Snacks are the cause of overweight people

Susieout
Susieout Posts: 102 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I was a child we never had ANY snacks in the house and children were not asked or allowed to bring snacks into school.
We were told to eat breakfast, lunch & dinner. Basically 3 meals a day! But no snacking between meals. I remember at school that there would be the odd fat child at school but that was it.

Now I've got children and snacking is promoted, I have seen that the schools are full of overweight kids. I think the old way was definitely more healthy. What do you guys think!
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Replies

  • mattschwartz01
    mattschwartz01 Posts: 566 Member
    That would be your opinion. I'm no expert but the experts seem to think it has to do with the amount of sugar in our diets and the lack of physical activity. There is no singular cause for obesity to point to rather there are a multitude of factors that put us at risk. The cure for obesity is treating the mind and body.
  • Josee76
    Josee76 Posts: 533 Member
    I had no snacks either as a kid and I was still fat!
  • xxnellie146xx
    xxnellie146xx Posts: 996 Member
    It still comes down to the amount people are eating and the calories in the food. You can have healthy snacks or you can have a 300 calorie bag of chips. I think people are eating more in general and moving less.

    Snacks aren't the evil culprit.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    I lose weight and snack. Before (when I was at my highest) I only at 2 or 3 meals a day. I think overall it depends on the kinds of snacks and foods you're eating. Snacking on candy bars = not exactly healthy and can be high in calories, but not very filling. Snacking on fruit, veggies, nuts, yogurt = healthier and generally filling. Since starting to lose weight, I try to eat small meals/snacks every 2-3 hours.
  • firstnamekaren
    firstnamekaren Posts: 274 Member
    I think the easy accessability of crappy, convenient snacks + less physical activity has gotten us in the situation we're in.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Depends what the snacks are, what the meals are, what the activity level of the child is etc.
    I think it's a combination of factors.
    My daughter snacks on healthy food and is not overweight.
    She is a big kid (4'10" at nine years old) and needs to eat or she turns into a beast!

    I think a big part of the problem is the combination of fatty, sugary foods and lack of exercise.
    Kids are eating a whole bunch of processed junk and refined sugar with next to zero nutritional value.
    Factor in computer games and little to no exercise and you get fat kids.

    I only remember the occasional overweight kid when I was growing up also.
    A big difference I've noticed is where the fat is stored.
    When I was young, an overweight kid was big all over.
    Nowadays, it's all in the belly.
    I really think that has to do with all the processed, trans fatty foods that weren't as prevalent when I was young (60s & 70s)
  • Rhonda21km
    Rhonda21km Posts: 90 Member
    I had lots of snacks as a kid and was always slim.
    I think it's more likely the sedentary lifestyle that many children have these days with so much
    time behind a computer, on Facebook, and gaming add that to fast foods and it's a recipe for disaster.

    Many parents are too lazy to cook healthy meals for their children and buy them drive thru crap on the
    way home from work instead.

    When I was a kid we had no computers we were outside running around all day and riding our bikes!!
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    I think eating too many calories and lack of activity generally makes people fat, not snacks.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Actually, eating a caloric surplus without exercising is the cause of overweight people. Generic "snacking" is irrelevent.
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    Actually, eating a caloric surplus without exercising is the cause of overweight people. Generic "snacking" is irrelevent.

    You just said what I did, but all fancy. Your such a suck *kitten* :noway: :laugh:
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Actually, eating a caloric surplus without exercising is the cause of overweight people. Generic "snacking" is irrelevent.

    You just said what I did, but all fancy. Your such a suck *kitten* :noway: :laugh:

    Only if you buy me dinner first and say nice things to me. :wink:
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    When I was a child we never had ANY snacks in the house and children were not asked or allowed to bring snacks into school.
    We were told to eat breakfast, lunch & dinner. Basically 3 meals a day! But no snacking between meals. I remember at school that there would be the odd fat child at school but that was it.

    Now I've got children and snacking is promoted, I have seen that the schools are full of overweight kids. I think the old way was definitely more healthy. What do you guys think!


    My experience is similar yet different ~ I also didn't eat snacks as a child, we ate 3 meals a day. But I was a chubby kid who has always struggled with my weight. So for *me* snacking is not necessarily a factor to being overweight. I consider the root of my weight issue is usually I was very hungry by dinnertime and I'd over-indulge potatoes, noodles. During the day I'd sometimes sneak 'snacks', such as white bread or even raw spagetti.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Actually, consuming more calories than you burn is the cause of overweight people. Seriously...doesn't matter if you eat three times per day or 1 time per day or 6 times per day...if you consume more calories than you burn off in a day, you're going to gain weight. I snacked the entire time I was "dieting" and I lost 35 Lbs so I'm calling bull****. I snack now at maintenance as well and I'm just fine....just about to have an apple and peanut butter right now as a matter of fact.
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    Actually, eating a caloric surplus without exercising is the cause of overweight people. Generic "snacking" is irrelevent.

    You just said what I did, but all fancy. Your such a suck *kitten* :noway: :laugh:

    Only if you buy me dinner first and say nice things to me. :wink:

    Who are you kidding? You like the nasty talk and you know it. :smooched:
  • missjojo31
    missjojo31 Posts: 150
    kids where also allowed to go out and play when i was growing up.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    Actually, eating a caloric surplus without exercising is the cause of overweight people. Generic "snacking" is irrelevent.

