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Do you think parents should teach their kids how to count calories?
Replies
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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.
That seems an absurd prediction to me - as I said, my 3 kids were never taught about calorie counting - they are now all healthy weight adults.
Because they understand basics of nutrition, serving sizes and lead active lives.
and many people do this and have a calorie balance ie maintain healthy weights, without claorie counting - just by the way they live.
and many people who do get over weight lose it without counting calories - when my son was told to lose bit of weight by his footy coach, he didnt do it by counting calories - he cut back on take aways, switched to low carb beer, ramped up the gym sessions.
Got back to ideal weight without ever paying attention to calories
Obviously CICO and nutrition apply to everyone but calorie counting doesnt.
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ManBehindTheMask wrote: »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.
That's not an outrageous prediction, seeing as obesity rates have risen steadily year on year in the US since 1970, with rates of obesity projected to rise as high as 45% by 2030
Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong about the rise in obesity regardless if I'm right about whether kids should be taught CICO. I was kind of half joking when I made my prediction. I think it's great that you plan on teaching your kids how to be active and eat a well balanced diet. I will do the same with mine and I will also teach them about CICO. I don't think there is anything wrong with your way. Every parent has to do what they think is best for their children.
I don't think anyone is claiming that 7 year olds should be taught how to do anything with CICO. I think you know that and you're just being ridiculous to make your answer to the topic seem more sound. I wouldn't put an age on it though. Kids will become mentally and emotionally read for things when they are ready, not when the parent is ready for them to be.cwolfman13 wrote: »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.
What is a kid really? I consider anyone who is still in high school to be a kid. There's no reason a mentally and emotionally healthy high schooler shouldn't be taught what a calorie is and how to figure out how many they need.
People world over get fat too. The states have a huge obesity problem, but we are not the only ones. I find this information completely moot.
I have no doubts that people can be fit without counting calories. Some people can't. I just think it's worth it to teach kids how to count calories regardless if they will need it. I'm not playing a guessing game with what my kids will need one day. I'm gong to go a head and teach them as much as I can just incase they need it.0 -
paperpudding wrote: »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.
That seems an absurd prediction to me - as I said, my 3 kids were never taught about calorie counting - they are now all healthy weight adults.
Because they understand basics of nutrition, serving sizes and lead active lives.
and many people do this and have a calorie balance ie maintain healthy weights, without claorie counting - just by the way they live.
and many people who do get over weight lose it without counting calories - when my son was told to lose bit of weight by his footy coach, he didnt do it by counting calories - he cut back on take aways, switched to low carb beer, ramped up the gym sessions.
Got back to ideal weight without ever paying attention to calories
Obviously CICO and nutrition apply to everyone but calorie counting doesnt.
Counting calories is a tool. It's wonderful if you don't need it, but useful if you do. I don't think anyone here is saying that Counting calories is necessary for everyone. It has helped me. If there is even the smallest chance that my kids will need it, I want them to have it.
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I think teaching a 7 year how to count calories is a terrible idea too. Most 7 year olds have just started learning about 3 digit addition (some haven't even gotten that far with math). Nobody is saying 7 year olds should be counting calories. I thought that was pretty obvious.TeacupsAndToning wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »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.
That's not an outrageous prediction, seeing as obesity rates have risen steadily year on year in the US since 1970, with rates of obesity projected to rise as high as 45% by 2030
Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong about the rise in obesity regardless if I'm right about whether kids should be taught CICO. I was kind of half joking when I made my prediction. I think it's great that you plan on teaching your kids how to be active and eat a well balanced diet. I will do the same with mine and I will also teach them about CICO. I don't think there is anything wrong with your way. Every parent has to do what they think is best for their children.
I don't think anyone is claiming that 7 year olds should be taught how to do anything with CICO. I think you know that and you're just being ridiculous to make your answer to the topic seem more sound. I wouldn't put an age on it though. Kids will become mentally and emotionally read for things when they are ready, not when the parent is ready for them to be.cwolfman13 wrote: »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.
What is a kid really? I consider anyone who is still in high school to be a kid. There's no reason a mentally and emotionally healthy high schooler shouldn't be taught what a calorie is and how to figure out how many they need.
People world over get fat too. The states have a huge obesity problem, but we are not the only ones. I find this information completely moot.
