Earlier this week I was in the Kearney, Nebraska area to speak twice on the topic of “Childhood Obesity: Practical Tips for Busy Families.” The Two Rivers Public Health Department was my sponsor and packed a lot of fruitful activity into a long day (thanks to Terry Krohn and Heather Easton for all the hard work and wonderful hospitality). I thought you might be interested in seeing an interview I did with one of the local television stations. Just go here and click on the video camera icon in the upper left hand portion of the page.
If you’d like more tips on how to protect your family from the obesity threat, here are some resources I have for you:

• An autographed hard cover edition of my book SuperSized Kids: How to protect your child from the obesity threat. On sale for $4.99 (while supplies last)
• An autographed soft cover edition of my book SuperSized Kids: How to protect your child from the obesity threat. On sale for $4.99 (while supplies last)
• You can view the book’s Table of Contents here
• You can read the book’s first chapter here
• You can view the book’s Web site here

Here’s the text from the NTV station interview by reporter Jessica Phinney:
“Super sized.” It’s a phrase we know well.
On Wednesday night, a nationally recognized family physician, author and former host of “Ask the Family Doctor” on Fox’s Health Network spoke to folks in Lexington and Holdrege.
Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last three decades.
You might be thinking your child’s extra pounds are “baby fat” they’ll grow out of. Think again. According to Dr. Walt Larimore, chances are they won’t.
With recent films like “Super Size Me” and “Fast Food Nation,”  folks are weighing in on the obesity epidemic even at the White House. Mrs. Obama recently launched the “Let’s Move” campaign.
Yet, we don’t seem to be getting the message as our kids continue to battle the bulge. In Nebraska, 31% of kids are overweight. That makes the cornhusker state 21st in the country when it comes to childhood obesity.
Terry Krohn, director of the Two Rivers Public Health Department, said, “A study that was done in central Nebraska several years ago showed the children in our area are actually the heaviest in the whole state, which really did surprise me.”
In his book “Super Sized Kids: How to Rescue Your Child from the Obesity Threat,” Dr. Walt Larimore said it’s time to cut the fat.
Larimore said, “If we don’t reverse this epidemic, our children will be the first generation in the history of the United States whose life expectancy will be shorter than their parents.”
But, Larimore said there are simple things parents can do that are easy to digest. The basics including sitting down for home cooked family meals instead of ordering, trading TV and computer time for exercise and making sure they get enough sleep. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, that amounts to 11 hours for kids and at least nine hours for teens.
“There are a couple of hormones we have. One of them increases our appetite. One of them decreases our appetite,” Larimore explained. “The less sleep you get the more those hormones get out of balance.”
Larimore said it’s about taking small steps to give your kids a lifetime of health and happiness.
“We’re  the last guardians of protecting our kids. I mean, who is there besides us?” he asked.
Larimore said you actually burn more calories sleeping than watching TV.