For two years, Alive 'N' Kicking has been tackling child obesity and helping young people to become body confident. Katy Forrester reports.
AS HE started putting on weight, Mitchell Stephenson's parents began to worry about their son's eating habits.
Although he was active and enjoyed karate and archery, he was sneaking biscuits from the kitchen and would fill up on cola.
Mitchell, 14, no longer asked for new clothes like his friends at Andrew Marvell College and started telling his parents he felt "fat" and was not his usual bubbly self.
After struggling to get him to stop eating junk food, his mum Liann signed Mitchell up to Alive 'N' Kicking, a project aimed at tackling child obesity in Hull.
"At first it was just puppy fat. He wasn't sitting on his PlayStation 24/7 doing nothing, but his weight was creeping up," she said.
"I saw a leaflet for the service and was surprised that it was free.
"Mitchell was already signed up to sports clubs and we were worried it might cost more to tackle his weight problem.
"The team were brilliant and he went along once a week to Winifred Holtby School, as well as joining in additional activities.
"The advisers taught him about his diet and there were things he didn't realise about what he was eating.
"When he'd have a cola and a biscuit, he didn't think that was bad, but he could have had a glass of water and an apple.
"He stopped eating chocolate bars and ate cereal bars instead, but they were still full of sugar and not healthy."
Mitchell would often eat food that was meant for his older brother Ryan, 19, who suffers from cystic fibrosis and is on a high fat diet.
He was given a lot of help from those running the project who made him realise he did not need to eat unhealthy snacks.
His parents Liann, 36, and Neil, 42, of east Hull, even joined in the group activities, including dodge-ball.
Liann said: "In the beginning we were really cross when we saw Mitchell eating biscuits and chocolate snacks.
"We'd say 'why are you doing that, stop eating that'. He thought, in a way, we were bullying him but we were just really worried.
"He'd think we were always moaning about his weight but we just didn't want his health to be affected."
She said project leaders worked with the family and made sure the message came across in the right way.
After weeks of hard work and resisting sugary treats, Mitchell lost more than a stone.
His parents had bought him a smaller plate, which reduced his portion sizes, and he went back to being a cheerful teenager.
Mitchell said: "I used to eat biscuits every day and I had takeaway pizzas, but now I'm a lot more keen on salads and celery sticks.
"My clothes started to get baggy and I felt brilliant, I knew I'd lost weight."
Liann said Alive 'N' Kicking really helped to boost her son's confidence and it has been fantastic for him.
"They didn't just forget about Mitchell after the course, he still has height and weight checks and they've kept in touch," she said.
"Mitchell is larking about with his friends again and is a lot happier about his size.
"His brother Ryan also wants to be a personal trainer and has started volunteering with the programme to help others.
"We were surprised that the activity days were dropped from twice a week to once a week due to the lack of numbers.
"I don't think enough people know about Alive 'N' Kicking and it should be something more parents are aware of and children are told about in school."
Jemma Lawson, programme manager at Alive 'N' Kicking, said the scheme is going from "strength to strength".
She said: "We get referrals from all health professionals and we really want the families to know it's a fun, friendly, free course that doesn't judge.
"We are here to help get families healthier in the best way possible.
"It's never too early to make the changes – children who are young have a better chance of becoming a healthier weight with an intervention like this and are less likely to enter adulthood with a weight problem.
"Habits haven't been around for as long and new lifestyle behaviours are easier to adapt to."
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