I have no doubts that people can be fit without counting calories. Some people can't. I just think it's worth it to teach kids how to count calories regardless if they will need it. I'm not playing a guessing game with what my kids will need one day. I'm gong to go a head and teach them as much as I can just incase they need it.
In relation to the bolded, I don't think he was being ridiculous. The issue is that most people haven't been specific about what they consider a child and only some have since clarified - me included. I didn't think about how giving a specific age-range would be important, which was clearly an oversight.
So if you see someone just say, "I'm going to teach my child about CICO, I think they should learn about it early." Okay, that's fine, I understand that, but the problem is that to me, when you say child, I think someone who is about 7 years old, and that seems very inappropriate.
So we all just need to be more clear about things lol
I probably won't teach my kids how to count calories until they have adjusted to life in high school. Some kids never adjust to life in high school. If it seems like calorie tracking would cause them too much stress then I wouldn't worry them with it much if any at all. That's something that I will just have to use my judgment for though. Every kid is different, so there is no one size fits all.
Is that clear enough?
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Had friends with severe eating disorders at 6 years old, so no.1
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Dr__Girlfriend wrote: »Had friends with severe eating disorders at 6 years old, so no.
EXACTLY!0 -
ManBehindTheMask wrote: »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.
That's not an outrageous prediction, seeing as obesity rates have risen steadily year on year in the US since 1970, with rates of obesity projected to rise as high as 45% by 2030
Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong about the rise in obesity regardless if I'm right about whether kids should be taught CICO. I was kind of half joking when I made my prediction. I think it's great that you plan on teaching your kids how to be active and eat a well balanced diet. I will do the same with mine and I will also teach them about CICO. I don't think there is anything wrong with your way. Every parent has to do what they think is best for their children.
I don't think anyone is claiming that 7 year olds should be taught how to do anything with CICO. I think you know that and you're just being ridiculous to make your answer to the topic seem more sound. I wouldn't put an age on it though. Kids will become mentally and emotionally read for things when they are ready, not when the parent is ready for them to be.cwolfman13 wrote: »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.
What is a kid really? I consider anyone who is still in high school to be a kid. There's no reason a mentally and emotionally healthy high schooler shouldn't be taught what a calorie is and how to figure out how many they need.
People world over get fat too. The states have a huge obesity problem, but we are not the only ones. I find this information completely moot.
I have no doubts that people can be fit without counting calories. Some people can't. I just think it's worth it to teach kids how to count calories regardless if they will need it. I'm not playing a guessing game with what my kids will need one day. I'm gong to go a head and teach them as much as I can just incase they need it.
I don't think I'll refer to my kids as "kids" when they're teens...kids to me is small children. Teens... particularly late teens, you're pretty much an adult. I was in the military and ready to take a bullet at 18... didn't really consider myself a "kid" at that point.
So yeah... not trying to be ridiculous. This topic is ridiculous and completely lacks any form of context.
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I have ideas about this, but they are unconventional. I really don't care if other people disagree with how we raised them in this regard.
We wanted our children to be able to tune into their hunger signals, and to that end, never forced meals on them or strictly imposed meal times.
They were exclusively breast fed until they reached for food on the table, and while we had regular meals, they were not obligated to eat them. Healthy food was available to them at all times if their hunger led them into a different meal timing. Unhealthy food was also available, but it was limited and offered in context (they were taught about "sometimes" and "always" foods).
Over time, they've fallen into regular meal timing, but they stop eating when they are full.
I don't know many other kids who willingly turn down cookies or sometimes only eat half and then say they've had enough.
It has worked. They are both at healthy weights. Our daughter is 21, and son is 15 and still growing.
They both have knowledge of energy balance and calories in food, but it's not really an important thing for them. I think it's more important not to mess up the internal hunger signals we all have if it can be avoided. But that's me and a projection of how I wish my own hunger signalling wasn't so messed by the rigidity of my own upbringing that didn't allow for extra hunger during growth spurts or decreased hunger between them. I understand how other people might have a different take on things.
This all sounds VERY REASONABLE.
And to your last paragraph: interesting that yours was messed up by rigidity. Mine was pretty well felined with by being allowed to 24/7/365 twinkies, ding dongs, ho hos coke, TV dinners, frozen pizza. And NO guidance outside of don't eat bacteria (yogurt).
