Just a rant...

rob_v · February 2012

OK - so here my rant for the day. I will apologize if I offend anyone up front, I not all that PC by any stretch.
I also know that if you are here, you are willing to make a change in your life, and get yourself healthy.

So the fam and I were at Great Wolf lodge on Thursday and stayed over until Friday. I never really paid much attention to it, but for some reason (thanks MFP!) I have become very aware of what I look like and what I eat. This has lead me to observe what other eat, as well as people in general. And what a better place to do it than at a water park when people are fairly exposed.
My first observation was holy crap, people were HUGE. Im not talking a little overweight, I mean freaking HUGE. The second thing is that people for the most part eat like ****.
We went to breakfast, they had a buffet, which we opted out of, but the size of the plates that some people came back with were just crazy. But the thing that really got me was this. The kids. I lost count of number of kids that were overweight, again, Im not talking a little extra, Im talking the parents should be shot for allowing that to happen to their kids overweight. 2 in particulate really stuck out. Here are these parents both well over 300+ with mounds of food, with 2 small kids in tow - Im going say no more than 5&6, both kids are just huge. We leave breakfast, go back to our room, change, and on the way down to waterpark, I see them again, in the Ice cream parlor - this is less than 30 mins after we at breakfast. All with xlarge sundays w/ the works on them. I mean really....desert for your breakfast?? The thing that gets me is that these parents are setting these kids up for the worst.

So here is the kicker. We are at the park, and they let you bring food in or you can buy it. Here is what our cooler is filled with. (and Ill be honest - this is pretty normal for us) 2 apples, 2 pears, a few things of yogurt, a few waters, about 3 or 4 bananas, a small bag of chips, then a box of "healthy" chips. (the special K Cracker Chips - which kick *kitten* by the way). Enough for us to snack on during the day b/c I know we are either going to eat a late lunch or early dinner. We stop a few times for some snacks, and all around you see is people eating french fries, onion rings, pizza, chicken strips, soda, the works. They have a snack bar so I walk over to it, and just ask for a banana (I was honestly curious if you could actually get fruit), the guy says we only have apple slices and shows me a bag with 5 slices in it. And here is the best - it was 1.99. Im not getting up on my soap box and boycotting anything b/c they dont serve fruit, it was really just an observation of how jacked somethings have become.

The main point to this rant, is that it pisses me off to see kids that can't walk up a flight of stairs with sounding like they are going to die. For a parent to let their kids get that big, and not do anything about it, in my opinion is bull****. Its not the kids fault they are just following in ways shown to them by their parents. It makes me sad.

Like I said, just a rant.

blazeybug87 · February 2012

I actually agree, and I am overweight and come from a family of overweight feeders.

I was 'rewarded' with food as a kid and I do think habits and tastes carry over and it's hard to re-train yourself to like other things.
That being said it can be done if you want it enough

rougette66 · February 2012

Oh wow thats just frkn crazy! thats like a heart attack waiting to happen. it really is sicking when you think about that people actually eat themselves sick like that. They should encourage their kids to eat healthy though, the next generation should not make the same mistakes their parents do/did. so just curious but are you going back? lol jk jk

Chagama · February 2012

I completely agree with you.

cmriverside · February 2012

Very, very sad indeed. Those poor innocent little kids have been set up to fail.

janalayn · February 2012

I totally agree... just because I was fat didn't mean I was going to allow my children to suffer the same fate ... my kids are now 19 and 23, neither of them have ever had a weight problem. My problem has always been lack of exercise ... I made sure to fix healthy foods, limited snacks and severely limited fast foods. My kids were active because I limited the amount of TV and video games they were allowed.

