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“Think about your own childhood and adolescence, you didn't make the best decisions at that point so asking kids to make hard decisions about food and physical activity is really... I think, close to impossible.”

Dr. Kerri Boutelle from the UCSD Department of Psychiatry believes battling childhood obesity is a family affair.

Unlike other programs that work exclusively with children, Dr. Boutelle works with children and more importantly parents to get rid of unhealthy weight.

“So the first piece is setting up the home environment. You want to set up a protective environment for children who struggle with weight-related issues.”

For a lot of families – this means introducing the foods that come with peels, and tossing out the ones that come with wrappers. It required a lifestyle change from Rachel and her son Alex.

“life at home... has been ok. We threw out the junk food, we're eating more fruits and vegetables... just trying to get rid of the temptation.”

Parents are also taught to use positive reinforcement when their children make healthy choices. In addition, they need to be good role models – by eating healthy and getting exercise.

“I think it doesn't do much good for a parent to tell their child to exercise if the parent is sitting in front of the TV while they're doing that. So, I really try to up my own exercise program and to also do exercise with Josh.”

For the children, group sessions are all about having a good time. Physical and creative activities deliver important lessons about making healthy decisions in a fun and memorable way.

“The idea is to keep the child engaged because they've really had negative experiences around weight and we want this to be a positive and empowering experience.”

The program has been especially helpful to Alex, who can’t believe how he’s transformed in just 12 weeks.

“Sometimes I think like, am I really that person? Because like in that picture, my face is all blown up and it's like a balloon.”

For Josh, who wanted us to conceal his identity, his goal is to be as healthy as he can be.

“I do want to lose some weight. I also want to grow into my weight. Either way is fine.”

“I like that the program's not about a diet. It's a not about changing your eating habits for a week or a month or something like that. It's just about developing healthier lifestyles that will hopefully be with us for the rest of our lives.”

To learn more about Dr. Boutelle’s program, send her an email at kidsweight@ucsd.edu.