GREAT post.2 -
I'm sure a lot of it depends on location. It just goes to show that there can be language barriers within the same language. Where I'm from you never really stop being your parents' kid.cwolfman13 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »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.
That's not an outrageous prediction, seeing as obesity rates have risen steadily year on year in the US since 1970, with rates of obesity projected to rise as high as 45% by 2030
Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong about the rise in obesity regardless if I'm right about whether kids should be taught CICO. I was kind of half joking when I made my prediction. I think it's great that you plan on teaching your kids how to be active and eat a well balanced diet. I will do the same with mine and I will also teach them about CICO. I don't think there is anything wrong with your way. Every parent has to do what they think is best for their children.
I don't think anyone is claiming that 7 year olds should be taught how to do anything with CICO. I think you know that and you're just being ridiculous to make your answer to the topic seem more sound. I wouldn't put an age on it though. Kids will become mentally and emotionally read for things when they are ready, not when the parent is ready for them to be.cwolfman13 wrote: »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.
What is a kid really? I consider anyone who is still in high school to be a kid. There's no reason a mentally and emotionally healthy high schooler shouldn't be taught what a calorie is and how to figure out how many they need.
People world over get fat too. The states have a huge obesity problem, but we are not the only ones. I find this information completely moot.
I have no doubts that people can be fit without counting calories. Some people can't. I just think it's worth it to teach kids how to count calories regardless if they will need it. I'm not playing a guessing game with what my kids will need one day. I'm gong to go a head and teach them as much as I can just incase they need it.
I don't think I'll refer to my kids as "kids" when they're teens...kids to me is small children. Teens... particularly late teens, you're pretty much an adult. I was in the military and ready to take a bullet at 18... didn't really consider myself a "kid" at that point.
So yeah... not trying to be ridiculous. This topic is ridiculous and completely lacks any form of context.
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?
The purpose is to supply them with a tool that might help them later. I'm not saying make them do it all the time, but I see no harm in them learning how to do it. I see learning as a good thing.
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paperpudding wrote: »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.
That seems an absurd prediction to me - as I said, my 3 kids were never taught about calorie counting - they are now all healthy weight adults.
Because they understand basics of nutrition, serving sizes and lead active lives.
and many people do this and have a calorie balance ie maintain healthy weights, without claorie counting - just by the way they live.
and many people who do get over weight lose it without counting calories - when my son was told to lose bit of weight by his footy coach, he didnt do it by counting calories - he cut back on take aways, switched to low carb beer, ramped up the gym sessions.
Got back to ideal weight without ever paying attention to calories
Obviously CICO and nutrition apply to everyone but calorie counting doesnt.
Counting calories is a tool. It's wonderful if you don't need it, but useful if you do. I don't think anyone here is saying that Counting calories is necessary for everyone. It has helped me. If there is even the smallest chance that my kids will need it, I want them to have it.
I beg to differ.
I think people will learn how to use this tool when and if they need/want to.
Which may well be never.
and most people who do lose weight do so without counting calories anyway1 -
I see learning in general as a good thing too - but learning relevant useful interesting information.
Which calorie counting is not for most children.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?
I agree forcing your "kid" to count calories isn't a good strategy and can lead to all sorts of issues.
When someone says should you teach your kids about calorie counting my thought it yes, when they are at an appropriate age to understand it (probably teens), I want them to understand that calories are a unit of energy the body uses, they come from food and come from the fat, protein, and carb content of a food. If you eat more than you need you gain and vice verse. I guess that is more classified as CICO than calorie counting per se. Hopefully, if they ever have weight issues as an adult, they can address the issue as opposed to chasing fad diets around. To me, teaching your child something does not mean you have to make them do it all the time. Sometimes you just impart bits of information and hope its still there when they need it one day.
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I think that it more basic than calories. There has been so much more data available now as apposed to 28 years ago when my daughter was small. It makes me angry that I didn't know what I didn't know.
What I wished I had known:- Soy can be an endocrine disruptor and can affect growth rate, cause early onset of menarche in girls, and delayed puberty in boys (as well as a host of fertility / thyroid problems in men and women)
- Pre-packaged meals often contain chemicals / additives that the body cannot assimilate
- Corporately farmed food may not be as healthy as food farmed by traditional methods
- Hormones / antibiotics in food can contribute to digestive and other issues
We tend to blame it on excess calories; but, what if the food we are feeding our kids actually affects their brains and how their bodies process food for nutrition? What if their brains are telling them that they are still hungry (because they are)?
