Georgia’s teen Disney World trip motivates him to lose weight
Jamal Graves was injured because he couldn’t ride Space Mountain because of his size. His mother learned about the Strong for Life program to help him lose weight and return to Disney World.
Atlanta ―――― Disney World and Universal Studios have always been the “happy” places of Jamal Graves.
But in 2015, his visit with his mother and younger brother ran into problems.
At Disney World, there are no weight restrictions on vehicles. However, at £ 400, a 15-year-old in the autism spectrum was physically unable to meet the safety constraints of some vehicles.
After failing to fit into the safest restraints on some of the rides at Disney World and Universal Studios, 22-year-old Jamal Graves was urged to lose £ 80. (Shirena Graves)
That was when his mom Shirena Graves said that Jamal had begun to collapse.
“People were looking at us like’the tall man over there is crying’,” she remembers. “But in fact, Jamal is autistic, so it wasn’t really a tall man. It was a child who was hurt because he couldn’t get on the vehicle.”
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She says the same thing happened again at both Universal Studios and Disney World.
“Disappointed, it hurt me, it’s really terrible,” Graves says. “He didn’t understand because of communication (problems), and I went on to say,” Hey, that’s because of your size. There are certain vehicles that we can’t ride. . “
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For years to come, Sirena Graves says he asks when Jamal can return to Disney World and Universal Studios.
“It took us years to get back,” she says. “As a mom, I couldn’t get him to understand why this happened in the park.”
A few months after the trip, while visiting Atlanta’s Children’s Healthcare to book an endocrinology, Sirena Graves is a Children’s Strong 4 Life Program that provides children and their families with a team approach to weight loss and health. I saw a leaflet about.
“I said,’This is what my son needs and who can help guide us.'”
The next day, Graves called the leaflet number and signed up to Jamal for Strong 4 Life.
“When we started, it was a struggle,” says Graves. “It was hard to get him to understand what we need to do and how we need to do it.”
But at Strong4Life, there was a personalized plan, and Jamal had a team that included pediatricians, psychologists, registered dietitians, exercise physiologists, and other wellness specialists in obesity medicine.
“They said,’Let’s try a small goal,'” says his mother. “And it still took about three to six months for him to understand all the concepts we had to do.”
Dr. Stephanie Walsh, Medical Director of Strong4Life, says change can be difficult.
“Taking it in small steps really makes all the difference, focusing on important actions such as reducing sugar drinks and increasing activity,” says Dr. Walsh. “But again, it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you’re drinking two glasses a day, reduce to one juice a day. If you’re not very active, 5 Start with minutes. Go to 10 minutes. “
Sirena Graves says the program provided menu ideas, suggestions for food to add to the meal, and taught how to place food on the plate.
She says they are now trying to incorporate fresh vegetables and fruits into every diet.
And the team helped them change some lifestyles.
“They set bedtime,” she says. “He was 15 or 16 years old, but his bedtime was 9:30 pm. He disconnected all computer devices. That’s one of the big things we’re dealing with. , Many technologies. “
Jamal gradually switched from drinking mainly fruit juice to water and started drinking up to 4 bottles a day.
It took me about a year to notice the change, but it was.
“He steps on the scale, and first, he looks at me, and he just says,” I lost weight, I lost weight, “Graves smiles. ..
In five years, Jamal Graves has fallen about £ 80.
He is currently losing weight to about 320 pounds and is still working towards his goal.
His mom says he has never stopped asking about returning to Florida, Disney and Universal.
“It’s still deep in his heart and he rode those vehicles,” says his mother.
So last year, they headed south for the first time since 2015.
“When I returned to Magic Kingdom and rode Space Mountain, I saw a thrill and a smile on his face,” says Sirena Graves.
This time, Jamal Graves fits the safety restraint without any problems.
“It was great because all he kept saying was’I lost weight, I lost weight, I can ride’,” says Sirena Graves. “He was on every ride. He had me walk over 22,000 steps a day. He was very pleased. It was like” I did it! “. “
Jamal Graves, now 22 years old, has completed the Strong 4 Life program, but says his mother is sticking to his dietary and exercise goals.
He currently walks twice a day for 30 minutes and participates in an adaptive CrossFit program.
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