Breanna Bond one year ago.
A year ago, nine-year-old Breanna Bond was overweight. Breanna weighed 84 kilograms – which is well over the healthy weight for a child her age – and she’d been relentlessly bullied at school.
“Everybody at school would call me names,” the fifth grade American student said in a recent interview. “They would call me fatty, they would call me fat head.”
To stop the taunts, Breanna’s parents, Heidi and Dan, decided to help Breanna lose some of her excess weight. They put her on a healthy regime – which included a family walk every day. Breanna worked out on the treadmill for an hour and 15 minutes daily, joined the school swim team and ate a diet that consisted of only 20 grams of fat per day.
Within a year, Breanna had lost 30 kilograms. And this week she’s been doing media interviews across the United States media networks to talk about her ‘dramatic transformation’.
In her parents own words, Breanna lost weight the “natural way” – through exercise and healthy eating habits.
In every interview, it’s that aspect of Breanna’s weight loss that’s celebrated.
And yet the ‘dramatic reveal’ in the video below made us feel rather uncomfortable. It made us question why Breanna’s parents felt the need to take their daughter’s weight loss public, as this nine-year-old girl trumpeted her weight loss the way a Hollywood starlet would after giving birth.
Take a look at her interview on ABC News (the beginning is fine but it starts to get squirmy at around 1 min 35 secs).
Now why exactly is this unsettling? Good question, it’s difficult to nail down because where’s the the line between promoting a healthy lifestyle and focusing too much on the physical?
What message does it send to a perfectly healthy little kid (who doesn’t need to lose weight) who is also bullied at school, who watches this on TV and thinks ‘that’s the solution for me to stop the bullies’?
And why is a little girl having her body ‘revealed’ to the world and being praised for her figure? And what message does it send to Breanna? That the world loves and celebrates you only for how you look?
Or maybe that’s totally off base.
Because this IS something to be celebrated. A happy little girl who is positive about how she looks and proud of being fit and healthy and having lost weight in a way that caused no danger to her health.
And yet… something isn’t quite right.
Your thoughts?
Comments
73 Comments so far
Get over it… If we read a message into everybodies triumphs, we would all have huge hang ups… people who are going to get those sorts of idea’s (kids included) have other issues, if it’s not weight loss, it will be having a baby at 16 to get attention or god only knows… Let this little girl have her moment of fame… she has worked hard, & she deserves it!!! If anything that is what should be learned from this lesson… hard work does have rewards.
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lol she weighed 100 pounds in kindergarten… i weigh 90 something pounds and im in my freshman year XD
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As an overweight child that didn’t lose weight until my early twenties I think this girl rocks. My whole childhood was an obsession over my weight, food, dieting, clothes that I couldn’t fit into, dreading swimming carnivals – the list goes on.
The strength and will-power that this girl has shown at such a young age is phenomenal and she should be endlessly proud of herself.
Nobody in the footage I saw referred to her as looking ‘beautiful’ or even ‘pretty’. The presenter said she looked fantastic – which she does. She looks like a young, happy and healthy girl should!
She is inspirational.
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I know that this video is a little shocking but the reality is that America has a terrible childhood obesity rate.These parents weren’t focusing on a skinny image goal, they made these changes for her health which she was struggling with. Being obese as a child is debilitating, why wouldn’t you want to help your child in these circumstances? Kudos to the parents, I would do the same if that was my child.
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Welcome to the world of past generations where most people were slim, good food and exercise.
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That world still exists for me. No excuses, only laziness, gluttony and rubbish processed food for being a fattie.
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Wow, that’s a tonne of exercise – Why only issue is Why was she obese to begin with and were the parents not concerned about that earlier (given that her weight was making it hard for her to breathe?) Why wait so long to make positive changes to your kids life ? Better late than never though I guess
On the upside – That little girl has sure done the hard yards and should be very proud of herself.
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Although I wouldn’t choose to go public if it were my child, the parents appear to have the best interests of their family at heart.
The parents are modelling healthy behaviour by exercising and eating a balanced diet alongside their daughter. I don’t think food and exercise is being made an issue as it is part of the lifestyle for the entire family.
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I can’t help feeling this girl is now going to have major issues surrounding food and her weight as she grows up. There are subtler ways you can change a childs diet without them being overly aware. Of course speak to them about healthy eating but to have such a restrictive rules regarding diet and exercise routine is not beneficial long term.
