MFP has shown me what I have been doing to myself all of the

Marysworld2

MFP has woken me up to what I have been doing to myself all these years. I think they should teach INDEPTH nutrition in elementary and again in high school at a higher level. Oh! yeah, and bring back PE. And they wonder why there is an obesity epidemic. I did not know what I had been doing was grossly contributing to my weigh gain all of these years. I wonder how many millions of Americans don't get it.

As I read about people not wanting to eat and exercising like crazy, people not adding in any extra calories for excercise and wondering why they are not losing weight, I just want to scream...YOU ARE STARVING YOURSELF.

Then I see people's diaries who only eat processed and or snack foods, but stay under 1200 calories, who wonder why they are not losing, I want to scream you are not giving your body the right nutrients...YOU ARE STARVING YOURSELF.

Don't get me wrong, I believe exercise is great and watching your calories is great but knowing what I now know, I want to scream STOP STARVING YOURSELF, it only serves to create a vicious cycle of your body protecting itself on the most primal level...it stores fat and slows the metabolism as a survival mechanism.

Please take it from someone who has finally gotten it, and now faces a very long road to fitness and good health and do yourself a favor...STOP STARVING YOURSELF.

weathergirl320

but...but...dont you know a calorie is just a calorie??? and as long as you have a deficit you lose weight? i mean you can eat 1200 calories of candy every day and still lose as long as you are on a deficit. at least thats what the all mighty dr oz says!!! (SARCASM INTENDED)

swthrtsmrf

Well wrote! I agree with you on the whole PE issue and everything else. Being on this site and being accountable for what I put in my body really has opened my eyes and made me say holy crap! Kudos for this post!

delilah47

I agree with the OP. I have been a typical yo-yo dieter for the past 30 years. What a relief! Oh, they don't have PE in school anymore?? Figures. Probably because a lot of parents were giving their children excuses to the point it wasn't worth it anymore. Then the kids came home and had a Big-Mac for dinner.

970Mikaela1

There is still pe in school. My little girl loves it! I agree with teaching more about nutrition too:)) I say bring back playing OUTSIDE!!!!

Marysworld2

Thanks ladies, it has been driving me crazy to sit by and watch people complain about not losing then reading their diaries and see they are skipping meals, eating junk, not drinking water and burning copious amounts of calories and not adding them back in. YEAKS!

AllTehBeers

My high school and others in the surrounding districts offered health and wellness class and also nutrition and weight lifting classes. They were elective but they were there. And I also think pretty much everyone that is big and over the age of 10 has had gym class in school. If all it took was gym to be slim, I would be a stick. I also was an athlete in high school playing soft ball, basketball and marching in band. I personally think the lack of gym in SOME schools is not the main reason for kids being over weight. I think most of that falls on the parents diets.

zoedallas

I don't believe that junk food stops weight loss. I was very underweight and lived on pizza and an entire bag of chocolate a day. You don't eat enough and you will lose weight.

It's an extremely unhealthy diet and I certainly don't advocate anyone doing it. But I don't believe junk = fat. It certainly wasn't the case for me.

I eat processed food now. I've lost weight. It's slow and frustrating since I only have a few pounds to go. And I certainly need to eat a more healthy diet. But I don't believe it will change the rate of my weight loss. But it will change the way I feel and improve my general health.

Marysworld2

There is still pe in school. My little girl loves it! I agree with teaching more about nutrition too:)) I say bring back playing OUTSIDE!!!!

PE and recess have dropped significantly inmost US schools, particularly in lower to moderate income schools throughout the US as cited in the following:

Childhood Obesity: Most U.S. Schools Don’t Require P.E. Class or Recess
By Bonnie Rochman | @brochman | December 7, 2011

Too many kids weigh too much, but too few states and schools require recess or follow recommended guidelines for physical education.

One in three U.S. kids is overweight or obese, but only six states — Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa — adhere to standards from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education that schoolchildren participate in 150 minutes a week of physical education. And just three states — Delaware, Virginia and Nebraska — have 20 minutes of mandatory elementary-school recess a day.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed results of a survey sent to every state except Hawaii, Alaska and Wyoming, in which administrators in 1,761 schools and 690 school districts were asked questions about physical education (P.E.) policies and practices and nutrition at their schools. Their responses were compared with information collected about state laws and school district policies related to P.E. and recess.

