Joanna Dolgoff - Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right: The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids

To my parents, husband, and children for their never-ending love and support.
Without you, none of this would be possible.

Contents

I want to thank everybody who helped make this book a reality. My grandpa Marty encouraged me to leave my stable job and take a risk, and to my surprise, my entire family was behind me! I am not sure if I would have had the courage without the support of my parents. Mom and Dad, thank you for making sure I followed my dreams and for reassuring me that you would always be there for me. I never would have been able to do this without you. I would like to thank my in-laws for their love and for always lending a helping hand with the kids. Aunt Robin, you were such a great role model and a true inspiration to me. Jonathan, you have been there for me from the beginning. You are not only my brother, but my friend (and travel agent and maid of honor!). Jason, thanks for teaching me about business plans and budgets. I shudder to think of what would have happened if you hadnt sat me down and made me focus on the numbers! Amy and Mindy, you are true sisters to me and I love you both. I send my love to my entire family: Grandpa Howie and Anne, Uncle Randy and Aunt Wendy, Aunt Robin and Uncle Robert, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Allen, Aileen and Stuart, and all my incredible cousins. I would like to thank my friends, Dara, Brian, Cynthia, Craig, Patty, Lisa, Scott, Ali, Adam, Shana, and Kara, for spending hours listening to me stress and helping me cope. I am so lucky to have such great friends. Doug, I knew you were my soul mate immediately, despite the fact that you kept swimming away from me. I love you so much. There is nobody else I would rather have by my side, sharing my life. Thanks for your love and support. Zachary and Danielle, I never knew I could feel love so deeply. You make me happier than I ever thought possible. I am really proud of you both.

And to my amazing team Cynthia (aka Cuz, aka Lawyer Extraordinaire), it has been so great working with you that I have to mention you twice! I have loved spending time with you and watching you in action. RoseMarie, you are the best publicist ever. Thanks for taking a chance on me. You were with me from the beginning and I owe so much of my success to you. Dave, Carrie, and TheKBuzz, you helped me turn my idea into a business and taught me the art and importance of social media. Thanks for all your guidance. Celeste, I am so lucky to have found you. You are so much more than a literary agent! Thank you for putting in all the extra hours and guiding me through this process. Julie, my editor at Rodale, thanks for putting your faith in me and helping me get my program out there. Maggie, I have so enjoyed working with you. Thanks for making this so much fun. Thanks to Alin for his super work on our Web site.

Lori, thank you for all of your hard work and dedication. You are so smart and knowledgeable and you make coming to work fun. I would like to particularly thank you for joining me on all those frozen yogurt runs! I am glad to have you by my side.

But most of all, thanks to the many wonderful patients and parents I have worked with throughout the years. I am thrilled to have been part of your lives and your families. You make my work so meaningful.

N o parent wants his or her child to be overweight or unhealthy. And if your child is overweight, it can be a scary, frustrating challenge. Along with the serious health issues that accompany excess weight, kids also face emotional, social, and psychological struggles. Overweight kids sometimes suffer from teasing or rejection from classmates, which may cause them to withdraw from typical childhood social experiences such as making new friends, trying out for sports, going to camp, or attending birthday parties. Sometimes even teachers can be biased. No child should have to suffer through the physical or emotional torment of being overweight.

Its no secret that were in the midst of an obesity epidemic, and kids are tipping the scales just like their parents. One out of every three American children is overweight, and doctors are seeing dangerously obese children as young as age 2. Obesity rates among US children have doubled in the past 20 years. Physicians and public health officials are duly concerned about this worsening problem. And apparently you are, too, or you wouldnt have picked up this book. If youre anxious about whether your child is eating healthfully or is gaining excess weight, youve chosen the right resource. I created Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right to help parents and kids learn that optimal health and weight loss can be achieved and maintained not by restricting food groups or counting calories but by learning how to eat nutritious foodsand having fun!

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right is a family nutrition plan based on the colors of the traffic light: Green Light (Go!), Yellow Light (Slow!), and Red Light (Uh-Oh!). I have color coded more than a thousand foods and determined appropriate serving sizes using this traffic light system. This program is the only standardized weight-loss program for children and teens designed by a physician, so you know its safe. Its also fun and easy for kids to follow.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right encourages the whole family to eat right and exercise more. Overweight family members will follow a program tailored to their weight-loss goals, while healthy-weight family members will follow a program designed for weight maintenance. The end result? Everybody is eating better, together!

So Mom and Dad, even if you dont have a weight problem, youll benefit from this program. You will eat better and have more energy. And when you participate in the program, youll have firsthand knowledge of what your kids are experiencingyoull be excited about it, and you wont feel hypocritical. And your kids will see that the whole family is getting healthy!

Im sure youre probably wondering if Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right will really work for your family. Thats understandable. After all, there are so many diets out there, and you may have tried some that just didnt work for you or your kids. Let me reassure you with an encouraging statistic: Because its fun and easy to follow, the Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right program has a 96 percent success rate. Kids lose weight, get healthier, and dont feel deprived. If youve picked up this book, youve already taken an important first step. Helping your children lose weight is about the smartest move you can make and is a real investment in their future.

Allow me to take a moment here to introduce myself. I am a pediatriciana doctor who treats infants, children, and teens. I went to Princeton University, majored in molecular biology, and loved every minute of my studies. I also taught exercise classes as a fitness instructor in my spare time. From there, I went on to the New York University School of Medicine, followed by pediatric residency training at Columbia Presbyterians Childrens Hospital of New York. I immediately felt at home in pediatrics. I love working with kids of all ages, and the joy of taking care of children solidified my decision to become a pediatrician. Eventually, I became a general pediatrics practitioner and worked in a private practice for several years.