*Videos* Mom. Why Am I Fat? Discussing Childhood Obesity in America.

Originally posted by AnIntellectualRedneck
I think there's more at play.

BMI testing is ludicrously inaccurate, and there are all kinds of exceptions and things that can skew the results.

There could be something wrong glandularly or hormonally. The truth is that not everybody can afford to go to a proper doctor or have all those tests done. Insurance is extremely expensive, and a doctor's visit with all those tests can be 700 or 800 dollars without insurance.

You realistically lose a lot of control over what your kid eats when they get older. Teenagers, especially once they get 16 and 17 years old, have a part to play in their health and have to take responsibility for it.

It also could just be a temporary thing and genetics.

My main point, though? Most of the food we have access to here in the States is processed and has all kinds of additives. Even stuff that could be very healthy gets processed and has crap put in it that renders it complete trash.

The point I'm trying to make is that there could be any number of causes that are simply out of a parents' control.

Have you noticed how little control the government allow parents. Also people do not seem to walk as much and kids are not allowed to run around and play like they used to.

I was back inCali a few weeks ago and was amazed at how every food seems to be doused in Sugar.

Cornsyrup has also been added to all processed foods since the 70s.

Some athletes have high BMI but are very fit.

My 2 cts

reply to post by greeneyedleo

IMHO you paint an ideal world scenario that is, at least judging from the number of heavily overweight and obese people (not only in the US), a stark contrast with the reality we see around us. You have access to a good store which I'm sure helps a lot. Maybe I've lived in all the wrong places but most stores here in the Netherlands are large supermarket chains. There is the odd green grocers, cheese shop (dutch cheese sux!) and the like but most food here I think is sold via the large chains. As for prices, welcome to Holland. I must be fair and say I haven't seen too many fat children here but then I don't know any people with children either.

Many food problems here in the past years. Beef is not beef, pork is not pork and if you try to buy a Halal (necessary for Muslims) product you are probably being lied to. Not to mention the virus infected tomatoes...or was it cucumbers? I forgot already. There is also a curious powder available to manufacturers that, when added to meat, does something to the DNA. I forget the name but it is used to stop people being able to analyse the food to tell what animal it came from. A scientist in a lab will not be able to say pork, beef or whatever. This is apparently well used by some firms although they are all reluctant to discuss it. (There was a docu on TV in the days I had one).


Some produce I buy is grown locally but much is flown/shipped in too according to the labels. I eat no processed foods at all but it is there in abundance. In fact, unless you are prepared to source herbs and spices yourself to make certain dishes (think chili mix, kebab mixes, etc) then you will be buying processed herbs and spices. Little taste or aroma and almost no "goodness". 1.50 for 10 grams of paprika, just to give one example. I wasn't referring to chips and candy by the way, just regular food items such as made by Knorr, bread from bleached and brominated (?) flour, etc. You are right though, chips and candy are not cheap, here even more so.

I did not deny that lifestyle plays a large part of it but let's be honest, not everyone has the money or opportunity to do it. Inner city single Mum's of three kids are hard pressed to make ends meet, never mind being able to afford sports clothing, no matter how cheap. Walking a long walk through a city is not healthy either.

As for moderation, I think society lost that years ago. I don't have children or have much contact with people that do, but I don't think it is always the parents either, it's more just circumstances and bad luck, possibly. To reiterate, sometimes yes, always no. The food industry does have a lot to answer for imho, in the name of it's cost/profit studies. Food seems to have been outsourced to a few, large, global players and some of them have some very shady practices, business and otherwise.

Take a supposedly 3rd world country like India. You won't find too much obesity there. I would guess it is due to low income (dollar a day), lack of western products and a rich history of varied cuisine on which they can count.

Yer a hard woman!

As for the trampolines, I see them all over here, it's almost like they are back in fashion.

ETA I guess these videos just struck the wrong note with me is all. It seems like a cop out...

