Hi Paula

This is a subject very close to my heart

my kids aren't fat but they're definitely not skinny either

there's a lot of reports in the media at the moment about childhood obesity and the risk of diabetes. They always call it diabetes not 'Type 2' diabetes which is not what my son suffers from. so he's been told on more than one occasion that he's got diabetes because he's fat and lazy!!! (Type 1 diabetes is insulin dependant and can attack athletic kids as much as lazy ones)

my ex-best friends son only exercises when he has to - like at school. she did buy him a trampoline last summer and he does use that, he want to eat junk all the time and is quite chunky although she does try to watch his diet but she shares custody with his Dad who feeds him rubbish. his Dad is approx 30 stones and had a heart attack in September - he's 36! you'd think he'd make an effort for his son but still smokes like a chimney too

Alastair has gone to swimming lessons since he was 5 and now is a brown belt at jujitsu and trains twice a week - he also swims for local club and trains there twice a week too! and at scouts they're always running around.

so a little effort from parents can make a BIG difference - spend a bit of time finding out a sport or activity that your kid likes (Alastair tried football rugby and cricket before setling on jujitsu and swimming) - I don;t see any problem with the occasion cake or choccy bar and trip to McDonalds but both my kids eats veg and fruit - although Alastair hates veg he will eat sweetcorn (on of off the cob) so we eat that a lot.

sorry for ranting on - yes it can be 'hereditary' for a small part but education and parent's perisistence pays off - my kids are a sure way of proving that