Those states and school districts that followed the guidelines were categorized as “strong”; those that recommended but didn’t enforce the suggestions were classified as “weak.” Most schools fell into neither category because they have no regulations whatsoever, according the research, which was published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

weathergirl320

My high school and others in the surrounding districts offered health and wellness class and also nutrition and weight lifting classes. They were elective but they were there. And I also think pretty much everyone that is big and over the age of 10 has had gym class in high school. If all it took was gym to be slim, I would be a stick. I also was an athlete in high school playing soft ball, basketball and marching in band. I personally think the lack of gym in SOME schools is not the main reason for kids being over weight. I think most of that falls on the parents diets.

agree. i dont think pe has too much to do with it. i remember in pe class it takes like 20 mins to take attendance and warm up, plus 5 mins to change, then another 5 to change again, so once they get started its like maybe 15 mins of actual physical activity. gym class isnt th miracle thats going to save the kids. its up to the parents to wake up and stop feeding their kids junk. and when they throw a fit cuz they want to eat the junk, the parents need to say the N-word...NO! and let them be kids as in let them play and get outside a little. remember to lose weight its 80% diet and 20% exercise. so even if they have 3 hours of pe class if they arent eating right it wont matter.

ejacree1010

I love this site. I now realize that I must take ownership of everything I do to my body, It has been a true eye opener. I find myself more active and excercising even more for the days that I have a weak moment and eat something that is not so healthy.

Marysworld2

My high school and others in the surrounding districts offered health and wellness class and also nutrition and weight lifting classes. They were elective but they were there. And I also think pretty much everyone that is big and over the age of 10 has had gym class in school. If all it took was gym to be slim, I would be a stick. I also was an athlete in high school playing soft ball, basketball and marching in band. I personally think the lack of gym in SOME schools is not the main reason for kids being over weight. I think most of that falls on the parents diets.

My point exactly! It is an elective and not a required class.

zoedallas

I think the biggest detriment to kids health has been tv, computers and gaming systems. Portable systems (like cell phones even) make the situation even worse.

Marysworld2

I love this site. I now realize that I must take ownership of everything I do to my body, It has been a true eye opener. I find myself more active and excercising even more for the days that I have a weak moment and eat something that is not so healthy.

So glad you too are getting great results. I am so grateful to have found this site as accountability is the key. I always thought I was accountable, until I realized I wasn't. Keep up the good work.

AllTehBeers

There is still pe in school. My little girl loves it! I agree with teaching more about nutrition too:)) I say bring back playing OUTSIDE!!!!

PE and recess have dropped significantly inmost US schools, particularly in lower to moderate income schools throughout the US as cited in the following:

Childhood Obesity: Most U.S. Schools Don’t Require P.E. Class or Recess
By Bonnie Rochman | @brochman | December 7, 2011

Too many kids weigh too much, but too few states and schools require recess or follow recommended guidelines for physical education.

One in three U.S. kids is overweight or obese, but only six states — Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa — adhere to standards from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education that schoolchildren participate in 150 minutes a week of physical education. And just three states — Delaware, Virginia and Nebraska — have 20 minutes of mandatory elementary-school recess a day.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed results of a survey sent to every state except Hawaii, Alaska and Wyoming, in which administrators in 1,761 schools and 690 school districts were asked questions about physical education (P.E.) policies and practices and nutrition at their schools. Their responses were compared with information collected about state laws and school district policies related to P.E. and recess.

Those states and school districts that followed the guidelines were categorized as “strong”; those that recommended but didn’t enforce the suggestions were classified as “weak.” Most schools fell into neither category because they have no regulations whatsoever, according the research, which was published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

This only says that some states have mandates for gym and recess. It doesn't give any numbers about how many schools have no gym at all.

Marysworld2

I think the biggest detriment to kids health has been tv, computers and gaming systems. Portable systems (like cell phones even) make the situation even worse.

