"Extra pounds had multiplied over the six years since her mom, Coral, became disabled by endometriosis. The once-active family of four had stopped taking walks and riding bicycles. The hospital trips and other chaos of serious illness put them into survival mode, which included a lot of fast food, TV and computer time. "

"A three-week weight-loss camp last summer temporarily helped Gabby, 16, and her 10-year-old sister, Deanna, who goes by DJ, lose pounds. But they regained at their home in Newark, Wayne County, where habits hadn't improved. "

"Now the whole family is trying to make permanent changes by participating together in a twice-weekly new exercise and nutrition program. For about three months, they've driven to the Rochester School of Fitness, 20 Allens Creek Road in Brighton, where they work with a personal trainer in two one-hour sessions and have a weekly hour-long class in nutrition. "

"Such whole-family changes are necessary for solving the national crisis of overweight or obese children, experts say, and they are at the core of the Brighton program. "

"Pediatricians Cathy J. Hahn and Rahul Sengupta of Pittsford Pediatrics started the School of Fitness because the physicians were frustrated by their lack of success at helping overweight patients through regular office visits alone. They hired fitness specialist Mido Zelenjakovic, who has a bachelor's degree in physical education, to train families and brought in registered dietitians to teach nutrition. The school is open to any family, not just those who are patients of the Pittsford practice. "

"The new business has run into obstacles. The co-owners had hoped for 20 new children enrolling per month. Instead, they've had about 20 children total in the first seven months. "

"They've modified their original 12-week design to offer a month-by-month option, hoping it might be a more palatable commitment."

"Some families balk at the fee of $45 a week, which covers three hours of instruction for one child and parent. (The fee for a second child is half off.) Buying healthy foods, too, costs money. But the health consequences of excess weight, such as diabetes, cost much more. "

"Hahn has seen elevated cholesterol and insulin levels in children who are overweight. She's seen children with arthritis in their knees and children with a dislocated hip caused by the excess weight. Hahn has a teen patient so obese as to already be a candidate for bariatric surgery. "

"On a recent day at the School of Fitness, the four Ingrahams breathe heavily and occasionally groan as they run through a maze of cones, do pushups on their knees and squat with medicine balls under the direction of Zelenjakovic. "

""You know it's going to hurt, but the reward at the end is worth it," says Kevin Ingraham, an assistant meat manager at Wegmans Food Markets in Canandaigua. The rewards include gaining energy and strength, looking and feeling better, and improving blood pressure. He's especially glad his daughters feel better about themselves. "

"Gabby feels empowered by her new-found ability to change her body. Early on, she couldn't do five sit-ups. But after doing them at the
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