For example,- My daughter had a wheat allergy and we didn't know it. Baby formula had wheat in it. She was fed soy milk exclusively. Her adult teeth stopped growing, her growth plates stopped and she got her period at 10 years old.
- I was among those parents who thought that those frozen Kidz Meals and Happy Meals were healthy. I freely fed her pizza, hot dogs, french fries, all of the stuff people feed their kids. She craved carbs all of the time. She gained weight and while we felt bad about it, it never occurred to us that it was related to what she was eating.
- We shopped at Price Club (now COSTCO), bought Cherrios in bulk, bought commercial meat / poultry in bulk and fed her what she wanted.
- She developed an eating disorder in part because she didn't like the food in the cafeteria (all factory food) and in part because by not eating she lost weight. She got the flu and began to vomit blood. Then we were in the death spiral of anti-depressants, which almost cost us her life.
Once we figured out that she had a wheat sensitivity, removed all soy from her diet and fed her "real" food she got better pretty quickly. She does have a lasting effect in terms of hypothyroidism and all of the issues that entails.
I challenge any parent to remove soy, pre-packaged meals, corporately farmed food, and eliminate all foods containing hormones / antibiotics for six months and then tell me that their kid needs to be conscious of the calories that they are consuming. Because, I am betting that the kids will be satiated more quickly.
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I think that it more basic that calories. There has been so much more data available now as apposed to 28 years ago when my daughter was small. It makes me angry that I didn't know what I didn't know.
What I wished I had known:- Soy can be an endocrine disruptor and can affect growth rate, cause early onset of menarche in girls, and delayed puberty in boys (as well as a host of fertility / thyroid problems in men and women)
- Pre-packaged meals often contain chemicals / additives that the body cannot assimilate
- Corporately farmed food may not be as healthy as food farmed by traditional methods
- Hormones / antibiotics in food can contribute to digestive and other issues
We tend to blame it on excess calories; but, what if the food we are feeding our kids actually affects their brains and how their bodies process food for nutrition? What if their brains are telling them that they are still hungry (because they are)?
For example,- My daughter had a wheat allergy and we didn't know it. Baby formula had wheat in it. She was fed soy milk exclusively. Her adult teeth stopped growing, her growth plates stopped and she got her period at 10 years old.
- I was among those parents who thought that those frozen Kidz Meals and Happy Meals were healthy. I freely fed her pizza, hot dogs, french fries, all of the stuff people feed their kids. She craved carbs all of the time. She gained weight and while we felt bad about it, it never occurred to us that it was related to what she was eating.
- We shopped at Price Club (now COSTCO), bought Cherrios in bulk, bought commercial meat / poultry in bulk and fed her what she wanted.
- She developed an eating disorder in part because she didn't like the food in the cafeteria (all factory food) and in part because by not eating she lost weight. She got the flu and began to vomit blood. Then we were in the death spiral of anti-depressants, which almost cost us her life.
Once we figured out that she had a wheat sensitivity, removed all soy from her diet and fed her "real" food she got better pretty quickly. She does have a lasting effect in terms of hypothyroidism and all of the issues that entails.
I challenge any parent to remove soy, pre-packaged meals, corporately farmed food, and eliminate all foods containing hormones / antibiotics for six months and then tell me that their kid needs to be conscious of the calories that they are consuming. Because, I am betting that the kids will be satiated more quickly.
My kids eat that and have no weight issues. Every one is different.0 -
I think that it more basic than calories. There has been so much more data available now as apposed to 28 years ago when my daughter was small. It makes me angry that I didn't know what I didn't know.
What I wished I had known:- Soy can be an endocrine disruptor and can affect growth rate, cause early onset of menarche in girls, and delayed puberty in boys (as well as a host of fertility / thyroid problems in men and women)
- Pre-packaged meals often contain chemicals / additives that the body cannot assimilate
- Corporately farmed food may not be as healthy as food farmed by traditional methods
- Hormones / antibiotics in food can contribute to digestive and other issues
We tend to blame it on excess calories; but, what if the food we are feeding our kids actually affects their brains and how their bodies process food for nutrition? What if their brains are telling them that they are still hungry (because they are)?