It truly is one of the many detriments to us all (as I sit here typing on my computer Ha Ha Ha)

Marysworld2

My high school and others in the surrounding districts offered health and wellness class and also nutrition and weight lifting classes. They were elective but they were there. And I also think pretty much everyone that is big and over the age of 10 has had gym class in high school. If all it took was gym to be slim, I would be a stick. I also was an athlete in high school playing soft ball, basketball and marching in band. I personally think the lack of gym in SOME schools is not the main reason for kids being over weight. I think most of that falls on the parents diets.

agree. i dont think pe has too much to do with it. i remember in pe class it takes like 20 mins to take attendance and warm up, plus 5 mins to change, then another 5 to change again, so once they get started its like maybe 15 mins of actual physical activity. gym class isnt th miracle thats going to save the kids. its up to the parents to wake up and stop feeding their kids junk. and when they throw a fit cuz they want to eat the junk, the parents need to say the N-word...NO! and let them be kids as in let them play and get outside a little. remember to lose weight its 80% diet and 20% exercise. so even if they have 3 hours of pe class if they arent eating right it wont matter.

Again, my point as stated in the first post was about people STARVING THEMSELVES through poor eating habits.

AllTehBeers

MFP has woken me up to what I have been doing to myself all these years. I think they should teach INDEPTH nutrition in elementary and again in high school at a higher level.

*snip

You just said they should teach it. I said they do.

970Mikaela1

There is still pe in school. My little girl loves it! I agree with teaching more about nutrition too:)) I say bring back playing OUTSIDE!!!!

PE and recess have dropped significantly inmost US schools, particularly in lower to moderate income schools throughout the US as cited in the following:

Childhood Obesity: Most U.S. Schools Don’t Require P.E. Class or Recess
By Bonnie Rochman | @brochman | December 7, 2011



Too many kids weigh too much, but too few states and schools require recess or follow recommended guidelines for physical education.

One in three U.S. kids is overweight or obese, but only six states — Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa — adhere to standards from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education that schoolchildren participate in 150 minutes a week of physical education. And just three states — Delaware, Virginia and Nebraska — have 20 minutes of mandatory elementary-school recess a day.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed results of a survey sent to every state except Hawaii, Alaska and Wyoming, in which administrators in 1,761 schools and 690 school districts were asked questions about physical education (P.E.) policies and practices and nutrition at their schools. Their responses were compared with information collected about state laws and school district policies related to P.E. and recess.

Those states and school districts that followed the guidelines were categorized as “strong”; those that recommended but didn’t enforce the suggestions were classified as “weak.” Most schools fell into neither category because they have no regulations whatsoever, according the research, which was published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

At my girls school she has recess 3 times a day for 20 minutes each and pe twice a week for a total of an hour and 10 minutes > I still think that (although you have some healthy statistics backed by research ) that all these kids should GO OUTSIDE and play instead of all the video games and internet and such:)

Marysworld2

There is still pe in school. My little girl loves it! I agree with teaching more about nutrition too:)) I say bring back playing OUTSIDE!!!!

PE and recess have dropped significantly inmost US schools, particularly in lower to moderate income schools throughout the US as cited in the following:

Childhood Obesity: Most U.S. Schools Don’t Require P.E. Class or Recess
By Bonnie Rochman | @brochman | December 7, 2011

Too many kids weigh too much, but too few states and schools require recess or follow recommended guidelines for physical education.

One in three U.S. kids is overweight or obese, but only six states — Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa — adhere to standards from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education that schoolchildren participate in 150 minutes a week of physical education. And just three states — Delaware, Virginia and Nebraska — have 20 minutes of mandatory elementary-school recess a day.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed results of a survey sent to every state except Hawaii, Alaska and Wyoming, in which administrators in 1,761 schools and 690 school districts were asked questions about physical education (P.E.) policies and practices and nutrition at their schools. Their responses were compared with information collected about state laws and school district policies related to P.E. and recess.

Those states and school districts that followed the guidelines were categorized as “strong”; those that recommended but didn’t enforce the suggestions were classified as “weak.” Most schools fell into neither category because they have no regulations whatsoever, according the research, which was published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

This only says that some states have mandates for gym and recess. It doesn't give any numbers about how many schools have no gym at all.

If you look up the research as cited it gives all of that info. (it was to long to post here). Also you can go to Ed.gov (Dept. of Education) and it also will help to shed some light on the subject (again to much info to post here).

Saruman_w

Same here.. when I started logging I realized just how easy it is to overeat. It became clear why I was so fat. Now everything is in persepctive and I am now in control of my weight.

