Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Elementary School Gym teachers telling kids to restrict calories!
Options
Replies
-
Back in 1998 I remember our gym teacher trying to educate us about calories, but we didn't take it seriously and one of my classmates even reminded her that we were 5th graders.
It's possible that the discussion triggered something in your son that was already there. I wouldn't get upset at the gym teacher though. This is nothing new.1 -
Wow! I have an elementary aged child and I would flip if the gym teacher told her that. I agree, highly inappropriate . I would go to the school and complain. That is not ok, and she is setting up the kids to have an eating disorder. At ages 5-14 counting calories should not be the focus, activity, fun, eating healthy should be what she is teaching .2
-
Yeah, that teacher is taking in loco parentis a little too far.
I don't think teaching kids about the concepts of calorie or energy balance is a bad thing (quite the opposite actually and should form part of science classes.) Nor do I think it is necessarily a bad thing to teach them about calorie counting either.
The problem arises around calorie restriction and dieting and how that is approached. That is a step too far for teachers or schools in my opinion. I believe a much better approach is to focus attention on diet quality and beneficial behaviours and actions (actually that's probably true for many adults as well...)3 -
coreyreichle wrote: »Seeing as far more people are affected by obesity rather than anorexia/bulimia, this is good education to prevent future problems with diet.
So, yes, kids should learn to count calories, so they aren't completely lost on why they put on the Freshman 15...
I think there's a difference between "kids" who are between the ages of say, 7-14, and "kids" who are in high school who should start to know more about what kind of food they require to fuel their bodies. Teenagers in high school have a better chance of understanding more information like this and how to apply it to their lives than younger children who will just get confused and who understand more basic concepts like how fruit is good for you and that exercise is also good for you.
If my child in elementary came home and told me that their teacher was talking to them about how many calories they should eat I would be mad. I want children to be children. I don't want them to worry about how many calories they're taking in during the day - that's my job as the parent.
And, therein lies the problem. We, as parents in the US, have failed miserably in this regard with our children. So, while you might be a doing a fantastic job teaching nutrition to your kids, most parents are not. And thusly, it's needed to be done in school.
The US has what? 75% of it's population overweight? 30 some odd percent obese? Kids are getting type II diabetes these days?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »First of all kids need proper calorie intake for proper growth. If kids are active they should be able to eat what they want. If concerned about eating healthy teach healthy eating habits. They should not be counting calories and going to the extremes this teacher is teaching them.
She is setting those kids up for an eating disorder and she should be reported to the administration. I think that is absolutely horrible.
I would disagree with most of this. Children should never be allowed to eat what they want. They'd likely live on chips and candy. Parents should teach children how to eat properly - proper portions along with proper nutrition.
I should revise what I said. I certainly don't advocate them eating junk food all day long. I meant eat as much as they want until they are full. Not feeling like they should have to restrict calories. My sons played sports throughout their youth so when we had dinner if they were hungry I let them eat until they were full. And my oldest could put away some food. Because they are so active they burn it off fast. They are grown men and they make good food choices and they very active by working out.
I bolded a very problematic statement here.
Nobody should be eating until they are full. If you are getting the "full feeling", you've ate too much. And, because we are teaching lessons like this to our kids, they are becoming obese.2 -
coreyreichle wrote: »Seeing as far more people are affected by obesity rather than anorexia/bulimia, this is good education to prevent future problems with diet.
So, yes, kids should learn to count calories, so they aren't completely lost on why they put on the Freshman 15...
I think there's a difference between "kids" who are between the ages of say, 7-14, and "kids" who are in high school who should start to know more about what kind of food they require to fuel their bodies. Teenagers in high school have a better chance of understanding more information like this and how to apply it to their lives than younger children who will just get confused and who understand more basic concepts like how fruit is good for you and that exercise is also good for you.
If my child in elementary came home and told me that their teacher was talking to them about how many calories they should eat I would be mad. I want children to be children. I don't want them to worry about how many calories they're taking in during the day - that's my job as the parent.
According to Michelle Obama, you and your fellow parents receive an F- en-masse, in doing your job. We can't trust you as a group.
Hell, according to the obesity rate in the US, we fail, en masse.0 -
fatgirlandrobin wrote: »This is COMPLETELY inappropriate. Teaching kids junk food is bad for them? Sure. Teaching kids they need to skip meals so they don't go over their calorie limit?? What the *kitten*???
Sorry but I'd rather my kid be fat than have an eating disorder. It's also this kind of thinking that teaches kids it's okay to bully fat kids.
Honestly, I'd take this up with the school. It's completely inappropriate.
I've skipped meals because I've already hit my calorie goal for the day. How is that an eating disorder?