For example,- My daughter had a wheat allergy and we didn't know it. Baby formula had wheat in it. She was fed soy milk exclusively. Her adult teeth stopped growing, her growth plates stopped and she got her period at 10 years old.
- I was among those parents who thought that those frozen Kidz Meals and Happy Meals were healthy. I freely fed her pizza, hot dogs, french fries, all of the stuff people feed their kids. She craved carbs all of the time. She gained weight and while we felt bad about it, it never occurred to us that it was related to what she was eating.
- We shopped at Price Club (now COSTCO), bought Cherrios in bulk, bought commercial meat / poultry in bulk and fed her what she wanted.
- She developed an eating disorder in part because she didn't like the food in the cafeteria (all factory food) and in part because by not eating she lost weight. She got the flu and began to vomit blood. Then we were in the death spiral of anti-depressants, which almost cost us her life.
Once we figured out that she had a wheat sensitivity, removed all soy from her diet and fed her "real" food she got better pretty quickly. She does have a lasting effect in terms of hypothyroidism and all of the issues that entails.
I challenge any parent to remove soy, pre-packaged meals, corporately farmed food, and eliminate all foods containing hormones / antibiotics for six months and then tell me that their kid needs to be conscious of the calories that they are consuming. Because, I am betting that the kids will be satiated more quickly.
Sorry you went through all that, but for the vast majority of cases, excess calories is the issue.4 -
what I find funny about this debate is that at my age I did grow up in the era of "go outside and Play"...only eat when hungry, eat veggies and fruit...chips and dip were a once a week treat, no soda just milk and water. Ice cream only in a serving size etc.
Guess what I got fat...I stayed fat.
Teaching kids those things (not cico) do not guarantee anything.
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paperpudding wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »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.
That seems an absurd prediction to me - as I said, my 3 kids were never taught about calorie counting - they are now all healthy weight adults.
Because they understand basics of nutrition, serving sizes and lead active lives.
and many people do this and have a calorie balance ie maintain healthy weights, without claorie counting - just by the way they live.
and many people who do get over weight lose it without counting calories - when my son was told to lose bit of weight by his footy coach, he didnt do it by counting calories - he cut back on take aways, switched to low carb beer, ramped up the gym sessions.
Got back to ideal weight without ever paying attention to calories
Obviously CICO and nutrition apply to everyone but calorie counting doesnt.
Counting calories is a tool. It's wonderful if you don't need it, but useful if you do. I don't think anyone here is saying that Counting calories is necessary for everyone. It has helped me. If there is even the smallest chance that my kids will need it, I want them to have it.
I beg to differ.
I think people will learn how to use this tool when and if they need/want to.
Which may well be never.
and most people who do lose weight do so without counting calories anyway
When people ask me how I lost weight, I tell them by counting calories. Most people think it's a trick or a fad. So, I disagree that people will just count calories if the need too.
I really don't care what most people do. If i used the methods that most people use I'd lose some weight and then gain more back for the rest of my life. No thanks.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »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.
Pretty much the opposite background here... petite, female, inner-city (ie no extracurricular activities on offer), latch-key kid.0 -
No but they should be taught how to eat healthy and make smart food choices0
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4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?
I agree forcing your "kid" to count calories isn't a good strategy and can lead to all sorts of issues.
When someone says should you teach your kids about calorie counting my thought it yes, when they are at an appropriate age to understand it (probably teens), I want them to understand that calories are a unit of energy the body uses, they come from food and come from the fat, protein, and carb content of a food. If you eat more than you need you gain and vice verse. I guess that is more classified as CICO than calorie counting per se. Hopefully, if they ever have weight issues as an adult, they can address the issue as opposed to chasing fad diets around. To me, teaching your child something does not mean you have to make them do it all the time. Sometimes you just impart bits of information and hope its still there when they need it one day.
My guess is that my kids will probably glean a lot from my wife and I without us having a direct conversation about it or sitting down and "teaching" them.
