Overweight and obese children!!!

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  • carriempls
    carriempls Posts: 326 Member
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    From what I see kids don't go out to play anymore, they don't run around, ride bikes etc. they are stuck in front of a telly or pc screen. My son is nine and he is really active, tv is only a treat when he has moved about a bit!
    I have a neice who is considerably overweight. She's 11 years old, about a foot shorter than me and currently weighs more than I do (and I'm overweight).

    The thing is, she's active as all get out. She's always got some sports or athletic lessons (karate, dance, swimming, etc.) and she rides her bike and plays outside all of the time. When I visit we go on long walks together and she keeps up just fine, often pressing ahead with more energy than me. It's not a lack of activity yet, but I worry she'll get lazier as she gets older if her weight doesn't change.

    It's all in the food. Their diet is atrocious and I really don't know how to better influence them. My brother and parents are all morbidly obese and my brother's wife is as well. Losing weight for me is a struggle considering the genes and early habits I developed but I've managed to pull myself out of it. Sadly the rest of my family doesn't seem to want do much to be healthlier.

    My sister-in-law was laid off in the winter and has been home with the kids all summer and they've been working on adopting better eating habits, but I worry that she and my brother don't have the correct nutrition knowledge. They have 2 boys too, but so far they're quite healthy looking, though I know they're not getting the right nutrition messages either. :(
  • ChappyEight
    ChappyEight Posts: 163 Member
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    Is it just me but does any one else hate to see overweight children? I met up with an old friend yesterday whom I hadn't seen in years. One thing she said was that her 10 year old daughter is 11.5 stone and quite tall (I'm trying to set an example to my kids and get down to that weight)! Tall may be but I have seen pictures of her and there is something seriously wrong. She said she just eats and eats and eats...... She was also talking about putting a lock on the fridge and even kitchen cupboard! I don't know about anyone else but it seems that there is more and more fat kids these days. My friend herself is not particularly overweight and neither are her other children or partner. However, she was feeding her two sons aged 4 and 2; Greggs sausage rolls. She also said that her 4 year old has also already had four teeth fillings. After more discussion, her partner's Mum and Dad look after the children when she goes out to work and basically feed them a load of crap (like three ice lollies)! Is it a lack of knowledge or has anyone not got any common sense these days???

    I have nothing to add to this post. But I love your dialect, so I shall read your post again.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    Anyway, the upshot is, cutting out dairy, grains, preservatives, added sweeteners of any kinds (including honey), and sticking to it has resulted in consistent weight loss for both of us.

    Um, I'm really glad this has helped with your joint weight-loss, and I can't imagine the challenges you face daily, but have you checked with your son's primary care doctor that cutting out dairy and grains is safe for him when he's so young? Dairy especially? Diets intended for adults sometimes don't provide adequate nutrition for kids, who need higher concentrations of certain elements in their diet. Just a thought.

    Kids dont actually NEED dairy and grains, human bodies arent designed to ingest dairy products. Just as much calcium can be gained through things like sardines, etc. Im sure she knows what she's doing. As long as the correct nutrients are getting through, they dont need to come from grains or dairy, i.e. getting fibre from veg instead of bran flakes and such.
  • Gwoman2012
    Gwoman2012 Posts: 163 Member
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    This is a great worry of mine with my own children. They are only 2 and 4 so it is really easy to control their diet right now.

    You have to understand that as a parent, our entire fat society is working against you. They get crappy cupcakes at school regularly because it is always someone's birthday. They just have to have an atrocious snack after sports practice (remember oranges after soccer? Now it's sugar drinks and sugar granola bars). School lunches are a joke.