I hate to hear parents say "my kids will only eat junk" ... that is crap. Kids won't starve.. they will eat what is available when they get hungry. If they only eat chicken mcnuggets it is totally the parents fault.

hiker282 · February 2012

You actually made me hungry for some chicken strips. But the overall premise of your thread is well geared, I think. People are not responsible with what they feed themselves and, in turn, pass those bad habits on to their children. It is the sad state of our culture, but I'm totally with you for bucking the trend and doing things the healthy way. I'm 100% behind you!

azlady7 · February 2012

i observed the same thing at wet n wild in phoenix. sooooo sad. we brought our own food too (couldnt bring it in though) but we were allowed to go to the parking lot and eat. we brought healthy sandwhich stuff and fruit too as well as gatorade and water. the only thing we bought as a treat was one of those big snow cones which 7 of us shared. it is a sad state of affairs in this country and it makes me soooo sad. I am greatful that I have taught my son better. he is 16 works out 4-5 times a week and barely drinks soda (of course he doesnt always eat perfectly and will eat fast food periodically). I think the more of us that learn to observe then the more of us there will be to change things. good rant

bilzprincess · February 2012

OK - so here my rant for the day. I will apologize if I offend anyone up front, I not all that PC by any stretch.
I also know that if you are here, you are willing to make a change in your life, and get yourself healthy.

So the fam and I were at Great Wolf lodge on Thursday and stayed over until Friday. I never really paid much attention to it, but for some reason (thanks MFP!) I have become very aware of what I look like and what I eat. This has lead me to observe what other eat, as well as people in general. And what a better place to do it than at a water park when people are fairly exposed.
My first observation was holy crap, people were HUGE. Im not talking a little overweight, I mean freaking HUGE. The second thing is that people for the most part eat like ****...

Thriceshy · February 2012

I'm one of those "freaking huge" people. Never did the mountainous buffet plates or all you can eat anything, but rather a combination of bad habits (not too much food, but too calorie-laden), not enough fresh fruits, veggies, and grains, bad genes, and a terrible back injury (from a car accident when I was thin) that locked me in a vicious circle of pain and weight gain. My son, who is 13, is 5'3" and weighs 125 lbs. He has never been heavy because I was heavy as a kid and I remember the hell of it. I couldn't let that happen to him. I haven't made him food phobic, but when he goes on a munching spree, I remind him that there are oranges, plums, apples, and carrots in the fridge. Meals are lean and veggie-intensive. Desserts, when we have them, tend to be low cal fruit smoothies and the like.

It's very sad, but it helps to remember that we're not inside other folks' heads, we can't know what's brought them to where they are. It's quite likely that the adults you saw are utterly clueless when it comes to how to eat better or be healthier. After all, those misled, helpless kids often grow up to be adults who don't know how to do better.

Just a thought--for what it's worth, my heart also breaks when I see heavy kids. I remember how bad that was.

BlondeToast · February 2012

I totally agree with what you've said. It's the same in the UK, I think it's child abuse when parents allow their children to eat whatever the hell they want. The kids must get it from somewhere, a 5 year old isn't going to go to the shop and buy 10 donuts on their own...

c3js80 · February 2012

Absolutely agree with you. And what I don't understand is why would these parents want their children to go through what they went through as kids. I was never that overweight, but when you weigh 25 pounds more than other girls when you're in high school its still rough. These parents are setting their kids up for a lot of heartache, not to mention medical problems.

lboogie138 · February 2012

Sadly, I agree with you. I was never overweight as a child, but my parents did use food as a reward and I have had to overcome some serious ties with food and emotions!! It really is setting these children up for a very rough life. I have a few cousins that are pretty young and very overweight. I had one of them stay at my house for a week and we gave her healthy foods (like we eat in our house) and she loved everything. That made me so mad b/c she obviously is willing to eat healthy, but her home is filled with nothing but junk food! It's really unfortunate

fatgirlzrule2 · February 2012

I guess I am really torn on this one. I am very heavy and have been my whole life. But now I am on the right path, lost 50 pounds since Thanksgiving, and eat completely clean. But I have educated myself A LOT to learn how and what to eat. I know a lot of skinny people who eat just as poorly as the overweight people you descibed, and a lot of skinny people who have obese children. I think it is all about education. There is just not enough of it. People need to learn how to eat healthy, that there is no quick fix pill or surgery or drink, that yes, you may be thin but if you are eating chips, pizza, soda, candy, etc., you are no healthier than a person that weighs 300+ pounds. And schools, don't even get me started on the school food. Pizza is classified as a vegetable?? Come on now! I know when my step-daughter lived with us the hot lunches were mostly some sort of processed breaded "chicken" in various shapes (patties, nuggest, fries), a starch (potato, corn), and some sort of bread or fruit cocktail in heavy syrup. Ridiculous!
Anyway, that's just my opinion. But I will say I, too, look at what everyone eats now, or what is in their cart at the grocery store, and it is really sad. Just make sure you don't pick out the "fat" people to watch what they eat.