We're both pretty into nutrition and fitness and whatnot and we talk conversationally with each other about calories, portions, fitness, recovery, etc...we use a food scale for many things, and just the other day my 7 year old asked me, "why are you putting your food on that thing." I just explained to him that I was making sure I was getting the right amount of food because I didn't want to eat too much and I also didn't want to not eat enough. He said, "oh...cool...I should always eat enough, but not too much right?" And then he told me, "I should make sure I eat all of my lunch after Jiu Jitsu so I can be strong and not be too tired."
IDK...I think kids will glean things from the lifestyle that parents live.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »ManBehindTheMask wrote: »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.
That's not an outrageous prediction, seeing as obesity rates have risen steadily year on year in the US since 1970, with rates of obesity projected to rise as high as 45% by 2030
Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong about the rise in obesity regardless if I'm right about whether kids should be taught CICO. I was kind of half joking when I made my prediction. I think it's great that you plan on teaching your kids how to be active and eat a well balanced diet. I will do the same with mine and I will also teach them about CICO. I don't think there is anything wrong with your way. Every parent has to do what they think is best for their children.
I don't think anyone is claiming that 7 year olds should be taught how to do anything with CICO. I think you know that and you're just being ridiculous to make your answer to the topic seem more sound. I wouldn't put an age on it though. Kids will become mentally and emotionally read for things when they are ready, not when the parent is ready for them to be.cwolfman13 wrote: »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.
What is a kid really? I consider anyone who is still in high school to be a kid. There's no reason a mentally and emotionally healthy high schooler shouldn't be taught what a calorie is and how to figure out how many they need.
People world over get fat too. The states have a huge obesity problem, but we are not the only ones. I find this information completely moot.
I have no doubts that people can be fit without counting calories. Some people can't. I just think it's worth it to teach kids how to count calories regardless if they will need it. I'm not playing a guessing game with what my kids will need one day. I'm gong to go a head and teach them as much as I can just incase they need it.
I don't think I'll refer to my kids as "kids" when they're teens...kids to me is small children. Teens... particularly late teens, you're pretty much an adult. I was in the military and ready to take a bullet at 18... didn't really consider myself a "kid" at that point.
So yeah... not trying to be ridiculous. This topic is ridiculous and completely lacks any form of context.
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?
I defined "kid" as prior to high school graduation. Before most are expected to leave the house and start figuring out how to live independently. There's a wide range of ages where teaching calories might be appropriate depending on the kid.
I would have done well if it had been taught to me at 7 - I was super into science, particularly branches of biology, and very precocious. Plus, I didn't eat enough. Might have helped my parents convince me to eat more. Certainly "sit at the table until you eat your steak" was a miserable failure.
To me, it's silly not to teach kids the concept of counting calories even if they don't need it just then. Just like I learned how to balance a checkbook long before I ever had a bank account. But just like that, there's no need to require that the kid actually count calories beyond what might be required to get the lesson learned. They'll know the method exists and the basics should they ever need it.3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?
I agree forcing your "kid" to count calories isn't a good strategy and can lead to all sorts of issues.
When someone says should you teach your kids about calorie counting my thought it yes, when they are at an appropriate age to understand it (probably teens), I want them to understand that calories are a unit of energy the body uses, they come from food and come from the fat, protein, and carb content of a food. If you eat more than you need you gain and vice verse. I guess that is more classified as CICO than calorie counting per se. Hopefully, if they ever have weight issues as an adult, they can address the issue as opposed to chasing fad diets around. To me, teaching your child something does not mean you have to make them do it all the time. Sometimes you just impart bits of information and hope its still there when they need it one day.
My guess is that my kids will probably glean a lot from my wife and I without us having a direct conversation about it or sitting down and "teaching" them.
We're both pretty into nutrition and fitness and whatnot and we talk conversationally with each other about calories, portions, fitness, recovery, etc...we use a food scale for many things, and just the other day my 7 year old asked me, "why are you putting your food on that thing." I just explained to him that I was making sure I was getting the right amount of food because I didn't want to eat too much and I also didn't want to not eat enough. He said, "oh...cool...I should always eat enough, but not too much right?" And then he told me, "I should make sure I eat all of my lunch after Jiu Jitsu so I can be strong and not be too tired."
IDK...I think kids will glean things from the lifestyle that parents live.
My kids are 9, 7, and 3 and we essentially do the same. Being the kids of two professional scientists they have followed a lot of our behaviors and question everything. We have already reviewed the caloric needs of everyone in the family as comparison.