And, seeing as we have far more to be concerned with regarding obesity, than anorexia/bulimia, I believe we're safe to tell kids they can skip a meal if they already ate a ton of food that day.4 -
fatgirlandrobin wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »fatgirlandrobin wrote: »This is COMPLETELY inappropriate. Teaching kids junk food is bad for them? Sure. Teaching kids they need to skip meals so they don't go over their calorie limit?? What the *kitten*???
Sorry but I'd rather my kid be fat than have an eating disorder. It's also this kind of thinking that teaches kids it's okay to bully fat kids.
Honestly, I'd take this up with the school. It's completely inappropriate.
I'd argue that kids don't get fat without an eating disorder. Overeating is disordered eating.
For some kids, yes. I got fat because all I ate was pasta and McDonalds. I didn't overeat, I just ate *kitten* food. And I'd rather that be the case than my kid feel like food is the enemy.
You got fat because you overate. Pure and simple. No food, really, is "good" or "bad" or "kitten" (Whatever that means). You overate. It's CICO.
This is a perfect example of why we need to teach kids about calories, and why they matter.2 -
Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...4 -
I agree wit you OP, it is inappropriate for the gym teacher to be telling children they must burn off every calorie, if she is going to teach about nutrition she should be qualified in the field and she should broaden her scope of teaching. Every person is different, we are all sized differently, we all exercise differently. Especially at that age. Some children are active while others sit on computers or video games. So the calories for each child would be drastically different. She needs to teach the difference. While it is good to make children aware of what they are eating she is putting a child like yours more at risk. Meanwhile I would already have your child seeing a therapist to help him understand this. Its fine he wants to stay thin but he needs to eat nutritiously for a growing body. Teachers are grown adults and do not need extra calories for that reason.1
-
coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.4 -
LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.
Basic nutrition is founded on caloric content. You track caloric intake first, then macros, then micros. This is basic nutritional information.
I mean hell, your name is LowCarb. I suppose that says enough.2 -
coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.
Basic nutrition is founded on caloric content. You track caloric intake first, then macros, then micros. This is basic nutritional information.
I mean hell, your name is LowCarb. I suppose that says enough.
By your logic my kids should be obese, then, and they're not. As for my being low carb, that is definitely about the nutrition first, calories second.4 -
LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.
Basic nutrition is founded on caloric content. You track caloric intake first, then macros, then micros. This is basic nutritional information.
I mean hell, your name is LowCarb. I suppose that says enough.
By your logic my kids should be obese, then, and they're not. As for my being low carb, that is definitely about the nutrition first, calories second.
If they're not now, there's a good chance they'll be here, in the newbie section, in a few years, wondering why they are eating low-carb, but still not able to lose weight.
As for low-carb, that has naught to do with nutrition, really. You can get complete nutrition, without going low-carb. I know I pound back a great deal of carbs, am at a healthy weight, and hit all of my macros and micros.3 -
coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.
Basic nutrition is founded on caloric content. You track caloric intake first, then macros, then micros. This is basic nutritional information.
I mean hell, your name is LowCarb. I suppose that says enough.
By your logic my kids should be obese, then, and they're not. As for my being low carb, that is definitely about the nutrition first, calories second.
If they're not now, there's a good chance they'll be here, in the newbie section, in a few years, wondering why they are eating low-carb, but still not able to lose weight.
As for low-carb, that has naught to do with nutrition, really. You can get complete nutrition, without going low-carb. I know I pound back a great deal of carbs, am at a healthy weight, and hit all of my macros and micros.
Maybe they will be overweight, but they'll have a good idea of what is and isn't healthy eating. They do understand calories, but its not the main thing they're concerned about. Low carb does have something to do with nutrition for me as I'm diabetic and don't process a lot of carbs. I'm glad you've found what works for you, you might consider allowing others the same consideration.6 -
Unfortunately, the teacher is not allowed to single out a student for one on one nutrition talks because then the parents *kitten* that their precious angel is being bullied. So they just talk to everyone, even though some don't need it.
If your son is concerned you should take him to his doctor or a nutritionist and have them talk about eating healthy and make a healthy eating plan. He's 11, so he doesn't get a ton of control in his life, but he does control what he eats. He may be not eating as a way of exerting what little control he has.4 -
coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.
Basic nutrition is founded on caloric content. You track caloric intake first, then macros, then micros. This is basic nutritional information.
I mean hell, your name is LowCarb. I suppose that says enough.
By your logic my kids should be obese, then, and they're not. As for my being low carb, that is definitely about the nutrition first, calories second.
If they're not now, there's a good chance they'll be here, in the newbie section, in a few years, wondering why they are eating low-carb, but still not able to lose weight.
As for low-carb, that has naught to do with nutrition, really. You can get complete nutrition, without going low-carb. I know I pound back a great deal of carbs, am at a healthy weight, and hit all of my macros and micros.