Marysworld2

I agree with the OP. I have been a typical yo-yo dieter for the past 30 years. What a relief! Oh, they don't have PE in school anymore?? Figures. Probably because a lot of parents were giving their children excuses to the point it wasn't worth it anymore. Then the kids came home and had a Big-Mac for dinner.

Perfect point.

AllTehBeers

My high school and others in the surrounding districts offered health and wellness class and also nutrition and weight lifting classes. They were elective but they were there. And I also think pretty much everyone that is big and over the age of 10 has had gym class in high school. If all it took was gym to be slim, I would be a stick. I also was an athlete in high school playing soft ball, basketball and marching in band. I personally think the lack of gym in SOME schools is not the main reason for kids being over weight. I think most of that falls on the parents diets.

agree. i dont think pe has too much to do with it. i remember in pe class it takes like 20 mins to take attendance and warm up, plus 5 mins to change, then another 5 to change again, so once they get started its like maybe 15 mins of actual physical activity. gym class isnt th miracle thats going to save the kids. its up to the parents to wake up and stop feeding their kids junk. and when they throw a fit cuz they want to eat the junk, the parents need to say the N-word...NO! and let them be kids as in let them play and get outside a little. remember to lose weight its 80% diet and 20% exercise. so even if they have 3 hours of pe class if they arent eating right it wont matter.

Again, my point as stated in the first post was about people STARVING THEMSELVES through poor eating habits.

This is bigger then just a class in high school. People starve themselves for many reasons other then just not knowing about nutrition. Teaching, learning and practicing are worlds apart. I've read every thing ever on diets and I didn't get to be 300 pounds by not knowing about nutrition.

Marysworld2

but...but...dont you know a calorie is just a calorie??? and as long as you have a deficit you lose weight? i mean you can eat 1200 calories of candy every day and still lose as long as you are on a deficit. at least thats what the all mighty dr oz says!!! (SARCASM INTENDED)

I am with you on this one. Having a balance of nutrients is so important...I didn't get it before.

Marysworld2

My high school and others in the surrounding districts offered health and wellness class and also nutrition and weight lifting classes. They were elective but they were there. And I also think pretty much everyone that is big and over the age of 10 has had gym class in high school. If all it took was gym to be slim, I would be a stick. I also was an athlete in high school playing soft ball, basketball and marching in band. I personally think the lack of gym in SOME schools is not the main reason for kids being over weight. I think most of that falls on the parents diets.

I was in the food business (regional sales manager for a fortune 500 company) and as much as I thought I knew, I didn't know it until I began taking science and nutrition classes at Portland State. While I thought I knew about "diets" was contrary to my good health. I didn't make it to 227 with the knowledge or LACK of Knowledge I had either.

I am so glad we have found a tool to help us get through this and on to better health.

agree. i dont think pe has too much to do with it. i remember in pe class it takes like 20 mins to take attendance and warm up, plus 5 mins to change, then another 5 to change again, so once they get started its like maybe 15 mins of actual physical activity. gym class isnt th miracle thats going to save the kids. its up to the parents to wake up and stop feeding their kids junk. and when they throw a fit cuz they want to eat the junk, the parents need to say the N-word...NO! and let them be kids as in let them play and get outside a little. remember to lose weight its 80% diet and 20% exercise. so even if they have 3 hours of pe class if they arent eating right it wont matter.

Again, my point as stated in the first post was about people STARVING THEMSELVES through poor eating habits.

This is bigger then just a class in high school. People starve themselves for many reasons other then just not knowing about nutrition. Teaching, learning and practicing are worlds apart. I've read every thing ever on diets and I didn't get to be 300 pounds by not knowing about nutrition.

Marysworld2

Same here.. when I started logging I realized just how easy it is to overeat. It became clear why I was so fat. Now everything is in persepctive and I am now in control of my weight.

Wow! you are my hero. Look at how much you have lost. I want to be like you when I grow up. I mean that in all insincerity.

AllTehBeers

There is still pe in school. My little girl loves it! I agree with teaching more about nutrition too:)) I say bring back playing OUTSIDE!!!!