There's a lot of projection on these threads and I don't understand where the hyperbolic exaggerations are coming from. I don't see how anyone would have an issue with how you are introducing kids to this.2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?
I agree forcing your "kid" to count calories isn't a good strategy and can lead to all sorts of issues.
When someone says should you teach your kids about calorie counting my thought it yes, when they are at an appropriate age to understand it (probably teens), I want them to understand that calories are a unit of energy the body uses, they come from food and come from the fat, protein, and carb content of a food. If you eat more than you need you gain and vice verse. I guess that is more classified as CICO than calorie counting per se. Hopefully, if they ever have weight issues as an adult, they can address the issue as opposed to chasing fad diets around. To me, teaching your child something does not mean you have to make them do it all the time. Sometimes you just impart bits of information and hope its still there when they need it one day.
My guess is that my kids will probably glean a lot from my wife and I without us having a direct conversation about it or sitting down and "teaching" them.
We're both pretty into nutrition and fitness and whatnot and we talk conversationally with each other about calories, portions, fitness, recovery, etc...we use a food scale for many things, and just the other day my 7 year old asked me, "why are you putting your food on that thing." I just explained to him that I was making sure I was getting the right amount of food because I didn't want to eat too much and I also didn't want to not eat enough. He said, "oh...cool...I should always eat enough, but not too much right?" And then he told me, "I should make sure I eat all of my lunch after Jiu Jitsu so I can be strong and not be too tired."
IDK...I think kids will glean things from the lifestyle that parents live.
I would consider that a form of teaching, largely I think we agree with each other just but just use different words.0 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »
Should you have your "kid" sit down and count calories when/if they don't have a weight problem? What's the purpose?
I agree forcing your "kid" to count calories isn't a good strategy and can lead to all sorts of issues.
When someone says should you teach your kids about calorie counting my thought it yes, when they are at an appropriate age to understand it (probably teens), I want them to understand that calories are a unit of energy the body uses, they come from food and come from the fat, protein, and carb content of a food. If you eat more than you need you gain and vice verse. I guess that is more classified as CICO than calorie counting per se. Hopefully, if they ever have weight issues as an adult, they can address the issue as opposed to chasing fad diets around. To me, teaching your child something does not mean you have to make them do it all the time. Sometimes you just impart bits of information and hope its still there when they need it one day.
My guess is that my kids will probably glean a lot from my wife and I without us having a direct conversation about it or sitting down and "teaching" them.
We're both pretty into nutrition and fitness and whatnot and we talk conversationally with each other about calories, portions, fitness, recovery, etc...we use a food scale for many things, and just the other day my 7 year old asked me, "why are you putting your food on that thing." I just explained to him that I was making sure I was getting the right amount of food because I didn't want to eat too much and I also didn't want to not eat enough. He said, "oh...cool...I should always eat enough, but not too much right?" And then he told me, "I should make sure I eat all of my lunch after Jiu Jitsu so I can be strong and not be too tired."
IDK...I think kids will glean things from the lifestyle that parents live.
I would consider that a form of teaching, largely I think we agree with each other just but just use different words.
Yeah, probably....
I'd also add that my family is fortunate to be surrounded primarily by fitness oriented people...most of our friends and family are pretty into nutrition and fitness, etc...Grandma (my mom) is a former triathlete...mostly plays golf and dances now, but she still gets into the gym to lift...Auntie (my sister) is a marathoner and recreational MMA fighter...mom is an avid runner and likes to do 1/2s...I'm an avid cycling enthusiast...our best friends own a gym and are our trainers and we spend a lot of social time with them and their kids (same age)...One of my best long time friends is a big time yoga guy...one of my best lady friends for decades is a body builder...another one is an Ironwoman...
They're essentially being reared in a culture that is all about taking care of themselves and nurturing the body and being active, so this kind of environment is completely normal to them and will likely serve them well going forward.4 -
what I find funny about this debate is that at my age I did grow up in the era of "go outside and Play"...only eat when hungry, eat veggies and fruit...chips and dip were a once a week treat, no soda just milk and water. Ice cream only in a serving size etc.
Guess what I got fat...I stayed fat.
Teaching kids those things (not cico) do not guarantee anything.
