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Do you think parents should teach their kids how to count calories?
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4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.
Because my kid is active, loves sport, and isn't obese.
If the parents are responsible for their kids being obese, then surely they are also responsible for their kids not being obese
Ok, if your kid already loves sports I get it. It read as a prediction origionally.
But, I know plenty of active people who are obese, whether it's just age caught up to them, or life/injury caused a decrease in activity and they still ate like they were active or younger.
And I know plenty of people who understand CICO and are obese. And plenty who don't who are in good shape
I think there are way too many variables to argue either case with 100% conviction TBH - genetics, psychological makeup, etc. Just because you teach your kids CICO doesn't mean they won't be obese, and just because i won't teach mine doesn't mean they will be obese. And vice versa
You quite clearly said earlier your kids will not be obease.
right but he's saying it has nothing to do with whether or not he teaches them CICO2 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.
Because my kid is active, loves sport, and isn't obese.
If the parents are responsible for their kids being obese, then surely they are also responsible for their kids not being obese
Ok, if your kid already loves sports I get it. It read as a prediction origionally.
But, I know plenty of active people who are obese, whether it's just age caught up to them, or life/injury caused a decrease in activity and they still ate like they were active or younger.
And I know plenty of people who understand CICO and are obese. And plenty who don't who are in good shape
I think there are way too many variables to argue either case with 100% conviction TBH - genetics, psychological makeup, etc. Just because you teach your kids CICO doesn't mean they won't be obese, and just because i won't teach mine doesn't mean they will be obese. And vice versa
You quite clearly said earlier your kids will not be obease.
Obese*
My kids won't be obese because they don't know CICO - if an unexpected medical condition should arise, for example, then nothing can be guaranteed.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I don't think it matters either way.
I started counting calories at 11 or 12. I was overweight and my mother (and doctor) were okay with me counting calories. I lost the weight, but years later I gained weight. Then, this started a yo-yo cycle of me losing and regaining weight.
So here's the thing: counting calories doesn't fix whatever is causing a child/teen/adult/whoever to be overweight/obese. I've pretty much always understood about calories, but counting calories and knowing how to do so is a tool for losing weight.
It doesn't address the problems that cause the weight gain. I think this is why a lot of people regain weight they've lost. It's not enough to understand how to lose weight or maintain it. You have to address the issue that is causing the weight gain in the first place.
Not everyone has some great underlying issues that causes them to gain weight. I never had a weight problem growing up...I was a competitive athlete from 2nd grade through my senior year in multiple sports...after high school I went into the military and was in a combat ready unit and we were required to keep in good shape...when I went back to school afterwards, I remained pretty active since I didn't own a car for much of that time and walked and biked everywhere...worked retail or waited tables during the school year and did landscape construction in the summer.
I put on weight when I graduated college and took a job at a CPA firm working 12 hour days, 6 days per week and my activity level substantially decreased...but my eating remained pretty much the same. I didn't know much about calories, but I did know that I was eating more than I needed to given my activity level...I just didn't care.
I don't think it has to be some "great underlying issue". Eating to the point of being overweight/obese and not caring or doing anything about it is in itself an issue, imo.
I was married, climbing the corporate ladder, making money, and enjoying the fruits of my labor...that's where my priorities were. I was very happy just eating and drinking to my hearts content and living it up...I never got to the point of being tremendously overweight...about 40 Lbs. It went on the priority list when I had kids and thought I should take better care of myself, particularly in light of some bad blood work. That was five years ago and I'm still cruising just fine. There was nothing to "fix" really...just re-prioritize and I picked up sport again.0 -
Judging by the number of people on here who are against teaching their kids about CICO. I'm going to go ahead and predict a rise in obesity.
There's a huge difference between teaching them about nutrition, healthful habits, regular exercise, etc vs "here...I know you're only 7 but you really need to start logging every calorie...'cuz CICO and you need to learn it."
When age appropriate, I will talk about the energy balance equation, but the premise of this thread is, should we teach our kids to count calories? I think it's unnecessary. People world over don't count calories and do just fine. Most of my real world friends are pretty into nutrition, fitness, etc...not a single one of them counts calories...they're just fine and so are their kids.2 -
Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.1 -
Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common and I'm pretty sure I knew of no kid that counted calories.