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I actually thought it was fine. And fine to publicise it as it’s inspirational. There is an obesity problem so this is a clear message that it can be beaten in a simple, no nonsense way. I was thinking that maybe she was going to come out in an inappropriate glamourous outfit or something but…she didn’t. She looked great – healthy, natural and happy great
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I totally agree. I feel like the coming out to the public with this is a way to send a message to other families in the same situation, and say that it is possible to be healthy and happy with a few changes to lifestyle… I think counting calories in any case is a little excessive in my personal opinion, but apart from that i think it’s fantastic! and hopefully healthy lifestyle is something she’ll now carry on with for the rest of her life
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I think what the family did was great for their daughter’s health. I definitely agree that it needs to start as early as possible because things that are can be helped at 10-20 years old can cause serious damage at an older age. My only problem was that they publicised it. I thought that was unnecessary.
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I have absolutely no problem with this at all. They have helped her and given her the grounding to change her life… And by going public maybe also given hope and encouragement to other obese children (who might not have the family support behind them that she does) that, yes its hard work but if Hannah can do it so can they.
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just seems like an awful lot of exercise – I had to stop for a timtam just hearing how much exercise the girl did – shame that her activity could not be part of an active day rather than a regime, otherwise what the parents say makes perfect sense, a healthy diet and exercise – given healthy children and their natural ability and enthusiasm, there is really no excuse for the rate of obesity in children
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I think the uneasiness is the way the family have gone public with her weight loss. I commend her parents for taking her on a healthy lifestyle change (even though an 1 hr and 15 mins a day on the tradmill may be a little excessive), but to then go public and announce the reasons they did this was because of being bullied… there is something missing in that.
Bullying is a much deeper and emotional issue and to say it is because of weight may be putting a blanket over some of her other emotional challenges and feelings.
Yes, help her get to a healthier lifestyle, but don’t ignore how the bullying may go deeper then just physical appearance. as Michael said below, weight loss will never solve the problems within.
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As someone who was formerly obese and is now a healthy weight, I am 100% behind the girl and her parents. It’s the only way.
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Reality check: you can never, ever, use weight loss to solve problems that are not related to your weight. :…At your goal weight or not, you still have to live with yourself and deal with your problems. You will still have the same husband, the same job, the same kids, and the same life. Losing weight is not a cure for life”. ~ Phillip C. McGraw, The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, 2003
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I think the uneasiness only comes from the fact that they are obviously nervous about being on TV and to us, that is unusual. Most Americans tend to have this overconfidence and this family clearly don’t. They all had terrible answers to his questions and I think with a bit more practice it would come oiut a lot better.
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I honestly don’t know why MM can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong with the video.
Generally there’s always someone around to tell you exactly what’s wrong with everything else that’s happening out there, so this time around, the fact that you all are baffled is somewhat baffling !
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Its called fence-sitting.
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I think the Biggest Loser-style screen comparison when she walked out was a bit tacky, but I think this is an example of a family who have tackled their weight issues quite successfully. I imagine there are many other American families with similar issues that could learn something from this. The interviewer was respectful and noted how healthy and happy they looked. Don’t see a problem with this at all.
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Great she lost the weight but if the parents are so into health and supportive why was she so big so young to start with. Also is an extra hour a day on the treadmill sending a realistic message to kids about how much exercise they need to do? On the positive family walks are great!
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I don’t think its the story that is the issue, I think it is the fact that they are publicising it. Children can lose weight or gain weight on a regular basis, as can adults. I don’t think it needs to be advertised on a national American TV show. So she lost weight, big whoop, people do it all the time. Is she special because she did it and she’s nine? If her parents are so onto it why did she get so big so young anyway? I’m sure plenty of kids have lost weight, or puppy fat, or gone from being severely unhealthy to healthy. I DON’T think it needs to be on the news, I definitely think it can send mixed messages. And it glamourises the fact that this child was so unhealthy at such a young age and now she’s not, young girls suffer from eating issues all the time. And a lot of these would be young healthy girls, what happens when they start going on the treadmill for that long on top of all their other exercise. I don’t think kids should be put on the news for losing weight, thats my main point.
I’m glad that she is healthy and happy that she is no longer the bigger girl in class, but I don’t think it should have been on any news network.
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I think its great. It is a bit over the top and American, the way they have presented it, but turn on any US talk show and you’ll get that icky feeling.