Did you continue to follow what you had learned?
If not, then there is no reason teaching them cico will change anything if they also do not follow what they have learned.0 -
what I find funny about this debate is that at my age I did grow up in the era of "go outside and Play"...only eat when hungry, eat veggies and fruit...chips and dip were a once a week treat, no soda just milk and water. Ice cream only in a serving size etc.
Guess what I got fat...I stayed fat.
Teaching kids those things (not cico) do not guarantee anything.
This is why my kids still learned (as part of their homeshooling curriculum) the rudiments of energy balance.
I don't think there's any one way to bullet proof your kids from obesity, and I've always thought it was my job as a parent to cover as many bases as possible.1 -
paperpudding wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »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.
That seems an absurd prediction to me - as I said, my 3 kids were never taught about calorie counting - they are now all healthy weight adults.
Because they understand basics of nutrition, serving sizes and lead active lives.
and many people do this and have a calorie balance ie maintain healthy weights, without claorie counting - just by the way they live.
and many people who do get over weight lose it without counting calories - when my son was told to lose bit of weight by his footy coach, he didnt do it by counting calories - he cut back on take aways, switched to low carb beer, ramped up the gym sessions.
Got back to ideal weight without ever paying attention to calories
Obviously CICO and nutrition apply to everyone but calorie counting doesnt.
Counting calories is a tool. It's wonderful if you don't need it, but useful if you do. I don't think anyone here is saying that Counting calories is necessary for everyone. It has helped me. If there is even the smallest chance that my kids will need it, I want them to have it.
I beg to differ.
I think people will learn how to use this tool when and if they need/want to.
Which may well be never.
and most people who do lose weight do so without counting calories anyway
When people ask me how I lost weight, I tell them by counting calories. Most people think it's a trick or a fad. So, I disagree that people will just count calories if the need too.
I really don't care what most people do. If i used the methods that most people use I'd lose some weight and then gain more back for the rest of my life. No thanks.
Well,yes,I lòst weight by counting calories too - but I don't leap from that to It us the only successful way or It us useful information for people who don't want/ need to know it.
Let stone teaching it to children just because.
0 -
I'm having a hard time understanding your post because of how it's worded, but to be clear I never said it's the only way. Not just in this thread. I've actually never said that at all because it's not true.paperpudding wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »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.
That seems an absurd prediction to me - as I said, my 3 kids were never taught about calorie counting - they are now all healthy weight adults.
Because they understand basics of nutrition, serving sizes and lead active lives.
and many people do this and have a calorie balance ie maintain healthy weights, without claorie counting - just by the way they live.
and many people who do get over weight lose it without counting calories - when my son was told to lose bit of weight by his footy coach, he didnt do it by counting calories - he cut back on take aways, switched to low carb beer, ramped up the gym sessions.
Got back to ideal weight without ever paying attention to calories
Obviously CICO and nutrition apply to everyone but calorie counting doesnt.
Counting calories is a tool. It's wonderful if you don't need it, but useful if you do. I don't think anyone here is saying that Counting calories is necessary for everyone. It has helped me. If there is even the smallest chance that my kids will need it, I want them to have it.
I beg to differ.
I think people will learn how to use this tool when and if they need/want to.
Which may well be never.
and most people who do lose weight do so without counting calories anyway
When people ask me how I lost weight, I tell them by counting calories. Most people think it's a trick or a fad. So, I disagree that people will just count calories if the need too.
I really don't care what most people do. If i used the methods that most people use I'd lose some weight and then gain more back for the rest of my life. No thanks.
Well,yes,I lòst weight by counting calories too - but I don't leap from that to It us the only successful way or It us useful information for people who don't want/ need to know it.
Let stone teaching it to children just because.
0 -
Was meant to say 'Let alone' - not let stone.
I know you didn't say it was only way but you did seem to imply that by sayin No thanks, other people who do it other ways just gain it back (paraphrase)
I still think teaching children - preferably by example and role modelling as was said by others - about nutritious eating, portion sizes, active lifestyle is the way to go.
Teaching children calorie counting doesn't seem useful to me at all - it is something people will learn when/ if they need or want it.
Just like, using financial analogy, teaching about money, living within your means etc - Yes.
Teaching details of using a cheque book - No.
Because this is something many people never want or need to use.0
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