Originally posted by antar
reply to post by NoRegretsEver

 

USA is just the beginning, in fact it is happening all over the world where GMOs and such are being used and eaten. It is easy to look at the US and point judgmental fingers, but really this is not something that affects only Americans anymore.

Right you are, there are no borders here it is happening everywhere.
Kind of makes me think of the population reduction threads now that I think about it.
Regardless this is preventable and its not that hard to shake your ass out of bed and go for a walk.
The hard part is making it a part of daily life which it was just a few years ago.
Think "Little Rascals" or "Leave it to beaver"
How many indoor scenes did they have back then? The kids were always outside running around.
Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by Iwinder


Im in my late twenties, grew up in the thick of the fast food, pizzas, coke, video games. It never made us fat, and we barely did anything.

Theres something else making these kids fat, maybe its portion control, could it be that simple? One big mac instead of 2 and everythings all better? I thought America was on food stamps? Are we really eating too much? Or is something being added to the food within the last 15-20 years that wasnt there before?

I'm willing to bet that children are chemically damaged somehow in a way that I was not exposed to in my youth and have the grace of avoiding all together, or have developed beyond its ability to have such an obvious effect on my weight.

-GM

Originally posted by Solomons
reply to post by LightSpeedDriver

 

Sorry but i don't buy this line of argument, it is just as cheap if not cheaper to buy fresh foods and cook good home made meals than buying processed crap. Knowing where to shop, getting deals and using ingredients efficiently is the key. I am poor and somehow manage to do so.... there is nothing wrong with processed fast food now and again but when parents make it the bulk of a child's diet? that is a different story all together.

I'm not having a go at you personally, but the argument is a very common one and completely unfounded imo.

edit on 4-1-2012 by Solomons because: (no reason given)

I agree, here in Canada a Big Mac is almost 5 dollars, for that we can buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes, for the cost of a large Pop we can buy a bag of carrots, Large fries the cost equals a dozen eggs.
Now take those numbers and do a family of four at MCD.s and throw in some hot apple pie.
The wife and myself could eat a week off of that money buying healthier foods and not using gas to go to the "Drive through"
Regards, Iwinder

Originally posted by Gradius Maximus
reply to post by Iwinder

 

Im in my late twenties, grew up in the thick of the fast food, pizzas, coke, video games. It never made us fat, and we barely did anything.

Theres something else making these kids fat, maybe its portion control, could it be that simple? One big mac instead of 2 and everythings all better? I thought America was on food stamps? Are we really eating too much? Or is something being added to the food within the last 15-20 years that wasnt there before?

I'm willing to bet that children are chemically damaged somehow in a way that I was not exposed to in my youth and have the grace of avoiding all together, or have developed beyond its ability to have such an obvious effect on my weight.

-GM

My personal opinion is that the kids are getting way too much money handed to them and therefore they run to the nearest sugar shack " fast food"

I hate to say this but I feel I must......at age 12 I bought my first ten speed bike after cutting grass for almost two years.
I spent every day I could on that bike and developed calves like a tree stump.
I never took the city buses here after that because they were a dime to ride and I could get downtown on my bike in a mere 30 minutes standing on the pedals and having a great time doing it.
Never even owned a car till I was 18 and even then I earned every penny to buy it by working 3 jobs part time, Lawn cutting, dishwasher at a restaurant and doing room service at the Local Holiday INN.

Please notice that the above jobs all required me to get off my ass and do actual physical labour which I was happy to do.

I spent that whole summer sanding and redoing the body on the car plus my three jobs plus riding my bike to those jobs.
Once I got my Cadillac in shape (very old Chevy Nova) it took me another four months of work to get it on the road and insured.
I only drove it for pleasure because gas was almost 40 cents a gallon so I still rode my bike to my three jobs.
Did I run to Macdonalds ......NO did I eat any kind of food out of a box NO, did I stay in shape?
I did and to this day I have no regrets at all, It was my financial situation which I think was the answer not chemicals or whatnot in my food.
However you do raise a valid point,
Is it in our food or water or air?
I say no but that is just my opinion, for sure I don't know
Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by Gradius Maximus


why not take these fat kids to near a desert in iran

make them jump and down.

hopefully they will cause a tsunami which will stop iran from making nukes.