As for the message it sends? There are plenty. With hard work you can achieve your goals. Sensible eating and exercise is the best way to lose weight. Stick with something and you will see the fruits of your labour. There are plenty of great messages in there. The focus is at no point on her appearance – if it was the family probably would have used a quicker and more harmful weight loss solution.
The girl needed to lose weight and did it on her own terms, for her own health, not to satisfy anyone else. I’m not sure why the bullies get a mention to be honest – lots of kids get (obviously unfairly) bullied because they are overweight or for any number of reasons. Should she stay overweight to spite them? They get no say in her health or her families.
Great story, impressive little girl, and a very supportive family!
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Mum designed a diet and exercise plan.
I’m sure there’ll be a book out in time for Christmas.
You have to ask, seeing the footage of the little girl as a toddler that she was plenty active so food is the culprit. Who gives the food? Parents. It’s easy to do though, so many things in the states are laden with sugar and it’s become the same over here.
You really have to understand what you’re eating and what’s in it to stay healthy.
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Seems all positive to me; they spoke about healthy eating, motivation, involvement in sport, family involvement and not once mentioned how pretty she is or superficial talk. The journalist mentioned how healthy & happy she looked …… an inspiring story for anyone overweight or unfit; young or old.
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I don’t have any problem with this at all. The parents are caring and supportive, at no time are they judgmental or blaming of the child. Together they have really got themselves together and sorted her health out. The girl herself is focused on her health, she says she is happier because she can keep up with her friends and play sports. If she was saying she was excited because she looked “skinny” or was a size “X” then there would be something wrong. I think they should all be proud of their achievements!
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I found this very informative and courageous. I too have a child that suffers from obesity and his health is deteriorating because of it. All the paediatricians we have seen have done little but take our money with no hope for the future. His weight problem affects his health, his socialising and in turn his behaviour. I don’t find this disturbing at all in fact it is inspirational. This little girl is not having her body flaunted she is simply displaying before and after photo’s in a non intrusive manner and what it would have taught her is perseverance, commitment, and that you can be or have what ever you want in life as long as you work hard to achieve it. I fail to see how this is an issue other than the obvious that child psychologists these days concentrate more on soft love than hard love and are responsible for a generation of juvenile delinquents. With a war against smacking or punishing children and a push towards children’s unearned rights, respect and responsibility has been left in the past.
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“I fail to see how this is an issue other than the obvious that child psychologists these days concentrate more on soft love than hard love and are responsible for a generation of juvenile delinquents”
Offensive much? The practice of psychologists is based on what modern research tells us. Parents are responsible for producing juvenile deliquents. And what have psychologists got to do with child obesity anyway?
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it’s fine by me.
Camille
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i don’t think there’s anything wrong with this really… she’s worked hard for it, good on her, and good on her parents for helping her.
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I can’t see what the fuss is about either. I don’t think the video is unsettling at all. Her parents talk about the hard work she put in and how they supported her as a family. She looks happy and healthy and in an overweight nation like America, a few healthy weight loss role models is a good thing.
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I don’t have a problem with this. They talk about the hard work they did and how they supported her as a family. If they had paraded her in a swimming costume it would have been totally inappropriate.
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Rather than be creeped out by this clip, I think a lot of good could come of it.
Her parents are not the only ones to have allowed their young child to grow to be obese for their age. Other parents watching this clip may now understand what a healthy lifestyle change actually is, and how to implement it in their own family. They have an example here of an average family, not experts judging and spouting at them, no crash diets, no expensive treatments. Just a healthy diet/exercise change successfully implemented by a mum and dad like them.
If only one or two can acheive the same results, then surely that cannt be a bad thing?
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what is unsettling is parents placing their child in the media spotlight to talk about intensely personal things like weight and bullying in the first place. Children should have the right to privacy.
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I watched this through, and I can’t see what the fuss is about.
Am I missing something. Two parents, whose child was grossly overweight, decided to motivate her to lose wait to save her life…..
And as for any discomfort? I saw none. Seriously, why is it a bad thing to promote that obesity is OK? I’m all for being comfortable about who you are and how you look, but obesity is no different to smoking, drugs, drinking…. It’s BAD for you.
Face it, if you’re overweight, you….are….fat and it WILL affect your health. Sorry to sound harsh, but it’s a fact. I’d say the same person who is an alcoholic or drug addict.
