Jillian's Wellness Team

Dr John La Puma

John La Puma, M.D., is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and a professionally trained chef. He hosts a weekly segment on Lifetime Television’s Health Corner called "What’s Cooking With ChefMD?" and has written several books, including ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine. When he’s not lecturing or appearing on television, he can be found helping patients at his private practice in Santa Barbara, California.

Visit his Web site.

How to Make Weight Loss Fun

I've been thinking about ways to make weight loss fun.

What's missing from most programs is just that. My most successful group program was Chef Clinic, which our contestants (we had contestants, like Jillian does!, back in '98) called "Camp for Adults."

No panty raids, but a lot of campfires, and incredible success.

Now I'm preparing to do a weight loss program for overweight kids. With a 8 week, easy mini Chef Clinic for parents, nearly all online.

To give them cooking, healthy eating, fitness and coping skills they don't have.  To take the pressure off overweight and obese kids.  To make the best choices easy choices. At home, at school, on weekends, at night.

My friend Mark Palmer sent me this video, from thefuntheory.com, part of Volkswagen. Bugs have always been fun, and Vanagons too (I learned to drive in a parking lot, grinding the gears of Julie P's bright yellow VW). Boy, was that fun.

And Mark has it right: creating a environment helps people do the right thing in that environment.

But even in a suboptimal environment, parents can help kids, especially kids under 12 years old with more dependence and less autonomy than teens, make the right choices by making them for the family.

Without blame or finger pointing, but instead with a wink and a nod.

How does your family have fun eating to lose weight?