    As they get older it's fast food, peer pressure, movie theater crap, etc. yes, we are the parents and we control their food, but that doesn't mean it is easy. I will continue to fight as the world works against me because I believe it is worth it in the long run.
  • IAMNekita
    IAMNekita Posts: 7
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    I agree! I hate when parents say my child will not eat fruits or vegetables. I wonder why? There are no other options in the house but junk food!! It's about opportunities.
  • rileymama
    rileymama Posts: 196 Member
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    Honestly, kids eat too much garbage, and everything has sugar in it....there is a rare disease though (I know a kid with it), where the child never feels full? She is huge, poor thing, and the mom has to cut her off after certaqin amounts and give her meds. She says it breaks her heart, b/c the girl says she's hungry, but the doctorts and nutritionalist have educated her on how much and what to feed her daughter so she is not in fact "starving" butstill..poor girl always feels hungry :(
  • jcraig1980
    jcraig1980 Posts: 34
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    I completely agree! I can't believe how blind some of my friends are to their childs obesity. They think it is good to from the very beginning to give them lots of formula, because the breast just isn't enough. Then later they add rice to the formula to fatten them up even more. From there its all about fattening the kids up and then claim they are big boned or tall. It's a shame - I have seen 7 year old children eat more in calories than I eat in 2 days in one meal. These kids have surpassed what is in a happy meal at mcdonalds. I don't see why any child should eat 3000 calories in one sitting. God forbid somebody say something to the parents without them getting super offensive about it. We actually did have a lady in Cleveland loose her child to Children Services for her son being too overweight and not doing enough to get his weight down.
  • JenMull44
    JenMull44 Posts: 226 Member
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    From what I see kids don't go out to play anymore, they don't run around, ride bikes etc. they are stuck in front of a telly or pc screen. My son is nine and he is really active, tv is only a treat when he has moved about a bit!

    This has been debunked (will try to find UK study) activity levels haven't dropped. Turns out we're just feeding them fatty, sugary rubbish then blaming them for being lazy because it's easier. Bet your son doesn't come home to big macs and pizza every night.
    True ! In the area that I live in, kids are in sports all year round. Thier parents do not give them a break in the summer or winter. I blame the parents and the price of food. Its much cheaper to buy a happy meal than to go to Whole Foods and buy an entire meal that you have to cook. Not to mention all the single moms out there that are working two jobs to support their famiies, you cant blame them for grabbing something fast and cheap. It feeds the kids but unfortunatlye teaches them bad habits at the same time.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I'm a developmental psychologist focusing on adolescents and it is a major public health issue.

    I find it SO depressing when I see families out. Grandmothers thinner than mothers and mothers thinner than kids. That's just wrong.

    It is a complex problem that we - ALL - have to solve.
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    If your kids have a weight problem it is because the parents usually do.
  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
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    This is a great worry of mine with my own children. They are only 2 and 4 so it is really easy to control their diet right now.

    You have to understand that as a parent, our entire fat society is working against you. They get crappy cupcakes at school regularly because it is always someone's birthday. They just have to have an atrocious snack after sports practice (remember oranges after soccer? Now it's sugar drinks and sugar granola bars). School lunches are a joke.

    As they get older it's fast food, peer pressure, movie theater crap, etc. yes, we are the parents and we control their food, but that doesn't mean it is easy. I will continue to fight as the world works against me because I believe it is worth it in the long run.

    I also have a 2 year and 4 year old and a 9 year old stepson (we have him 50/50). To tell you the truth, my kids get a "treat" everyday. It's really hard to figure out that line of being normal. I don't want to be such a food Nazi that they get some kind of complex and will completly go hog wild someday on things they never had. That being said, they eat healthy all day long. I'm an accountant -- just to give you an idea of my personality -- I"m very scheduled and that's part of it. They wake up, eat breakfast (my son will only eat eggs and my daughter gets oatmeal). They don't get a snack for a couple of hours, then lunch, then a snack a couple of hours later, than dinner, fruit, THEN a piece of candy or something like that. A cupcake for a party at school (even once or twice a week), or going to the movies, etc isn't going to make them fat. It's how they fill their day with food on a regular basis.

    Some kids eat junk literally all day. They get up and may have a healthy option (even a decent cereal or something), don't eat it, then they're hungry an hour later, want a "snack" and end up getting a twinky or something. They're never hungry at meal times because they've been eating snacks all day.

    And I know some parents really are simply ingnorant about nutrution. They honestly don't know that fast food and 4 cokes a day isn't good. But what pisses me off is when you see a parent that's clearly in shape and body conscience with an overweight kid. That screams laziness. Some people just simply need to lay the law down.
  • jkleon86
    jkleon86 Posts: 245 Member
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    youtube to fat for fifteen
    sad.
  • Nutrition1st
    Nutrition1st Posts: 216 Member
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    It's a far reaching epidemic that is getting worse. Kids are developing type II diabetes at 9 years old b/c they are obese. If you haven't seen any of The Weight of the Nation films, you should check them out. The schools aren't helping make the problems much better.

    http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/films/main-films/Crisis
  • AbbsyBabbsy
    AbbsyBabbsy Posts: 184 Member
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    I was on overweight child. I went to a private school where we were forced to play sports for 2 hours a day after school, 4 days a week. And I played outside with my friends all summer long. So I don't think I was overweight because I was inactive, although I did naturally gravitate toward sedentary activities like reading and crafts. In my grade, there were 5 girls and 4 of us were overweight despite all the forced activity.