Pity more parents didn’t take responsibility for their kids health like these parents.
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They only took responsibility after it got to a sever point! Shouldn’t they have been doing it from the start, making sure the kids grew up healthy, rather than acting on it one they realised their childs health may have been in jeopardy.
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Yes, you’re right they should’ve and I did wonder myself how she got to that point in the first place, when both parent’s aren’t overweight. However, they did say that they thought early on as a toddler she may have had a medical reason for the weight gain and sort advice on that…. Because they did this, I believe they were feeding her good food etc.. They aren’t stupid – if they were feeding her junk food they wouldn’t have bothered going off to doctors for tests to find the cause of her weight gain.
So I don’t think they were terribly bad in not doing something earlier, as they did explore reasons.
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I think this is wonderful! But I’m wondering how she was overweight in the first place. Both her parents seem fit and healthy, I wonder what/how much they were feeding her??
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My question too! Why did they let her get so big so young.
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DO you know what the best thing I can see….. The parents took responsibility and control and not only put her on a healthy eating plan, but also followed it and participated in the exercise too! come on, how many times have we seen the parents on tv McDonalds made my 4 year old fat… Um you are the one buying it…. I hope her story influences other parents to stop being the victim of a fast food life and take control for their kdis future
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I don’t really find this that unsettling. I think good on that little girl for her hard work and good on her family for supporting her through it and being part of it instead of just making it all about what she had to do by herself.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with encouraging a child to be healthy and to get into sports. I realise that this amount over a year may be a little fast, but she, like the presenter says, looks so happy and healthy.
Breanna is obviously not focusing on her “size” when answering questions, she is talking about keeping up with her friends and enjoying sports. What is bad about that.
Also, I think to say that she’s too young to be worrying about that stuff is a little unfair. If she wasn’t to do something about it while she is young, then it may continue to be a problem into adulthood. Why not address it now, adopt good eating and exercise habits now, instead of having to deal with it in highschool or university etc.
Sure, maybe it didn’t need to be paraded around in this way, but at the same time, if Breanna encourages one other little girl or boy that you can become healthier, or one other adult for that matter, surely that’s something that should be spread around for others to see and be inspired by.
Good on Breanna and her family!!!
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mmm now look out for mummy’s new diet book on the market….
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I completely agree that this is unsettling. What concerns me most is at no time did the parents acknowledge that her weight issues began with them. No baby is overweight of weighing 40+ kg at pre-school through a fault of their own. They learn their eating habits and portion control from those closest to them. They talk of tough love and discipline – but only for the daughter and not for themselves. I think it’s wonderful she has lost the weight and has done it in a safe and sustainable way. But somehow it seems like her parents imply she has done wrong, or was naughty, or something. I cant quite put my finger on it. They have celebrated ‘their’ achievement, but not hers?
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They do acknowledge it, and they all changed their eating and lifestyle habits, and supported her by all doing it together.
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Better than ignoring the problem,goon on them!
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I don’t see anything wrong with this video. The girl is clearly happier with her weight loss and now enjoying activities.
I guess they are just trying to encourage other parents with obese children that it takes time to lose weight with healthy eating and exercise.
The only thing unsettling for me was how the mother treated it a bit like a military operation. But I mean, it worked for them and the child is happy so good on them.
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Her parents shouldn’t have let it get to that stage in the first place. The girl said herself that she had trouble breathing when she was big so wasn’t that enough of a trigger for her parents?? Why did it take what others think to get them to wake up?
I agree that Breana is now a healthy role model for kids looking to do the same, she has done all the work to get healthy. But her parents should receive no accolades!
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While it’s a shame that she was ever needed to lose so much weight (and I guess her parents are to blame for that), I think they do deserve accolades for guiding her in the right direction to lose her excess weight healthily. They clearly supported her along the way by the family eating good foods and doing exercise with her. They clearly made a mistake by allowing their young child to become so large, but they’ve remedied that and without her parents support, she probably wouldn’t have achieved her goal.
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There isn’t anything in the slightest unsettling about this story. Good on her for her had work and discipline in losing the weight and good on the parents for totally changing their lifestyles to assist their daughter in achieving that loss. This is a story that needs to be on every possible TV show they can get on so that other parents with overweight kids can see that it is possible to help your kids achieve real and significant weight loss.