    You just said what I did, but all fancy. Your such a suck *kitten* :noway: :laugh:

    Only if you buy me dinner first and say nice things to me. :wink:

    Who are you kidding? You like the nasty talk and you know it. :smooched:

    She has a subscription service Whierd. You really REALLY should inquire.
  • RiesigJay
    RiesigJay Posts: 151 Member
    It still comes down to the amount people are eating and the calories in the food. You can have healthy snacks or you can have a 300 calorie bag of chips. I think people are eating more in general and moving less.

    Snacks aren't the evil culprit.

    This. You're blaming the symptom not the problem.

    The problem is excess calories.

    A symptom of excess calories is (excess) snacking. Find a low or no calorie snack and you can snack all day without gaining weight.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Actually, eating a caloric surplus without exercising is the cause of overweight people. Generic "snacking" is irrelevent.

    You just said what I did, but all fancy. Your such a suck *kitten* :noway: :laugh:

    Only if you buy me dinner first and say nice things to me. :wink:

    Who are you kidding? You like the nasty talk and you know it. :smooched:

    She has a subscription service Whierd. You really REALLY should inquire.

    I am already a subscriber! It is how she knows how I like it.
  • Inarific
    Inarific Posts: 29
    I disagree. How is it then, that I snack and have lost 75 pounds? It's the kind of snack I'm having. Cheese, hardboiled egg, fruit, etc. I don't snack on chips or junk.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    I snacked all the time when I was a kid and I wasn't fat.

    People spend too much time sitting on their *kitten* and not enough time moving around. Combine that with overconsumption of calories and you have overweight people. It doesn't matter whether someone eats 15 times a day or once.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    kids where also allowed to go out and play when i was growing up.

    THIS. I never see kids outside anymore. When I was a kid, we were always outside running around like maniacs, riding our bikes, rollerskating, fighting each other...you name it. On the weekends and during the summer, my mom would send us out right after breakfast and tell us not to come back until lunch. If we did, she gave us chores to do, so we stayed gone...then after lunch, same thing. Go out and play until dinner time, otherwise I'll put you to work. :laugh:
  • skinnytayy
    skinnytayy Posts: 459
    I disagree. The fact is when you eat more then your body needs, you gain weight. It doesn't matter if you only eat 3 meals a day, 3 meals and a few snacks, or nothing but snacks. If its more then you need, you're going to gain weight, even more so if you live very sedentary. If snacking was the problem, I'd weigh more then an elephant. I typically eat one meal a day and the rest is snacking on whatever I can find.

    The reason obesity has become so prevalent is because of the convenience in today's world. Its more convenient to run to Mcdonald's or heat up a tv dinner rather then cook an actual dinner. Its more convenient to hop in the car and drive 5 minutes away from home to do whatever instead of taking a bike or walking. Everything is much more convenient. Not to mention all the technology to entertain people. Video games, surfing the web, etc. are more popular hobbies today then riding bikes, running outside, etc. were back in the day.
  • theblondetrick
    theblondetrick Posts: 192 Member
    It's the junk food.I bet if they had some fruit as a snack,they wouldn't be fat.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    The problem is portion control. If you feed your kids snack and still give them a 600 calories dinner, then there's a problem.

    And obviously the quality of snacks. Snacking itself isn't the issue.
  • dorthymcconnel
    dorthymcconnel Posts: 237 Member
    I had some snacks as a kid and was super skinny. For me, inactivity and a sluggish thyroid (along with a nasty Pepsi addiction and a fast food habit) helped me pack on the pounds. As a kid though, I was outside a lot and very rarely still. I dont really think it's the snacks so much that are making so many kids and adults overweight (unless they tend to be junk food addicts) as it is the sedentary lifestyle. Kids and adults need less video games and computer time and more physical activity. Self included.
  • ScatteredThoughts
    ScatteredThoughts Posts: 3,562 Member
    I snacked all the time when I was a kid and I wasn't fat.

    People spend too much time sitting on their *kitten* and not enough time moving around. Combine that with overconsumption of calories and you have overweight people. It doesn't matter whether someone eats 15 times a day or once.

    This. I had junk food when I was kid and was always skinny. I did spend a lot time outside running around and exploring. I didn't gain weight until I took a sedentary job and stopped being active outside.
  • Yooperm35
    Yooperm35 Posts: 787 Member
    children these days are spending WAY less time playing outside and running around. They are spending more time on their butts facebooking, playing video games and texting. THAT is the problem. Even when I bring my daughter to the playground, I see the parents sitting on the benches texting and playing on their phones while their children entertain themselves. It's very sad
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    My granddaughter (age 7) eats snacks all day whenever she asks for them. She eats berries, apples, nuts and smoothies her mom makes her in the blender with greens, banana, fruit, almond milk, nut butters and unsweetened cocoa. She also eats 3 meals a day and plays and plays, inside and outside. She is a slim, strong, energetic, happy and healthy little girl.
    Snacking frequently on good things has not made her fat.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    70 lbs overwight - never snacked.
    70 lbs gone - snack three times per day.

    Yup, definitely the snacking that made me fat.
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
    I eat all day (seriously, about every couple hours), and I've lost 61 pounds. I'm always gnawing on something. My desk at work always has a bunch of containers of nuts, celery, apple slices, cheese cubes, etc laying all over it. My coworkers probably think I'm a squirrel.

    It depends on how many calories you eat, not how many times you eat. :)

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