Childhood Obesity Rant

[IRescue452]

To be honest, I don't think food has much to do with it. My sisters (6,6,12) watch tv almost all day. My mom, when she does cook, makes ground hamburger with anything she can find, otherwise they eat pizze and fast food several times a week. Half her grocery bills are junk food. But all three of them are average wieght or under. Explain that.
There is actually possible genetic influences on binge eating though, monozygotic twins are more likely to both have the problem, which means there is some genetic influence. Its possible that binge eating will be added to the dsm with anorexia and other eating disorders.

[Giselle]

To be honest, I don't think food has much to do with it. My sisters (6,6,12) watch tv almost all day. My mom, when she does cook, makes ground hamburger with anything she can find, otherwise they eat pizze and fast food several times a week. Half her grocery bills are junk food. But all three of them are average wieght or under. Explain that.
There is actually possible genetic influences on binge eating though, monozygotic twins are more likely to both have the problem, which means there is some genetic influence. Its possible that binge eating will be added to the dsm with anorexia and other eating disorders.

They're young and they have a faster metabolism? Genetics *does* play a heavy role, as well. Perhaps they do eat junk food, but they do not eat huge-sized portions. Perhaps they do exercise at school. Obesity is a multi-faceted issue. Besides, I know favorite games from about kindergarten through sixth grade is tag, soccer, etc. They're right at the age where playing these games is still "cool", and I wouldn't doubt they are active outside the home.

Frankly, I feel America needs to waken up. It pains me to see overweight children because it is their parents who've conditioned to eat and exercise the way they do. Sometimes, I feel parents should pass a test before they even think about procreating...

[Sirrahsim]

. Half her grocery bills are junk food. But all three of them are average wieght or under. Explain that.

It could be a form of malnutrition. Some people will get thin eating crap because their bodies simple are not getting the nutrients necessary to support their own body functions. You'll sometimes see this in a case where some of the siblings are overweight where as others are underweight even when they eat the same food. What's worse, malnutrition or obesity? They are both awful... and in that particular case caused by the same crappy food.

[Lori Jordan]

This also bothers me,I watch Maury(i know drama),Anyways there was a show and there was this 3-4 year old girl that weighed more than i do,That is pathetic The mothers say"My baby aint gonna starve",I will argue this point until i die.Neither did mine my kids all had a healthy apetite,But never were over weight ,There was one women that fed her child a plate of bacon,sausage,eggs toast and hashbrowns and i am not talking small porportions,That is rediculous do they realize the health problems there signing there children up for.
It ain't fair,We all know how it is for us adults loosing weight,Can you imagine a small child,IMO some people should not be given the right to have children it is sickning!

[jackie]

This also bothers me,I watch Maury(i know drama),Anyways there was a show and there was this 3-4 year old girl that weighed more than i do,That is pathetic The mothers say"My baby aint gonna starve",I will argue this point until i die.Neither did mine my kids all had a healthy apetite,But never were over weight ,There was one women that fed her child a plate of bacon,sausage,eggs toast and hashbrowns and i am not talking small porportions,That is rediculous do they realize the health problems there signing there children up for.
It ain't fair,We all know how it is for us adults loosing weight,Can you imagine a small child,IMO some people should not be given the right to have children it is sickning!

That makes me so angry. It is laughable when parents complain that their kids won't eat anything but pizza pops and french fries, who is the parent? Maybe if they didn't feed them that junk in the first place, the kid wouldn't mind getting a normal meal.

I am even starting to wonder if there should be a section in child services for those kind of cases?

[Lori Jordan]

That makes me so angry. It is laughable when parents complain that their kids won't eat anything but pizza pops and french fries, who is the parent? Maybe if they didn't feed them that junk in the first place, the kid wouldn't mind getting a normal meal.

I am even starting to wonder if there should be a section in child services for those kind of cases?

There should be something with child sevices if obesity can take a humans life it sure could take a childs,I had a friend years ago when i started having children her kids ate nothing but garbage(she said they wouldnt eat anything but,When they were at my home i used to take them for weekends they ate roast beef potatoes and veggies and they never put there nose up,Also they were monsters at home and angels in my home,I dont talk to this women anymore but they still live in my mothers neighborhood and both the kids are in jail for bad crimes,I am just glad my kids are well behaved.