    The problem was at home. I was extremely picky. I only wanted to eat sweets, dairy and bread. My parents never forced me to eat healthier foods. We had hot dogs and mac and cheese all the time. My mother was obese and modeled sneak eating, binge eating, and sugar addiction. She wanted me to lose weight, but wanted it to happen magically without any effort of lifestyle change on her part. One doctor suggested to her that she needed to lose weight and get healthy to have any hope of me getting healthy. My mom broke down crying and insisted her weight had nothing to do with it. My mom did not realize what a powerful role model she was for me and my brother. She honestly expected her young children to lose weight while she stuffed herself with brownies. Because 10 year olds should have the will power not to eat a brownie.

    The good news is that me and my mom are now losing weight together :) It was hard to be an overweight kid. Even the adults treated me worse for being fat, not just the other kids. I get that it's sad to see overweight children and that people are concerned about the child's health, but often that translates to judging the poor kid and treating them less than the thin kids. It's not the kids' faults.
  • wildside79
    wildside79 Posts: 46
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    Children watch and emulate those around them so well. Until my son was 2.5 and daughter was 8 I was playing video games, we were eating out a lot (both parents working, quick meals were almost a requirement, and next to no activity).

    Both kids were raised with a TV, so playing computer games, wii, and watching TV was a few hours a day (maybe more if I had to work from home). However Jan 2011 when me and my wife jumped on the bandwagon, the kids came along. They may not enjoy all the new food, and they get a lot more treats then mommy and daddy do, but nearly right away they started exercising with us, and even though we've had some ups and downs, and fell off the wagon once, the kids have stayed active and have eaten a lot better, like it or not.

    At the gym track people watch in amazement as my daughter run 31 laps with us (3.1 miles, 5k) in about 30 minutes. Afterwards we get my son, who's only 4, and he runs .5 miles at a time at a very decent speed, some days more until we tell him its time to stop. The kids have learned to eat what we are eating, and more healthy snacks as well.

    Now I've already heard the "those kids are too young for you to be pushing them like that" and "don't you think you're starting them a little young"? I love turning around and explaining to them that my son now BEGS to go running with us, and we don't push, we let him go until we can't anymore.

    Sorry for long post, but moral of the story was is our kids were maybe not going to be obese until their 20s, but they were skinny fat already. With a little pushing, and some solid parenting, we were able to get them both involved with a change we as parents had to make first. In most cases, your kids are a reflection of you, and I hope I gave them an example for their adult lives they can follow.
  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
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    Children watch and emulate those around them so well. Until my son was 2.5 and daughter was 8 I was playing video games, we were eating out a lot (both parents working, quick meals were almost a requirement, and next to no activity).

    Both kids were raised with a TV, so playing computer games, wii, and watching TV was a few hours a day (maybe more if I had to work from home). However Jan 2011 when me and my wife jumped on the bandwagon, the kids came along. They may not enjoy all the new food, and they get a lot more treats then mommy and daddy do, but nearly right away they started exercising with us, and even though we've had some ups and downs, and fell off the wagon once, the kids have stayed active and have eaten a lot better, like it or not.

    At the gym track people watch in amazement as my daughter run 31 laps with us (3.1 miles, 5k) in about 30 minutes. Afterwards we get my son, who's only 4, and he runs .5 miles at a time at a very decent speed, some days more until we tell him its time to stop. The kids have learned to eat what we are eating, and more healthy snacks as well.

    Now I've already heard the "those kids are too young for you to be pushing them like that" and "don't you think you're starting them a little young"? I love turning around and explaining to them that my son now BEGS to go running with us, and we don't push, we let him go until we can't anymore.

    Sorry for long post, but moral of the story was is our kids were maybe not going to be obese until their 20s, but they were skinny fat already. With a little pushing, and some solid parenting, we were able to get them both involved with a change we as parents had to make first. In most cases, your kids are a reflection of you, and I hope I gave them an example for their adult lives they can follow.