Originally posted by LightSpeedDriver
reply to post by NoRegretsEver

 

What a classy way to address a problem. Nice propaganda, which goes no way to addressing the real problem. I'm sure the masses will love it. Not to mention a blatant "blame the parents" approach.

Fructose, processed foods, chemicals. That is what is to blame and (possibly) in that order.

i was 65 kg ...i thought i was overweight..i had bmi of 24.4


i am 5 ft 5 in in height.

i dieted ..

now i am 60 kg ..i have bmi of 22.
.
after 5 months i m still 60 kg....i am awesome.

my waist size was 34 not it 33 or 32 inches.

i feel great.

when i saw these fat kids i was amazed they were they were fatter tham ...bigger than me...younger than me...
i saw the flab sloshing around like jelly...

oh my god...


I THOUGHT I WAS FAT AT 143 POUNDS !!!

I AM NOW 132 POUNDS !...
I LOST 11 POUNDS...

but when i look at these kids i say it is their own fault...
yes their own fault....
not the fault of the president of the taxman...
or of the blond news anchor.....

too little work too much food...

stoopid brain dead parents....who don't read books.


i have a solution...make them donate the extra fat to help in skin grafts of burn victims and breast and bum implants.

I saw this on the news. And personally I think Mrs. Michelle Obama is behind these ads. She did say she would start to combat obesity.

However, I also feel that it is the parents fault and the kids fault. The kids know what's healthy for them, they just like junk food better.

My parents raised me to eat vegetables, fruit, and meat every day. Sometimes we would have pasta because we are part italian. Like four times a year we would go out and get pizza!!!! That is called moderation. That is the parent's responsibility. I don't think it's the chemicals. I love food!!! I never have been sick because of chemicals in them.

Now onto me. I was born without a sweet tooth. I don't really like candy or too much sweet stuff. I actually prefer fruit as a munching on snack, instead of potato chips. But I don't gain weight. I haven't since I was in 7th grade now graduating college. People yell at my parents because of how skinny I am. I eat just as much as anybody else. Sometimes more.

So, trust me, it's not the food. It's moderation, parents, and genetics.

reply to post by nobodysavedme

It's funny you mention that but I always "felt" fat. I could never rid myself of the idea. I'm a 6 foot tall guy and weigh 65 kg's and you can see the bones sticking out in places. Yeah...body image issues probably or I just wasn't happy with the one I got. Being a picky eater and a vegetarian that doesn't really like vegetables...

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


The biggest contributing factor to obesity in the USA is the government subsidy program to corn growers...Cane sugar is lousy for kids, High Fructose Corn Syrup is worse...and it's in just about every major processed food good sold today.

reply to post by RightWingAvenger


If we dont buy it, then we dont eat it. Even removing one of the GMO's is an advantage. In many households almost 90% of the food is full of things that are unhealthy for a growing child.

Peace, NRE.

I have to say that using the excuse that ____________ (fill in) is full of these things and thats why kids are fat, should for other things.

Meth is rampant in inner cities, but not everyone is an addict. Alcohol is everywhere including t.v/movies/commercials, but not everyone is an alcoholic.

Most people I know prefer shoes, but I love my flip flops. I think in this scenario its ok to be outside the box.

There was an incident some years back that a school in California stopped selling candy and soda in vending machines, so the parents outraged that there kids couldn't get their "fix", would come during the lunch period, and pass out cookies, and soda to the kids.

If someone doesn't take responsibility who will, and frankly parents should be responsible for their kids well being. Everyone gets upset when the "system" steps in , but allowing your child to be sick and 300lbs at 15 should be looked into further.

Peace, NRE.