I hope in the near future there will be laws against this sort of thing.

[mike001]

We're surrounded by obese kids out here too. My children were never fat, but they also weren't allowed to sit on their butts. They actually played outside with their friends (who were't locked in the house glued to a game or t.v.) But if you sit in a fast food place you will notice that some of those kids have trouble walking they are so fat. I've noticed that most times, the parents are also obese, especially the moms, so they encourage these kids to eat out of proportion foods. Have you ever noticed a child eating a salad? I have also read that if you were a chubby child you became an obese adult. In some cases I can see where it is true, but I don't know if it's a general rule. We had a neighbor with such an obese little boy that he had to start taking meds for a cholesterol problem at age seven....how sad is that.

[buttercup132]

To be honest, I don't think food has much to do with it. My sisters (6,6,12) watch tv almost all day. My mom, when she does cook, makes ground hamburger with anything she can find, otherwise they eat pizze and fast food several times a week. Half her grocery bills are junk food. But all three of them are average wieght or under.

That's my family. Well in the summer we are barley in the house but in the winter everyone stay inside (for obvious reasons!) I am underweight but I eat lots of junk food and sit on my butt all day. But I'm not anorexic or belemic and I don't think I'm fat. I have a few friends who are fat and they bmx and eat semi-healthy but dont seem to loose weight (they bike ALL the time and every day in the summer) so they are very active. I don't think you should be blaming the parents, tv, or food for alot of people (well less then majority) it's just the way they are built.

[Killearn Kitties]

I am even starting to wonder if there should be a section in child services for those kind of cases?

Only today I heard a report on the radio about a child who is being taken into care because he weighs 14 stones (almost 200 lbs) at eight years old. The situation seems to have gone beyond the point where his mother, school, or doctors seem to be able to do anything for him. He will initially be hospitalised until he has lost a certain amount, then when he is able to exercise he will be started on a program.

This was a very particular case, but I wonder whether it is something we will start to see more of.

[sparks19]

Only today I heard a report on the radio about a child who is being taken into care because he weighs 14 stones (almost 200 lbs) at eight years old. The situation seems to have gone beyond the point where his mother, school, or doctors seem to be able to do anything for him. He will initially be hospitalised until he has lost a certain amount, then when he is able to exercise he will be started on a program.

This was a very particular case, but I wonder whether it is something we sill start to see more of.

I was watching Dr Phil one day (I despise Dr Phil but I was interested in this one family he was talking to) they were talking about childhood obesity. this mother (was divorced) and she was allowing her 3 or 4 year old son to eat nothing but junk and thought she was doing absolutely nothing wrong. Apparently she had been on the show about it before and she refused to change his eating habits and refused to believe that letting him eat this way was ruining his health. this child said.... on his own .... that it is hard for him to get up off the floor.... walk places.... run.... even get up and down the stairs or in and out of bed.

Apparently the father fought for custody of this child and won. they came back on the show and the child had lost 70lbs or something like that. the child was around 8 when he came back on the show. they asked him what his favourite food is and he said BROCCOLI. he loves it.... he loves to eat fruit and loves to eat vegetables. when the father got custody of him he (with the help of a physician) started a slow weight loss program. it started with walking up and down the stairs a certain amount of times each day and then increasing the amount of times he could do it over time. the child now says he is so happy that he can go out and play with his friends.... he loves to do his stair exercises and loves to play sports.

After hearing this how could any parent think they are doing a good thing for their child by letting them eat whatever they want to the point that they can't even get themselves off the floor without help.

[Kalei]

I agree with you all. It's always the person's choice on how they want to look, but the media definately makes people think they should look a certain way. I think if you are happy the way you are then it is fine. I went anorexic for about 2 months in high school I got very skinny (I was already skinny to a point) and after a long time I just realized that I can't go on all my life not eating...foods to good! So i began to eat again and I gained the weight I lost back. right now I am normal weight, not chubby, and not anorexic skinny...although I would like to lose about 5 or 10 pounds, I don't know how. I exercise, but then again many people tell me I don't have to lose weight...so maybe that's why I'm not lol.