I think a lot of this is adults putting their own hangups on their kids...1 -
ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
I won't teach my kids CICO, they won't be obese. They will be active, into sport, and eat a well balanced diet
I just don't understand how you can so difinitively claim any of this.
Because my kid is active, loves sport, and isn't obese.
If the parents are responsible for their kids being obese, then surely they are also responsible for their kids not being obese
Ok, if your kid already loves sports I get it. It read as a prediction origionally.
But, I know plenty of active people who are obese, whether it's just age caught up to them, or life/injury caused a decrease in activity and they still ate like they were active or younger.
And I know plenty of people who understand CICO and are obese. And plenty who don't who are in good shape
I think there are way too many variables to argue either case with 100% conviction TBH - genetics, psychological makeup, etc. Just because you teach your kids CICO doesn't mean they won't be obese, and just because i won't teach mine doesn't mean they will be obese. And vice versa
You quite clearly said earlier your kids will not be obease.
Obese*
My kids won't be obese because they don't know CICO - if an unexpected medical condition should arise, for example, then nothing can be guaranteed.
Just so I am clear on your stance, barring unforseen medical conditions your child will always maintain a healthy weight through balanced eating and remaining active. They will never need cico to maintain their weight?0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think this goes back to the idea that people used to be alot more active in their daily lives.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.
How are we defining kids?
I got an NES when I was 12 and watched a lot of t.v...but I also played sports. My wife and I control our kids screen time (5&7) just as my parents did with me at all stages of growing up. I just tell my kids they've had enough screen time and to go find something else to do/play...I don't think it's really necessary to sit down with my 7 year old and explain that he needs to get up and move more because CICO...he needs to get up and move because dad said to get up and do something more productive.
My oldest does Jiu Jitsu 3x per week and my youngest will be following suit very shortly. They're both into riding because...well, dad is into riding and they kinda wanna be like dad...we ride all the time. They swim 2-3 times per week and food wise, they very much understand what is a "sometimes" food and what is actual food they need to be healthy. I'd say my kids are pretty active.
They're both skinny as *kitten*...my oldest has abs...from Jiu Jitsu I think.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.
So being "a bit more active" will make up for "scarfing down multiple days worth of calories afterschool"
This is so dramatic. If they were able to eat multiple days worth of food they'd feel terrible and probably not eat much the next few days. And they wouldn't be able to do it with "pocket change at the quickie mart".
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.
Sure, I was a lot more active in the 70s and 80s - for example, I used to ride my bicycle to tennis lessons. There was one overweight child in my class. One.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.
Exactly. Which is why "calorie counting" is really not the answer to everything.
Even aside from the electronics, I've been having an ongoing discussion with my husband about the kids getting themselves where they want to go. I currently live in the same area where I grew up. By the age of about 8, I would get on my bike and go to any one of my friends' houses, the pool, the park, the convenience store, whatever. I rode my bike to school. Now? Shoot - NOBODY does that. I send the kids to the store on their bikes (and our youngest is 11) and my husband is a nervous nellie, wringing his hands the whole time they're gone. I don't think I know any kids who ride their bikes to school or walk - the parents drive them.
The area hasn't changed much in 30 years. We have greenbelts and minimal traffic - our kids can TOTALLY ride their bikes all over town without crossing a major street. But nobody lets their kids do that, and the kids don't WANT to.
Which I totally don't understand. When I was a kid? I loved getting on my bike and exploring and going whereever and having that freedom. I hated asking my mom for a ride. The world got weird.1 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think this goes back to the idea that people used to be alot more active in their daily lives.
I'd agree...and think it a lot more productive to teach the importance of physical activity in daily life rather than sitting my kid down with a food diary and telling him he needs to start counting calories. Teach the value of regular physical activity...teach the value of quality nutrition...teach the value of moderation and what constitutes a proper serving, etc...I don't think little kids need to be getting all hung up on a bunch of numbers...seems like a good way to mess with their head and very possibly create a generation of kids with ED. Hell, I counted calories for 9 months as a 38 year old adult and it messed with my head and got me all kinds of OCD about stuff. I do far better just focusing on good livin'...everything else seems to take care of itself...at least for the past 4.5+ years anyway.1 -
TeacupsAndToning wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »For the people that want to teach their children about CICO, how young are we talking?