    Wow, thanks for your honesty -- and high five for changing!
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    Having struggled with my own weight now for about 5 years I just feel very sad when I see overweight children. I have two girls 12 and 5 and they are both scrawny, yet never stop eating! My 12 yr old literally eats 3 x the amount of food I eat but is tall and very slim. But the fact is they are never still, I took them swimming yesterday, walking, playing on the beach and to the park (I'm on holiday until september) so I guess they counter what they eat. Generally their food is healthy, all meals are always healthy choices with the exception of the occasional pizza but they do have snacks every day. Sometimes they chomp threw a box of grapes or blueberries like they're sweets and other times they'll be munching on rubbish but I do believe that this is ok as long as it is moderated by me!! I'm the parent so their weight and food consumption stops with me, I'm the one responsible.

    I must admit I sometimes wonder what big kids must eat if my children eat all they do and are so skinny ;-)

    I think some kids like some adults - just fatten easily - if given the right environment.
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
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    This topic makes me really sad. I'm noticing it more and more as my daughter gets older. In our town the younger kids all seem to be pretty slim, (not all, but most) but my oldest is 10 and going into grade 5, she is one of the only slim kids in her class.

    She actually gets picked on because shes skinny. I don't understand that at all, but it makes her different in a classroom full of chubby pre teens. A lot of her friends that come for dinner just pick at their food because they only like breaded chicken nuggets and fries, hot dogs etc. If I make grilled chicken, spinach salad and roasted baby potatoes they look at it like its diseased and end up going home pretty hungry still. I refuse to cook a different meal for them though, if they want to eat at our house, they eat what I cook.

    Most kids bring lunch to her school, and they all bring candy, chocolate, cookies, lunchables, poptarts, prepackaged, junk that shouldn't count as a "meal". My daughter is missing out on some of that stuff,but I refuse to buy her poptarts so she fits in better. Thats crazy to me. She has tons of friends btw. Its not like shes suffering. I do let her take treats sometimes, but her treat is an organic lollipop or a homemade cookie.

    My kids are in shape and not over weight. My 2 girls both have 6 packs, and my little guy is STRONG. We don't have junk in our house, or juice. We have plain cheerios, whole wheat bread, fruit and veggies, rice crackers etc. They ask before they eat (even the 10 year old) and every meal they get is home made by me. They are also all dairy free due to allergies, so no yogurt, ice cream etc. They do get treats (chips, candy, fast food) but they are TREATS. Not everyday things.

    I hate hearing the excuse of "its all he/she will eat" I don't believe for a second that any child will actually let themselves strave if they can't have a hotdog for dinner. That doesn't include kids with sensory issues or things like autism. Food rules go right out the window when it comes to that kid of thing, and parents do the best they can in the situation.

    I really do believe that we are giving them the best start in life that we can. Before long they will be out on their own making their own choices and I hope they remember some of what they leaned growing up to take out into the real world with them. I hope they see mommy and daddy eating salad every night with dinner, and remember mommy going to the gym to get exercise. I hope they aren't afraid to try new foods, and that they are able to control themselves when they do get around things not so good for them and remember why they are treats. Time will tell if all our hard work now will pay off in the future or not.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    That's the problem... They don't. Studies time and time across various western countries reveal that parents are blind to child obesity and think their size is not a problem. When shown images of healthy weight children they often think they are underweight.

    This and the denial factor - parents usually do not want to admit their child is overweight, or they say things like "they'll grow out of it" or "it's puppy fat".

    And in a lot of cases, they do... Children's bodies are growing and changing all the time, and often go through periods where the body is storing resources for a growth spurt. Obviously I'm not talking about major levels of excess weight, but applying adult standards to children's bodies is unwise. In physique, diet, or strenuous exercise, especially weight-lifting type activities.

    Growth spurts... that's upwards. We're talking sideways.

    Yes... and children's still-growing bodies often do the latter in preparation for doing the former.

    Exactly!
  • AnitaVolpato
    AnitaVolpato Posts: 204 Member
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    Video games, lazy parents that don't prepare fresh, healthy meals, hormones in the food (genetic engineering) and lack of ambition. I am 37 and there was only one fat kid in the class when I was growing up. Now I look at kids and I am in shock. My teenagers have been allowed to eat what they want because they have my genes thank goodness but not every child can do that and not blow up. I feel bad for the in a way but it's usually a family thing. I see fat kids, I see their fat parents and shake my head....

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