But I do feel bad for the kids out there that are very obese and the kids that go anorexic, it is sad because both are unhealthy.

[dab_20]

I was watching Dr Phil one day (I despise Dr Phil but I was interested in this one family he was talking to) they were talking about childhood obesity. this mother (was divorced) and she was allowing her 3 or 4 year old son to eat nothing but junk and thought she was doing absolutely nothing wrong. Apparently she had been on the show about it before and she refused to change his eating habits and refused to believe that letting him eat this way was ruining his health. this child said.... on his own .... that it is hard for him to get up off the floor.... walk places.... run.... even get up and down the stairs or in and out of bed.

Apparently the father fought for custody of this child and won. they came back on the show and the child had lost 70lbs or something like that. the child was around 8 when he came back on the show. they asked him what his favourite food is and he said BROCCOLI. he loves it.... he loves to eat fruit and loves to eat vegetables. when the father got custody of him he (with the help of a physician) started a slow weight loss program. it started with walking up and down the stairs a certain amount of times each day and then increasing the amount of times he could do it over time. the child now says he is so happy that he can go out and play with his friends.... he loves to do his stair exercises and loves to play sports.

After hearing this how could any parent think they are doing a good thing for their child by letting them eat whatever they want to the point that they can't even get themselves off the floor without help.

I saw that episode. The little boy was 184 pounds at four years old! That's so sad... I was soo happy to see that his father helped him with losing weight and now he's so happy. He is an adorable little boy.

[jackie]

I was watching Dr Phil one day (I despise Dr Phil but I was interested in this one family he was talking to) they were talking about childhood obesity. this mother (was divorced) and she was allowing her 3 or 4 year old son to eat nothing but junk and thought she was doing absolutely nothing wrong. Apparently she had been on the show about it before and she refused to change his eating habits and refused to believe that letting him eat this way was ruining his health. this child said.... on his own .... that it is hard for him to get up off the floor.... walk places.... run.... even get up and down the stairs or in and out of bed.

I can't imagine ever being so ignorant to allow that to happen to your child.
I am glad to hear that someone in his family took the steps needed to get him down to a normal weight.

[catmandu]

Is it any wonder that Diabetes is becoming an epidemic in North America
with all the sugar thats in the processed food that most people eat these days.
A 25 % increase in the last 10 years the fatest growing disease in the world.
We have to be more careful about we are eating these days.

[jackie]

To be honest, I don't think food has much to do with it. My sisters (6,6,12) watch tv almost all day. My mom, when she does cook, makes ground hamburger with anything she can find, otherwise they eat pizze and fast food several times a week. Half her grocery bills are junk food. But all three of them are average wieght or under. Explain that.

Ok, just because they are not fat, doesn't mean they are healthy. Good eating habit are taught when you are a child, and they may not have the problems yet, but they might later. What Sirrahsim says makes sense, they may be suffering from a form of malnutrition.

What truley bothers me the most is the fact that everytime my son turns on the TV and all he sees are diet ads! I have to tell you it makes me so mad! My son is 7yrs old and weighs all of 50lbs, and everyday, all i hear is..."mom i need to diet, I am fat!" It just makes me sick! The kid is skinny. but all he sees, is all this crap about losing weight, so he feels that is what he needs to do! Drives me insane.

Ok, that is a little scary, your son looks gorgeous and not overweight in the slightest.

Children don't need to diet, but they should be fed a balanced diet, and get enough physical activity to keep them healthy. When I see a 6 year old pushing one hundred pounds, I do not consider that healthy.

I heard on a TV commercial about childhood obesity (it was a foundation for it or something like that) that the vegetable most provided for kids is the french fry. not much a vegetable at all but in most cases it is the only one they get.

I read something similar in a magazine, sad, sad, sad... I wonder if ketchup could be classed as a form of vegetable too? Haha