Because I think if your child can barely understand what 5+5 is they won't be able to understand the basic principle of CICO lol
Will no one answer this, then?
I've asked the same question...mine are 5 & 7 and I find the idea of sitting down and counting calories with them to be preposterous at best...1 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.
So being "a bit more active" will make up for "scarfing down multiple days worth of calories afterschool"
This is so dramatic. If they were able to eat multiple days worth of food they'd feel terrible and probably not eat much the next few days. And they wouldn't be able to do it with "pocket change at the quickie mart".
It's not that hard to eat a few (or more) snack cakes (think Little Debbie) before feeling really full - some of them are 300-400 calories per and quite small, and ~$2/box.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »For the people that want to teach their children about CICO, how young are we talking?
Because I think if your child can barely understand what 5+5 is they won't be able to understand the basic principle of CICO lol
Will no one answer this, then?
I've asked the same question...mine are 5 & 7 and I find the idea of sitting down and counting calories with them to be preposterous at best...
Haha imagine that, telling them that some foods have more energy, but that they shouldn't have too much.
"Wait dad, so a snickers bar has 250 calories and an apple has 80 calories? So snickers is better cause it has more!"0 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.
So being "a bit more active" will make up for "scarfing down multiple days worth of calories afterschool"
This is so dramatic. If they were able to eat multiple days worth of food they'd feel terrible and probably not eat much the next few days. And they wouldn't be able to do it with "pocket change at the quickie mart".
It's not that hard to eat a few (or more) snack cakes (think Little Debbie) before feeling really full - some of them are 300-400 calories per and quite small, and ~$2/box.
Way less likely they'll do that if they are active, rather than sitting in front of a computer game though- so higher activity level would help from both directions.0 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Given that super high calorie density foods with no prep required are EVERYWHERE and CHEAP nowadays... might not be a bad idea to teach this generation about calorie numbers (maybe not the really young ones, but those who are out and about a lot on their own - yeah). A kid could easily scarf down multiple days worth of calories with pocket change at the nearby quickie mart or fast food place after school on a daily basis if they don't know. The generic teaching of "healthy foods" and "proper nutrition" might not be enough if they don't understand the calorie content of what they would otherwise think is just 'a little treat'.
Nowadays? They've been around for a very long time...I wonder what people did before calorie counting. All that stuff was pretty prevalent when I was a kid and teen and obesity in children and teens was not particularly common.
I think we were still a bit more active back then to make up for it (compared to a lot of kids now..I only knew 1 kid with an Atari when I was in grade school, no computers except for some rich kids in the 'burbs, even Nintendo hadn't come out/gotten popular until I was a bit older). I think we also had less pocket change than many of today's kids have.
So being "a bit more active" will make up for "scarfing down multiple days worth of calories afterschool"
This is so dramatic. If they were able to eat multiple days worth of food they'd feel terrible and probably not eat much the next few days. And they wouldn't be able to do it with "pocket change at the quickie mart".
It's not that hard to eat a few (or more) snack cakes (think Little Debbie) before feeling really full - some of them are 300-400 calories per and quite small, and ~$2/box.
A multiple days worth of calories for a growing teenage boy, for example...is pretty astronomical. I ate like a horse when I was a teenager and had a very difficult time putting on weight and was a bean pole at 5'10" and 135 soaking wet.
Best part of after football games and after track meets was my parents taking me to the all you can eat pancake house...I used to destroy that place after a game or a meet.
When I went to boot camp I was put on double rations 3 meals per day to put on weight.0 -
TeacupsAndToning wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »For the people that want to teach their children about CICO, how young are we talking?
Because I think if your child can barely understand what 5+5 is they won't be able to understand the basic principle of CICO lol
Will no one answer this, then?
My first comment pg 1 or 2 touches on it. Let me know if you have any feedback.
The lack of definition of child vs adult vs teen and so on is part of the problem here though.0
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