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Too Fat for 15
Has anyone seen this show? It's on Style. I'm watching it this morning because I'm striking (unofficially) from work. I feel so bad for these kids. One girl is over 500 pounds! The youngest girl there is only 11 and is 75 pounds overweight. How sad. Most of them have overweight parents.
I know we can't ask the school systems to teach our children everything, but as a formerly fat kid, I wish they could teach more nutrition and healthy lifestyle classes. My health teacher was 150 pounds overweight. Even then I found it ironic.
And while I'm at it, they should teach basic finances. You know, don't spend more than you make? Hey actually it's the same concept: Calories earned, calories spent. Money earned, money spent. They need to balance or bad things happen.
I'm done - just a Friday thought. These kids are breaking my heart.
I know we can't ask the school systems to teach our children everything, but as a formerly fat kid, I wish they could teach more nutrition and healthy lifestyle classes. My health teacher was 150 pounds overweight. Even then I found it ironic.
And while I'm at it, they should teach basic finances. You know, don't spend more than you make? Hey actually it's the same concept: Calories earned, calories spent. Money earned, money spent. They need to balance or bad things happen.
I'm done - just a Friday thought. These kids are breaking my heart.
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Re: Too Fat for 15
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Of course I might think this because my school did teach nutrition, and everyone rolled their eyes.
Not all of the blame can be just from eating too much. My mom has been heavier most of her life. She was a 14/16 after I was born and looked great, but then after my brother was born, the family curse hit (and my FI is already prepared that I could end up with the same problem) and her thyroid stopped functioning. She went up to a size 22 until about 6 years ago. She tried every diet known to man for most of my life. I was also chubby until about 6 years ago. Once she could afford Weight Watchers, she was finally able to lose the weight, but of course it's a daily struggle because it's not just eating for her.
My mom and I have talked for years that a lot of the blame also lies with the food manufacturers. The healthier foods cost more. When you're poor, you eat the "cheap" stuff because it's either that or you don't pay the rent/mortgage/whatever. It's a sad cycle. Luckily I'm pretty "smart" and I've figured out how to eat healthier (ok, so I do eat junk food, too, I'm human) on a low/no income budget. It can be done, but it takes some effort and a little know-how...and some help with sales/coupons.
I saw someone in the grocery store the other day with two kids and a carriage full of prepared foods (frozen dinners, cans of Spaghettio's, frozen waffles). Not a single fruit or vegetable, and it made me sad. Kids shouldn't think meals come out of a freezer. My boyfriend talks all the time about how our kids will be involved in raising some of their own food, and will know where everything comes from originally. Not so much calories but prepared foods vs. fresh foods is important at a young age. And reasonable portion sizes!
I think the education system and teachers are used as a scapegoat for a multitude of societal problems. The message needs to be reinforced at home. The education system can't be held responsible for everything.
Plus, businesses are a huge issue. I know Canada has ridiculous sodium rates in our food because the manufacturers have determined that we like salty foods - heart disease and high blood pressure here I come.
My Bio - updated 26/3/2011
[QUOTE]I believe it was Jamie Oliver who interviewed kids and they didn't know their vegetables. <strong>For example, shown a cabbage and they think it is lettuce</strong> or something really bizarre like a carrot. And, these weren't really young kids either at least 8 years old. I think the education system and teachers are used as a scapegoat for a multitude of societal problems. The message needs to be reinforced at home. The education system can't be held responsible for everything. Plus, businesses are a huge issue. I know Canada has ridiculous sodium rates in our food because the manufacturers have determined that we like salty foods - heart disease and high blood pressure here I come.
Posted by Hazel_B[/QUOTE]
Those look similar... obviously neither cabbage nor lettuce look like carrots though! What age group are we talking here?
My son LOVES almost every fruit and vegetable but I guarantee he doesn't know the name of a lot of the (he's 3 1/2). Sure he eats chicken nuggets and fruit snacks and pizza sometimes, but not daily and not without eating a significant amount of healthy food before or along with them! So far he doesn't like tomatoes and isn't crazy about cucumbers or lettuce... although he eats shredded lettuce on turkey tacos and calls it celery, I tried to tell him it was lettuce and he said "no mommy, I don't like lettuce... this celery is yummy in my tummy!" Silly boy!
Personally I've never seen the show and I will probably never watch it. I think that it is horrible that parents can let their children get that obese at such a young age. Chubby is one thing, but obese?! Come on... you are not only setting your child up to be ridiculed in school (kids are cruel) but more importantly to be prone to diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure etc. I am not one who loves the government to control the things that we do, but I honestly think that there needs to be some type of accountability for parents that raise these children so unhealthily.
Parents are not the only culprit of course... school lunches are not healthy (some schools are getting better now), most prepared foods, snacks etc that are being sold are far from good for you. It's just sad.
I completely agree with Cate's point about moderation... I eat junk in moderation on a regular basis, but I also eat mostly healthy foods and in the correct portions.
Are schools no longer required to teach Phys Ed or Health classes? Because nutrition should be an important part of both, IMO.
I do agree however that nutrition starts at home.
And exercise! These kids who play videogames all day instead of riding bikes and climbing trees - well, no kidding they're larger! A videogame and the television is not a babysitter! My Mom used to kick us outside on sunny summer days and wouldn't let us back in until dark.
My hypothetical children will probably eat chicken nuggets and certainly pizza and ice cream, all homemade as often as possible, but I won't be the one to introduce them to McDonalds!
My son eats McD's or even Burger King rarely and he gets 4 nuggets and apple dippers and apple juice. He likes the box and the toy more than the food, but when your out and need something decent it works. We have ice cream occasionaly and the "popsicles" we have at home are the real fruit kind not just frozen kool aid.
The fries I make - I cut up a potato in half, then into wedges. I use about 1/4-1/2 tsp oil per potato and then sprinkle on whatever Mrs. Dash flavor we're hungry for that night and bake them at 400 for about 30 min (stir halfway) - they come out a little crispy on the sides and like mashed potatoes on the inside (and they reheat in the microwave the next day, so I always make extras).
One of the saddest stories was a family in my old neighborhood. They were all obese, but their oldest son, who was 17, weighed over 800 lbs and ended up in the hospital. The doctors told him that his weight had put such a strain on his heart, that he would need a transplant, or he would die. They couldn't even put him on the transplant list until he was under 400 lbs. Knowing this, his parents would sneak him in McDonalds and pizza while he was in the hospital because they had him on an extreme diet. I know they were doing it because they loved him and wanted to make him happy, but they didn't realize that they were actually killing him. Less than a month in the hospital (and even 250lbs lighter), his heart gave out on him and he passed away. They were furious that they put "morbid obesity" as the cause of death on his death certificate because they refused to believe that it was his weight that killed him.
After going through all of this and dealing with the death of one son, they didn't change their lifestyle at all. Not a single one of their children weighs less than 200 lbs. Their youngest, who is now 10, aready weighed over 100 lbs at 4 years old. Their (now) oldest, is currently upwards of 500lbs. It's so sad to see, but this is definitely a case where it is 100% the parent's responsibility.
Some of these numbers shock me. I was at the other end of the spectrum, being quite skinny my entire life, but the youngest child in Jemmini's story weighed a similar amount at 4 that I did when I was 14. And in the original post, I was 75 pounds when I was 11, I can't imagine being 75 pounds overweight.