Why on earth would other children (of a healthy weight) who are being bullied, think that adopting a healthy diet and exercise regime would be a way to end their bullying? Do you think these other children who are being bullied are stupid? Because that’s what it sounds like.
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Isnt it nice for a change to see parents taking a whole family approach and taking control, rather than just blaming fast food for making their kids fat
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There is nothing squeemish about this “positive” news story. Good for her and her family for making the changes they needed to be healthy both in body and in mind. I know from experience it is not so easy to “control” every little thing your child puts in their mouths especially when they are at school, sporting activities, friends, movies etc. As they said it was a lot of tough love.
I commend them.
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It is hard for anyone to be the prolonged centre of attention and carry it naturally. The father seemed to be justifying his ‘tough love’, the girl looked as though she didn’t like him bringing it up several times. I don’t think that normal weight children, will see this as a way to stop being bullied. Why? In any case if they decide to go for a walk everyday and do exercise and eat healthy, I don’t see a problem with that. Your point: why do it publicly? I concur with: let her enjoy her life, be an ordinary girl enjoying her health and the self esteem that comes from being fit, rather than from being given lots of publicity. I agree with other commenters as well about her not being paraded as such, her body was appropriately dressed and she looked ‘normal’ not overly thin or artificially beautiful.
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I could not find anything at all ‘squirmy’ about this video and story.
She’s not exactly being ‘praised for her figure’, she is being praised for her hard work and now being, as the presenter very nicely put ‘healthy and looking so happy’.
The first thing she said when asked how it felt to have lost the weight was that it felt great to be involved in sports. Now that, is something that is very nice to hear.
As for being ‘revealed to the world’…. I don’t know. Obviously if something goes on TV, it’s got a fair chance of being shown anywhere in the world, but it seemed to me that she went on a US tv show and the only reason I’ve now heard about her is from this website.
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I found it uncomfortable too. There was something about it that reminded me of the Biggest Loser finale. And while it is a positive thing that the family have worked out ways to be more healthy, I just wonder what this means for Breanna? What will happen if she gains weight? How will she feel about that? What could teenage rebellion look like? What if she weight loss becomes so important that it leads to eating issues? Sigh. I just… worry when food, exercise and body shape are given such a strong focus in children. Perhaps the parents could have done exactly the same thing (changed eating habits, encouraged exercise *without* talking about it being about her weight? And let Breanna decide for herself if physically smaller is worth the changed behaviours… .)
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I’m not a doctor, but I think that losing 30kg in a year at that age is really unhealthy. Her body is building bones and muscle, developing mentally and preparing for puberty. If you create a huge calorie deficit over that time, then surely your body’s growth is going to suffer? Yes, she was large when she started but I think a more modest weight loss, spread out over a longer period of time, would have been healthier and more sustainable.
I LOVE her focus on being able to play sport and keep up with her friends (rather than on her appearance). I hope she keeps that up.
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It makes me uncomfortable that this child was allowed to become so overweight in the first place. Her parents were complicit in this, and yet they are celebrated for belatedly implementing a healthy lifestyle for their child resulting in successful weight loss – when she should never have had to go through that. Not only that, but it took bullying from an outside source to make them actually do something for their unhealthy child. Were they blind? Stupid? Both?
Shame on any parent that does this to their child.
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That’s what I didn’t get either – Mum and Dad look OK weight wise, so how did she end up weighing almost as much as me as an overweight adult who is probably a foot taller than her? It IS good they helped her, and I have no problem with them talking about it either. I don’t know what the problem with this is.
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I was starting to wonder if I’d been completely brainwashed by the body police until I read the rest of the comments.
I don’t see anything wrong with it either. They barely mention how Breanna ‘looks’ until the end – the focus is all on what she can DO.
Re stopping bullying by changing your looks – I think it’s a sad indictment of society that kids are bullied for their weight at all. Staying fat to prove a point is not more commendable overall than doing what you need to, simply for your own reasons. The problem is bullying and exclusion in general – if kids aren’t fat they’ll be bullied for having red hair, having a funny last name, being too smart, anything else a bully can find.
I think Breanna has put in the effort and done a great job, and I find nothing squeamish in that!
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100% agree.
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Kids shouldn’t be fat. Well done to this young lady and her family for shifting the weight before it became a life-long problem.
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What’s unsettling is that the weight-loss should be a reward in itself without ‘fame’. She should never have been fat in the first place. Glamourising weight-loss is unsettling.
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