Pictures Of Obese Kids

Bodybuilding, and a caring wife, helps save life of once-obese Miami man

On Saturday morning, 51-year-old Juan Morato will stand on the War Memorial Auditorium stage at the NPC Southern States bodybuilding championships, a 6-0, 200-pound living “After” picture of strength and health.

Morato will do so after embodying two kinds of “Before” pictures – 450 pounds of mass consumption and, later, wheelchair-bound, paralyzed from the neck down. That Morato didn’t die between those two “Before” shots, that he carries a symmetrical, chiseled physique now can be credited to his strength, discipline … and the love of a woman. And her strength. And her faith.

“If it would’ve been the other way around, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it,” Morato said in a tone that reflects 30 years of affection and admiration for wife, Teresa, who competed in the Over 50 Figure competition Friday.

When a problem with gastric bypass surgery resulted in Juan being in a coma and so close to death, a priest was called in to give last rites, Teresa Morato substituted her own prayers for her husband’s recovery. When he left the hospital unable to do basic tasks and specialists saying he would have a tough time just walking again, she told them he’d be celebrating the next Christmas on his feet. When he recovered but ran himself down to a reedy 158 pounds, she told him on a Thursday that he had an appointment with a personal trainer Monday to put on some muscle.

Juan still almost cries today thinking about what Teresa and his then-teenage children, Jonathan and Jennifer, went through. He feels responsible for them sleeping on a South Miami Hospital conference room table night after night during his coma, awaking at 7 a.m. before medical staff needed the room for meetings.

“It was a team effort, 100 percent,” Juan said. “I can’t ask for better.”

Juan feels responsible because, he said, it shouldn’t have gotten to that point. The Cuban native moved to Miami from Spain with his family in 1969. He weighed 200 pounds when he and Teresa got married. He jokes “my wife got pregnant — she lost the weight and I kept it” — but blames only gross overeating for reaching 450 pounds.

“If I would do a barbecue at the house — I love cooking — while cooking, I would drink anywhere from 24 to 30 beers,” Juan said. “I would eat seven to nine sausages. And that was just while cooking. The churrasco? I would eat a whole one by myself just picking on it. I would sit down to eat and eat like a pig. Drink a 2-liter Coke … three, four pieces of bread, potatoes, the whole works.

Healthy Eating Slideshow Pictures: The Fattest and Fittest States ...

10. Fat: Michigan

Americans are fat and getting fatter, according to the F as in Fat 2011 report from the Trust for America's Health. Obesity grew in 16 states over the last year including Michigan, now the 10th fattest state, with an obesity rate of 30.5%. Is our national infatuation with french fries to blame? Where does your state stand? See the 10 fattest and 10 fittest states in America.

The obesity epidemic is nationwide, but it's greatest in the South and among blacks and Latinos. Arkansas was the first state to pass a law to address the epidemic. Parents receive annual reports on the body mass index (BMI) by age of their children, along with nutrition and activity tips. Yet Arkansas still ranks 9th overall with adult obesity at 30.6%. It has the 7th highest percentage of obese children, ages 10 to 17.

Obesity in South Carolina was in the national spotlight in 2009 when a mother was arrested for neglect because her 14-year-old son weighed 555 pounds. That same year, it ranked third for the greatest number of obese high school students. This year, an adult obesity rate of 30.9% puts it in the top 10 fattest states. The state is promoting better food and fitness in the schools.

Every state has seen a steady rise in obesity in the past 15 years, but Oklahoma's increase was the greatest -- from 12.9% to 31.4%. Unhealthy habits are a culprit. The state ranks lowest in fruit and vegetable consumption and among the highest for sedentary lifestyles. Schools now restrict sugary drinks and snacks, and the state supports a farm-to-school program to provide more fresh produce.

If we live in a fast food nation, Kentucky, home of one of the nation's major fast-food chains, is a fast-food capital. In a 2.8 mile stretch of Louisville, for example, there are 24 fast food restaurants. The obesity rate for the state's adults is 31.5%. Kentucky ranks third for the most obese 10- to 17-year-olds, with a rate of 21%. In Louisville, the Mayor's Healthy Hometown Movement is encouraging exercise and healthy eating.

Perhaps the Big Easy could learn something from the Biggest Loser. Louisiana remains among the top 10 fattest states with obesity at 31.6% for adults. But the state is working to slim down. Last year, the Fete Rouge, a culinary festival in Baton Rouge, added a Fit Fete to teach about nutrition. Obesity is a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater -- a measure of body fat based on height in relation to weight.

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