You will find a lot of fatlogic contained in these forums, and people quick to label anything and everything an eating disorder. Most people don't even realize that eating at maintenance is calorie restricting, especially considering that the vast majority of people on this site, when totally unrestricted, were also either overweight or obese. I've been asked why I'm losing any weight at all since I'm already in the healthy range, as if being near the top of it has to be "good enough" for me and I can't strive for a lower healthy weight.
There's nothing wrong with kids learning to restrict calories to a proper intake level. Maybe it'll prevent them from ever becoming fat adults.4 -
LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.
Basic nutrition is founded on caloric content. You track caloric intake first, then macros, then micros. This is basic nutritional information.
I mean hell, your name is LowCarb. I suppose that says enough.
By your logic my kids should be obese, then, and they're not. As for my being low carb, that is definitely about the nutrition first, calories second.
If they're not now, there's a good chance they'll be here, in the newbie section, in a few years, wondering why they are eating low-carb, but still not able to lose weight.
As for low-carb, that has naught to do with nutrition, really. You can get complete nutrition, without going low-carb. I know I pound back a great deal of carbs, am at a healthy weight, and hit all of my macros and micros.
Maybe they will be overweight, but they'll have a good idea of what is and isn't healthy eating. They do understand calories, but its not the main thing they're concerned about. Low carb does have something to do with nutrition for me as I'm diabetic and don't process a lot of carbs. I'm glad you've found what works for you, you might consider allowing others the same consideration.
Unfortunately, they wont have a clue, still, about what healthy eating really means, which boils down to: Hit your caloric goals, to maintain a healthy weight, hit your macro split regularly, and make sure you're getting the micros you need as well.
And yes, different macro splits work best for different people, I get that. But, it's not all about macro splits. The order of precedence is as I laid out above, and to not teach kids the foundations of nutrition (Which include calories) is a disservice, and setting them up for failure in the future.4 -
coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »LowCarb4Me2016 wrote: »coreyreichle wrote: »Also to the ignorant people who keep saying it's the parents fault. I do not have an eating disorder. That was 10 years ago. Also no longer married to his biological father who had one. I don't diet or restrict food. I eat healthy but don't talk about fat or calories or bad foods.
So, you don't talk about basic nutrition with your kids? And, we wonder why kids have no clue, and why they have to teach it in school...
My daughters will be 17 in 2 months and I've never made much of an issue about fat or calories. We've discussed the need for milk/water over soda, fruit and veggies are important, and candy/cakes are a sometimes thing. Both girls are at a very healthy weight range. You don't have to make an issue about calories to teach nutrition. Besides, as has been discussed numerous times on this board nutrition is not the same as the number of calories consumed.
Basic nutrition is founded on caloric content. You track caloric intake first, then macros, then micros. This is basic nutritional information.
I mean hell, your name is LowCarb. I suppose that says enough.
By your logic my kids should be obese, then, and they're not. As for my being low carb, that is definitely about the nutrition first, calories second.
If they're not now, there's a good chance they'll be here, in the newbie section, in a few years, wondering why they are eating low-carb, but still not able to lose weight.
As for low-carb, that has naught to do with nutrition, really. You can get complete nutrition, without going low-carb. I know I pound back a great deal of carbs, am at a healthy weight, and hit all of my macros and micros.
Maybe they will be overweight, but they'll have a good idea of what is and isn't healthy eating. They do understand calories, but its not the main thing they're concerned about. Low carb does have something to do with nutrition for me as I'm diabetic and don't process a lot of carbs. I'm glad you've found what works for you, you might consider allowing others the same consideration.
Unfortunately, they wont have a clue, still, about what healthy eating really means, which boils down to: Hit your caloric goals, to maintain a healthy weight, hit your macro split regularly, and make sure you're getting the micros you need as well.
And yes, different macro splits work best for different people, I get that. But, it's not all about macro splits. The order of precedence is as I laid out above, and to not teach kids the foundations of nutrition (Which include calories) is a disservice, and setting them up for failure in the future.
With all due respect, you really don't have a clue what my kids do and don't know at this moment, or will know in the future. You're guessing based on a small amount of information. What I know is that my kids eat healthy, are healthy, and have a good relationship with food. I'm good with that. They know about calories, they can choose to count them or not. Seeing as they're very nearly adults I think that is their decision. As for macros, you brought up the low carb thing, not me. I simply explained why I do it.6 -
Wow.. as a recovering bulimic this bothers me like crazy. Sounds like she's just projecting her problems on these innocent kids who at that age are like sponges. I'm all about promoting a healthy lifestyle for children (play, sports, more fruits & veggies, etc) but suggesting they count/burn off calories is absolutely insane. My heart breaks for these kids who are taught to worry about their appearance at such a young age. Awful.5
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 911 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions