I grew up fat. My nickname was “Templeton,” from the overeating rat in E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Only because I was also a hyperactive kid did my overeating not lead to extreme obesity. And I didn’t grown out of it. Even on my first date with my wife, Martha, I took her to an all-you-can-eat buffet. I figured in case the date was a dud, at least I could eat.

Years later, I paid the price for my lifestyle and eating habits. On April 22, 1997, I suffered an illness that threatened to shorten my life but instead probably extended it. I underwent surgery for colon cancer, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. As a father of eight, I was motivated, needless to say, to become a survivor.

The question that haunted me was “Why do some people get cancer, a heart attack, diabetes, or other serious illnesses while other fortunate people escape these dreaded diseases?” I’m a science-based doctor, and as I began to research the answers to my question, I vowed I would find the answers in common sense, sound scientific advice.  My answers came in four simple categories:

• How you live: Lifestyle
• How you move: Exercise
• How you think: Attitude
• How you eat: Nutrition

That’s it,  a short acronym containing the four keys to health and well-being! I love the term “lean,” because it is a power-packed word that means having just the right amount of body fat for your body type. Lean does not mean overfat, nor over-skinny.

Throughout the years I have implemented the L.E.A.N. program in my personal and professional life and have seen fat kids get lean, sad kids get happy, and sick kids get well. I saw parents’ and caregivers’ lives being changed as they took on the role of health coaches for their kids and families.

My heart’s desire is that this online L.E.A.N. Start class will teach your entire family why making healthy choices is important and what simple every day choices you can make to develop a sustainable lifestyle of health. 

To you and your family I give the gift of health.

~ Dr. Bill Sears