Michelle Obama's Healthy Eating Plan

Michelle Obama took her daughters to the pediatrician and received a startling wake-up call. "He looked over the girls' charts and he said, 'What on earth are you doing?' And I said, 'Really, not much,'" she confessed at a YMCA in Alexandria last Thursday

The Obamas' pediatrician noticed that the girls were putting on a little weight, and warned her that their body mass indexes were "getting off-balance." Rather than scold her children or threaten them with public shame, as previous first ladies have surely done, she immediately started making changes in their diets, like limiting TV time, watching portions and sugary drinks and serving more vegetables. She admitted this is easier to do in The White House, where you have a staff working for you.

Michelle Obama is going to be fighting against the challenges of access, convenience and tight food budgets on all of our behalfs. "Obesity in this country is nothing less than a public health crisis. It's threatening our children, it's threatening our families and, more importantly, it's threatening the future of this nation," she says.

"I thought my kids were perfect," said the concerned mother. "They are and always will be."

You can watch the full video of her speech in Alexandria below:

Rodale.com offers useful tips for making changes now, even with those obstacles in place.

Screenshot via WhiteHouse on YouTube.