PE and recess have dropped significantly inmost US schools, particularly in lower to moderate income schools throughout the US as cited in the following:

Childhood Obesity: Most U.S. Schools Don’t Require P.E. Class or Recess
By Bonnie Rochman | @brochman | December 7, 2011

Too many kids weigh too much, but too few states and schools require recess or follow recommended guidelines for physical education.

One in three U.S. kids is overweight or obese, but only six states — Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa — adhere to standards from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education that schoolchildren participate in 150 minutes a week of physical education. And just three states — Delaware, Virginia and Nebraska — have 20 minutes of mandatory elementary-school recess a day.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago analyzed results of a survey sent to every state except Hawaii, Alaska and Wyoming, in which administrators in 1,761 schools and 690 school districts were asked questions about physical education (P.E.) policies and practices and nutrition at their schools. Their responses were compared with information collected about state laws and school district policies related to P.E. and recess.

Those states and school districts that followed the guidelines were categorized as “strong”; those that recommended but didn’t enforce the suggestions were classified as “weak.” Most schools fell into neither category because they have no regulations whatsoever, according the research, which was published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

This only says that some states have mandates for gym and recess. It doesn't give any numbers about how many schools have no gym at all.

If you look up the research as cited it gives all of that info. (it was to long to post here). Also you can go to Ed.gov (Dept. of Education) and it also will help to shed some light on the subject (again to much info to post here).

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying you could have snipped a more useful part for your argument. You didn't have to copy and paste the whole article, just cite the source at the end.

carleyfunk

That's the reason so many people are obese. I less expensive food are of coarse the processed foods. I agree they should teach nutrition to our children. My kids have PE but several of the days out of a week in their class they are just sitting not being active. I ask my 13 year old did you have any activity today and she'd say no half of the time. I do think it's up to us to teach them how to eat but if we aren't taught then they are going to take on our bad habbits. My mom didn't teach me but now I am teaching her and my children.

Elizabeth_C34

We had SO much fun in PE when I was a kid. We did a lot of games and fun stuff (badminton, tennis, whiffleball, that game where you slide on the those scooter things and try to beat the other kids to the other side of the gym...)

sanjoparolas

Great topic and so true. Only change I would make based on my experience is instead of telling people to stop starving yourself I would say to START NOURISHING YOURSELF! I really believe my choices were nutrient poor and therefore I had cravings that have reduced substantially now that I am getting lots of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. ADDING healthy food instead of trying to limit bad choices has worked well for me, and now many times it doesn't even occur to me to look for unhealthy snackes. ADDING exercise is what I am focusing on now because strength is where it's at and I think as a culture we are not prioritizing that.

elishabeish

MFP has woken me up to what I have been doing to myself all these years. I think they should teach INDEPTH nutrition in elementary and again in high school at a higher level. Oh! yeah, and bring back PE. And they wonder why there is an obesity epidemic. I did not know what I had been doing was grossly contributing to my weigh gain all of these years. I wonder how many millions of Americans don't get it.

As I read about people not wanting to eat and exercising like crazy, people not adding in any extra calories for excercise and wondering why they are not losing weight, I just want to scream...YOU ARE STARVING YOURSELF.

Then I see people's diaries who only eat processed and or snack foods, but stay under 1200 calories, who wonder why they are not losing, I want to scream you are not giving your body the right nutrients...YOU ARE STARVING YOURSELF.

Don't get me wrong, I believe exercise is great and watching your calories is great but knowing what I now know, I want to scream STOP STARVING YOURSELF, it only serves to create a vicious cycle of your body protecting itself on the most primal level...it stores fat and slows the metabolism as a survival mechanism.

Please take it from someone who has finally gotten it, and now faces a very long road to fitness and good health and do yourself a favor...STOP STARVING YOURSELF.

Totally agree!! Since being here I have learned that all the years I've spent trying and getting nowhere, I was was doing it all wrong. I'm amazed at the progress I've had in less than 2 weeks doing it right. On the PE matter it is sad, my son's class (4th grade) only goes to the gym once a week and only for a short time and the kids only get one recess of 20 mins. When I was little we had an am recess for 15 mins, a 30 min recess after lunch and another 15 min recess toward the end of the day And PE every day. With that said he also has to change classes for each subject, like I did in high school. Perhaps they felt the walking justified less recess and PE. I keep my kids active as much as possible so they never have to face the challenge I am facing now!

Great Topic!!!