas to work on. Being in Perfect Health can be pretty hectic but it is a lot more fun.

Perfect Health comes in all shapes and sizes but seldom do we get a teen come to the forefront on the world stage. Taylor Lebaron is just a typical youngster that is growing up in a typical town just like yours but Taylor decided that being just typical was not going to do.

He decided to cut himself in half (not what your are thinking) and lose the weight that was holding his life back. Yes he is a teen and at 13 had had enough of being 297 lbs. His story is inspirational and he wrote a stern warning for parents just for Pierrette & I to share with you.

Taylor decided that living his dreams had merit and from his Mind laid a solid foundation to teach his Body to become the one his Spirit wanted him to be. Here is a message we all need to listen to and start changing the way we listen to our kids.

Taylor’s best selling book is called,”Cutting Myself in Half”. I will give you a link to buy it, but first read the message he wrote just for you.

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A Message to Parents

By Taylor LeBaron

When I weighed 297 pounds, carrying all that extra weight was difficult. But besides the extra weight, I carried around some pretty big worries—things my family never imagined. I think most kids who are seriously overweight experience the same fears and struggles I experienced.

Sometimes parents are too close to notice, and kids may be too embarrassed to share their feelings or ask for help.

My family is loving and supportive, and they would have done anything to help me. But incredibly, they didn’t think of me as obese. I was just Taylor—funny, opinionated, optimistic. If they’d known what I was experiencing as a grossly overweight teen, they would have helped me get fit.

A chunky kid can turn into an obese kid or teen so gradually that those closest don’t notice.

You may not see your own child as obese. But check the charts. If your child is classified as overweight or obese, here are some things he or she may wish you knew.

1. Overweight kids worry about their health. They may be as terrified as I was about weight-related diseases. I avoided the doctor’s because that’s where I had to face my weight. I was afraid to have blood work because I was certain I had high cholesterol, and I was sure my blood pressure was beyond the safe range. The more I read and heard about weight-related diseases, the more worried I became.

2. XXL kids often struggle with self-esteem issues. Though they may not talk about it, they’re probably teased, even if it’s good-natured teasing. And hurtful words can cause long-term psychological damage.

3 Overweight kids can feel unwelcomed among their thin peers. The more isolated kids feel, the more likely they’ll turn to food for comfort. And the more they turn to food, the bigger they get and the more isolated they feel.

4 Most overweight kids are unhappy with the extra pounds and want to lose weight. Though I acted as if my weight didn’t bother me, I promise you it did.

5 Many overweight kids have the beginnings of serious health problems. Kids can have all the diseases I was afraid of getting—heart disease, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes.

6 Most teens don’t blame their parents for the extra pounds. They feel wholly and miserably responsible.

7 Overweight teens can feel defeated before they start. When they have a lot of weight to lose, they may feel like it’s useless to try.

Of course, I hope you buy my book, Cutting Myself in Half, for your overweight teen. But most of all, I hope you’ll find some way to motivate your teen to get fit. You can find lots of fitness plans, and my hope is that you’ll find one that works for you. (By the way, my book has ideas that work for any age. My mom has lost 75 pounds following my plan.

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If you would like to read more about Taylor click here

You can get Taylor’s book Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time