Qualified nurse and counsellor, Kath Sharman, designed and developed the SHINE programme, highlighted on Gok Wan’s show about childhood obesity. Here she talks us through her experiences and views on this growing epidemic.
I qualified as a nurse in 1977, I guess that makes me really old at 52 years old. I taught nursing for 17 years at the School of Nursing and Midwifery and then the University of Sheffield. I qualified as a counsellor in 1995 and specialised in child and adolescent therapy helping young people to work through the traumas they confront in life. My husband and I have just become grandparents for the first time; I worry that little Jacob will have to live in an obesogenic environment, where the life expectancy of children is expected to drop if we don’t do something about the obesity epidemic we face.
I designed and developed the SHINE programme in 2003, realising that many of the young people I saw in therapy with depression and low self esteem were also obese. We have run 14 courses for young people aged between 10 and 17 old years since we started and I have lost 10 stone while working with them on the course! And if I can do it anybody can. SHINE doesn’t involve dieting or cutting out things you like to eat; our motto is ‘You can eat anything in moderation so long as it is balanced by exercise’.
We strongly believe at SHINE that losing weight is much more than ‘eating less and exercising more’ – there is a psychological side too. Overweight young people commonly have low self confidence and self esteem, poor body image, high levels of anxiety and depression and are often plagued by taunts and bullying. When Channel 4 asked if we would like to work with Gok on the documentary I was sceptical at first because so many programmes concentrate only on weight.
I was really excited that Gok was interested in the individual person and how being overweight can really affect you emotionally, issues I guess we were both greatly aware of, having a history of childhood obesity. Gok was amazing with the young people; he was empathic and understanding and spent a lot of time talking to them about their experiences away from the camera, which made me appreciate how truly genuine he was. The whole filming crew were extremely sensitive. There were tears and laughter and Gok was inspirational – the kids are still talking about him now! We want him back. Perhaps he could help design the SHINE uniforms!!
The childhood obesity epidemic is the biggest public health concern in decades and I really wish we could get that message across to parents. We are not supposed to use the word ‘obesity’ anymore – it’s like swearing! We must say ‘very overweight’. Regardless of what we call excess fat, the reality is it carries with it a massive health problem increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, asthma, cancer, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, infertility, fatty liver, bone and back problems, sleep apnoea and then the psycho-social problems of low self esteem, anxiety, depression, self-harming behaviours, binge eating disorders, low academic achievements and poor social relationships. By 2050 it is estimated that 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children will be obese (Foresight Report). This is a really scary prediction for the future of our children and even scarier for our children’s children. I don’t think I will see a massive change in my day, but I am passionate about trying to get this message across whenever I can. We need to be taking action now.
Prejudice in society
Fat people are labelled greedy, lazy, smelly, dirty, unattractive, unintelligent, thick, stupid and a complete waste of time – I know because I am one of them. Even after losing 10 stone I still sit in the obese category (BMI over 30 for adults) as it is a life-long condition that cannot be cured and not something that goes away by magic. Whatever activity we do with the kids at SHINE we always get comments – going bowling, ice skating, swimming, cycling – we wait for the comments ‘here come the fat b******s’ and my heart sinks. I look at the public and think they have no idea what it is like to be in a fat body. I hope the documentary helps people to understand this more. For example, PE is the most opted out session in the school curriculum for overweight young people and generates the highest incidence of bullying. It gives prime opportunity for those blessed with healthy weights to ridicule, humiliate and embarrass their peers. The government has a great solution for managing childhood obesity – increase the amount of PE in schools, fantastic, more time out for those who desperately need to increase their activity levels! To successfully sustain weight loss there has to be a complete change in lifestyle and this requires long term management, not quick fix, short-term courses and treatment. We need more SHINE and MEND programmes.
I think the kids at SHINE are amazing and I have learnt so much from them. I don’t think people really appreciate what being overweight means for young people and how much it ostracises them from society. A typical day in the life of an overweight child is: get up, go to school, face the bullies and have a pretty miserable day, come home from school and sit and watch TV or play on computers, behaviour which contributes to obesity but activities which lead to safety and pleasure. No wonder so many young people we work with feel they have no purpose. It’s amazing to see the changes over the 12 week courses. For example, the session they dread most is swimming – far too much body exposure for young people who hate their size and shape. So we say get in the pool fully dressed, have fun and be yourself and before you know it the clothes are off and they are in their swimwear, full of confidence and liking themselves regardless.
As a SHINE facilitator you travel on their journey with them, you feel their pain and celebrate their achievements – this is why I got so emotional when Gok visited and we were at the pool. To see the kids having fun and losing all their inhibitions is amazing.