Horacehair · February 2012

awwwwwwww thats so sad

people shoulnt let that happen 2 their children. it effects their future.

MummyOfSeven · February 2012

I had a friend whose two children were vastly overweight. Both she and her ex-husband were largish, but these kids were MASSIVE.

They would eat crisps and chocolate bars for breakfast, washed down with cordial.
For lunch was their school meal (no choice, set meal).
After school they would go to the corner shop and buy a two litre bottle of Coke, a six pack of crisps and snacks....each.
That's before dinner.
Dinner was whatever their mother decided to cook or, more often than not, a takeaway of pizza, burgers or something similar.
Snacks were also allowed after dinner.

This was on a DAILY BASIS. By the time the son was nine she had to order his school uniform custom made because they didn't make his size. The daughter was wearing adult clothes (too long) by the same age as child's sizes just would not fit.

This woman was, at the time, my best friend. No amount of hinting could get her to catch on. In the end, another friend and I sat her down and told her, nicely, that she wasn't doing her children any favours by allowing them to eat like this. She went OFF! We left it alone.

At a routine medical a year or so later, the doctor told her that both of her children were MORBIDLY OBESE at under eleven years of age. She was ordered to take them to see a nutritionist. The meeting lasted all of ten minutes. She walked out having told the woman where to shove it.

Years later, this woman and I are no longer friends (not related reasons). I still see the kids sometimes. The son is sixteen years old, as big as a house and still has the same eating habits. The daughter, aged fourteen, is just as big and is a desperately unhappy young lady. She has been bullied because of her size and has even had to change school. Within the last year, she moved in with her father and sought help. He is supporting her all the way.

Some parents have a lot to answer for.

perdie7 · February 2012

It's not just "fat" people who eat this way, we just notice them more. I have a meeting once a month at a pizza buffet restaurant. since I started this journey, I have planned carefully for that night. I have now noticed how everyone eats. I eat 1003 calories that night ( two pieces of pizza, one dessert pizza,mashed potatoes). I eat the least amount of food. The three 80+ year olds eat more than i do, including fried chicken! Also true for the "skinny, middle aged" people there.

aaleigha1 · February 2012

I have a friend who lost half her body weight
since she has though and kept it off for 4 years her husband and children have all gotten bigger

all three of her children the youngest being 7 are on the 98th percentile the middle child is on 100th that means out of all his peers he would be the biggest
I have spoken to her about heir weight and what she can do for them

but surely after taking care of her own weight problem over feeding the children like this could be classed as abuse at the very least neglect

Savyna · February 2012

I know what you mean except in my case I'm thinking of someone I'm an acquaintance with. I don't want to judge his life is either right or wrong but he constantly eats in fast food places, drives everywhere and in school he's always taking the elevators even if its just one flight up. It turns out he's been spotted by one of my professor's too, because one time the prof. brought it up in passing of how he saw a big young fellow with a humungus drink (and I'm thinking to myself omg I'm 10000% sure he's talking about [person's name]). He said that he doesn't understand why people do these types of things to themselves. He said that he's in no way touting super healthy lifestyle, (and pointed to his semi round belly) but he said at such a young age you are setting yourself up for hypertension and other diseases to hit you even earlier. When the children are young as the OP stated in his first post the parents have a responsibility to teach their kids how to eat better. I'm pretty sure no one has gotten away from hearing about balanced diets or cutting back on sodas and sweets, so even if the parents never had that sort of guidance when they were little, they can at least try and do their part for their children. People shouldn't wait until its too late (and by late I mean in the coffin).

rollycollysmama · February 2012

I compleatly agree, I'm one of those "fat" people, but I make sure my son doesnt eat crap, I hated being the fat kid, I hated being bullied for my weight and coming home and shoving food down my face to feel better, I REFUSE to let my son live that type of lifestyle. Healthy first, snacks later He does get an occasional treat, ice cream or Mcdonalds or whatever, but those are once a week or less type of things, I actually reciently started freezing banans, putting them in my juicer and mixing it with left over pulp for "ice cream" for my son, plop it on a cone, or in a dish with a little suger free chocolate sauce and he doesnt know the diffrence!