Comments
The Show hasn’t finished yet … I couldn’t wait to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Gok and the teenagers who took part in this show. As a 40+ year old who has battled with my weight since a youngster, it has amazed me at the number of things mentioned that have struck a chord with me. To the teenagers who took part … Do you realise how brave you were to do this? You are all AMAZING and should be SO PROUD of yourselves!! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!! Thank you again. God Bless.
just felt the need to comment on this after watching Gok , I am now a grown woman of 52 and still feel the pain and hurt of the name calling at school , i knew how Gok felt not wanting to do P.E not wanting to do cross country for fear of the awful comments, I always wore the mask of someone smiling and laughing having fun , making people think the comments did not hurt ,, but guess what they hurt more than anyone can ever imagine , so much so that even today as an adult i worry about how people see me and, worry and pull and tug at my clothes when out , as just want to look and feel normal . tonight the show has made me realise life is far to short to worry and fret, instead start to love the person you are and except that we are all different . i hope like Gok we combat the fat issue and finally except and be happy .
just wanted to say well done to gok wan and his documentry tonight on obsesity . really compelling viewing.I think that gok is a top guy fat or thin !
Just watched the programme–Wow, the empathy and understanding was great. to see those kids on the SHINE course being so outgoing and happy was aweinspiring.PLEASE keep up the good work Kath.
Hi, I struggled all my life with weight and food. But I’ve lost the weight and scarcely worry about food any more. How? I go to Overeaters Anonymous which is the same 12 step programme as Alcoholics Anonymous only applied to food addiction and eating disorders. We work the 12 steps and support each other when food calls and we cant stop on our own. I have learned to eat well. I dont diet but I do stick to basic healthy eating and avoid those foods which give me most trouble, because I find it easier than trying to be moderate.
Everyone has different problem foods so no-one tells you what to eat, but we do support each other to work out a plan of eating that will work. I stick to meals; eat plenty so I dont get hungry and leave the binge foods alone, or keep them as part of a meal. Lots of the stuff on Gok’s programme I identified with really strongly. Food was my best friend and I thought no-one understood and I was a complete freak because I was so greedy and never felt full.
If anyone wants to know more about Overeaters Anonymous or OA, there’s probably a meeting near you, or look on Google or any search engine and you’ll find OA. Lots of us go to open AA meetings as well, because the problem and the solution are not that different: we’re all addicts and we need to find some power bigger than us to stop. Please tell people with this illness that there is a way out. Its not easy, but it does work.
I thought the programme was very thought provoking and upsetting for me as a mum of an obese teenager.i have two sons and a daughter all teens but my daughter is drastically overweight (16st 5lbs -5ft 2) her brothers are less than half her weight. i don’t know how to help her. i have tried, but wish there was something like SHINE in our area, i just know that she would achieve in that atmophere. Your commitment and results are fantastic.
Having watched Goks documentary through the eyes of a previously overweight child / teeneager / adult, I felt compelled to comment. I was quite emotinal watching the show as it touched a real nerve. The fear of gym class, the bullying, even the childhood photos of the people featured. That was Me. I think the SHINE program is inspiratonal and I would love to get involved with something like that, if it existed in Ireland. I am a huge fan of Gok for the way he promotes ‘real’ women and last night he dealt with a sensitive issue in a very constructive, empathic way. Well done Channel 4 and Gok.
Hi to all
i just wanted to post a few notes to thank gok for the way he treated the shine kids when he was filming .
i am involved with SHINE at sheffield
and its always a pleasure to see the kids relax in the special enviroment it creates. thanks to kath and all the teams endless work
hi,im Donna and im 43 years old,ive been on diets all my life,now at 43 ive had enough to be quite honest of it all,i have lost about 3 stone in a year and i feel great,but the slightest bit of weight i put on everyone is soon commenting on it and im back to square one,its gets so frustrating.Id just like to say that Gok is doing a great job,hopefully it will do some good for all the younger kids out there.good job Gok.love you and think your great.
This is a message for Gok. Thank you so much for doing the show and facing your demons which must have been so hard for you. I was an overweight teenager who used food as a crutch because of low self esteem, bullying and feeling that is could not fit in. It is so nice to know that you understand and that you have dealt with the problem. Thank you so much for doing this programme and helping inspire millions of people that have a problem with food at such a young age. All hail to Gok!!!
Lots of love xx
big admirer of Gok
wonderful programme
no one could have done it better
so well done so interesting
captivated by your personal story etc etc
hi im jess and i came back from a week away with shine residental. i realy enjoyed meeting evryone and to see evrybody lose so much weight and be more confident in just one week. i lost 5.5 pounds in that week and since have lost halfa stone in total. thank you so much for helping me you are such a nice person.
jess xxx
ps. ive not got my drawings or my diary thing back yet so could u post them to frances
In Most Situations I Could Agree with This Article
I however cannot. I’m normally a avid reader of your blog however am pretty dissapointed in this posting.
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