Savyna · February 2012

I had a friend whose two children were vastly overweight. Both she and her ex-husband were largish, but these kids were MASSIVE.

They would eat crisps and chocolate bars for breakfast, washed down with cordial.
For lunch was their school meal (no choice, set meal).
After school they would go to the corner shop and buy a two litre bottle of Coke, a six pack of crisps and snacks....each.
That's before dinner.
Dinner was whatever their mother decided to cook or, more often than not, a takeaway of pizza, burgers or something similar.
Snacks were also allowed after dinner.

This was on a DAILY BASIS. By the time the son was nine she had to order his school uniform custom made because they didn't make his size. The daughter was wearing adult clothes (too long) by the same age as child's sizes just would not fit.

This woman was, at the time, my best friend. No amount of hinting could get her to catch on. In the end, another friend and I sat her down and told her, nicely, that she wasn't doing her children any favours by allowing them to eat like this. She went OFF! We left it alone.

At a routine medical a year or so later, the doctor told her that both of her children were MORBIDLY OBESE at under eleven years of age. She was ordered to take them to see a nutritionist. The meeting lasted all of ten minutes. She walked out having told the woman where to shove it.

Years later, this woman and I are no longer friends (not related reasons). I still see the kids sometimes. The son is sixteen years old, as big as a house and still has the same eating habits. The daughter, aged fourteen, is just as big and is a desperately unhappy young lady. She has been bullied because of her size and has even had to change school. Within the last year, she moved in with her father and sought help. He is supporting her all the way.

Some parents have a lot to answer for.

That's really unfortunate to hear about your friend and her children. Maybe we can just pray (or hope whichever persuasion you prefer) that the children get it into their minds that they have to take some better care of their health and what they're putting into it, even if mom says that they are great and can eat whatever and still be perfect, I'm sure they have to be aware of at least how they move in relation to other kids, and about the daughter I'm glad that she was able to change the schools and is getting support through her father. Maybe the mother (i dont know at all) had some type of issue happen to her when she was little and just felt that when she had children she wouldn't do the same thing that had happened to her, that's just a guess though as to why a parent would tell a doc to shove it if s/he is saying that the kids are morbidly obese.

Reasie26 · February 2012

Yep, I'm sort of obsessed with what other people are piling on their plates or thrown gin their shopping carts. It sort of blows your mind once you start paying attention. Of course, the worst part is that I used to do the same things! Yikes!!! Hopefully, those people you see eating themselves to death will soon wake up and see what we are now seeing.

I also think it should be considered child abuse and punishable to feed your children in a way that leads to obesity and/or other health problems. It's the same as malnourishing a child. There should be a blanket law about adequate nutrition provided for a child.

I can't believe the story you are telling, MummyOfSeven! I mean, I CAN, but it amazes me that even after a medical professional had diagnosed both her children with a medical problem, she still doesn't want to hear it? Wow! So, so sad....

I am definitely trying to break the cycle with my own daughter. She gets plenty of sweets and "junk" here and there, but it's just not like the average American toddler eats. We are vegan and so very rarely do fast food (Taco Bell is about it for us). But, more importantly than the amounts/frequency that she has any kind of food, I try to monitor the relationship she has with food.

Food is never a reward for anything. Ever. So, dessert is not "after you finish your meal" - rather, it is a small portion and served with the meal. Yes, at three years old, she usually eats it first. But, she still eats her meal same as she would without it. I don't want her to feel like she "has" to eat the "healthy stuff" before she "gets" the "good stuff".

We're not doing anything perfect. There are plenty of things that someone else could point out as needing improvement. But, we try to educate ourselves and our daughter, be good role models, and keep stepping back every once in a while to re-evaluate what's on our plates and in our carts!

Just a rant...

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