Where are all these inactive, obese kids that I keep hearing about?

[KidsHappen]

I have one dd in middle school and one dd in high school and I am not seeing any overwieght kids here. Furthermore, I really don't see how they could be. The schools are huge as are the textbooks and the breaks between periods are very short so the kids really have to be moving to make it to classes on time. The high school is two stories so there is much going up and down the stairs as well. I think that the kids would get plenty of exercise even if they did nothing other than go to school but almost everyone here plays a sport as well. My kids are tired when they get home and they really don't have time to do much other than homework, eat, shower and get their stuff ready for the next day. No time for tv or video games and it seems to be the same for all their friends. Finally, I really don't see kids eating that much either. I have had several parties for children now and no one ever eats much at all even when I serve kids friendly food. So am I living in some weird alternate universe or what? Where exactly are all these kids I keep hearing about?

[amo_mea_filiis.]

You must be in a different universe! There are a lot of kids who are pretty plump around here. My daughter being one of them. Plump is nice; there are plenty of kids around here who are very obese. Kids who, when playing with my son need a break every 5 minutes. There are 3 kids that frequent the park who do not play at all. They just sit and watch.

[regentrude]

They exist. I encountered 11 year old very overweight boys who can not walk 1/4 of a mile without getting out of breath and complaining.

[joannqn]

We have plenty of them here. One of them is my son. He's very active and just on the side of obese. His biggest problem is eating too much of his favorite breakfasts and dinners. It's not what he is eating (for the most part), it's how much. I portion out his dinners now, and usually don't allow him to have seconds. Most people think I'm nuts to be worried about his weight because his clothes hide it well.

Edited August 25, 2011 by joannqn

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I have to say that most of the kids I know are not obese, either, but I do know a few who are pretty plump. My 7 yr. old niece and my cousin's 10 & 11 year old boys are both very overweight. It's all due to the amount of junk they eat. They are hardly ever given real, home cooked food.

[joannqn]

They exist. I encountered 11 year old very overweight boys who can not walk 1/4 of a mile without getting out of breath and complaining.

 

This is my daughter only she's at a perfect weight.

[Wheres Toto]

I have one dd in middle school and one dd in high school and I am not seeing any overwieght kids here. Furthermore, I really don't see how they could be. The schools are huge as are the textbooks and the breaks between periods are very short so the kids really have to be moving to make it to classes on time. The high school is two stories so there is much going up and down the stairs as well. I think that the kids would get plenty of exercise even if they did nothing other than go to school but almost everyone here plays a sport as well. My kids are tired when they get home and they really don't have time to do much other than homework, eat, shower and get their stuff ready for the next day. No time for tv or video games and it seems to be the same for all their friends. Finally, I really don't see kids eating that much either. I have had several parties for children now and no one ever eats much at all even when I serve kids friendly food. So am I living in some weird alternate universe or what? Where exactly are all these kids I keep hearing about?

 

My experience is similar to yours but the kids I'm exposed to are either very young like my little guys, or very active like my oldest. I mostly see the girls that she is at dance with 5 days a week (although there is one there who is fairly overweight) or kids at her school. Her high school is big on activity. Sports are a big thing - not just football but soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, cross country, etc. - they have an Adventure option for gym where they do things like rock climbing, zip lines, etc. When picking her up I see very few kids who look overweight.

 

I do occasionally see overweight kids at the playground but usually just 1 or 2 out of 20 or so kids running around.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Well, my kids were really active, but still overweight by high school. We do have an odd diet-We either eat really well or eat out. So no doubt that didn't help. And both my kids *started* their overweight journey due to medication. Still....

 

So no doubt we have contributed to it.

 

On the other hand, I have two boys who are tiny. One is in the 3rd percentile and the other the 12th (they were 21 and 26 pounds 4months ago so we're making good progress!). We have feeding issues with the littler one. I thought about going on his diet, just match him bite for bite (and maybe have a smoothie for each of his pediasures?). Hmmmm

Edited August 25, 2011 by 2J5M9K

[Abigail4476]

I would say that it's regional. Some areas will have more of a concentration of obese people than others. Our kids started private school this year, and I'd say the mix of overweight to slim is about half and half. However, I only saw 1 or 2 that I would call obese and none that were "morbidly obese." (Obviously assessing with just my naked eye.)

 

There are definitely kids who are inactive by preference because they'd rather have their noses buried in a book, and unless their parents push the issue, they won't go out and play and get hot and sweaty. There are some who want to play, but the fact that they're already overweight makes it difficult.

 

I was surprised to learn that daily physical education is no longer a requirement for high school in Oklahoma. I don't like that at all. I think kids need a good hour a day of strenuous physical activity. dd15 is taking art instead of PE (you don't get PE unless you are involved in a sport) so she is now required (by me) to hop on the treadmill when she gets home from school. That really did shock me, considering obesity rates in general.:001_huh:

[Carrie12345]

Lots over here! I don't think I can honestly say it's *most*, but definitely plenty!

[twoforjoy]

One issue to consider is that, despite the images used in the media when illustrating stories of the "childhood obesity epidemic"--which tend to be of children who are very, very, very large--most overweight and obese kids look exactly like normal kids. Yes, there are a few kids out there who are like twice their "ideal" weight. But, most overweight/obese kids don't weigh much more than their "normal-weight" peers, and studies have found that even most doctors can't, by sight, tell which kids are "normal" and which are "obese" most of the time.

 

Which makes sense, if you think about how it works in adults (since, in kids, a far smaller number of pounds is required to move you from "normal" to "obese.")

 

This is a normal-weight woman, this is an overweight woman, and this is an obese woman. I'm sure some people will say that "Oh, I can tell that the overweight/obese women are too big and unhealthy," but, seriously, most people could not tell which of those women was which. The same holds true for kids.

 

The line between normal, overweight, and obese is much, much smaller than the media reports, illustrated with images of 200 lb. children and 400 lb. adults, would have us believe. Most overweight and obese kids are no less capable of being active than their normal-weight peers.

 

The rate of childhood obesity hasn't risen since the late 1990s, so if people are seeing more fat children today than they did 10 years ago, that's confirmation bias at work, not reality.

[DawnM]

My 11 year old is close if not bordering obese. We are working on it, but every time we turn around he is offered sugar.....scouting events, homeschool events, etc....

 

There are several obese or close to obese homeschoolers around here.

 

DH and I are in the process of getting it ALL out of our house. I need to lose weight too.

 

My oldest is thin and my youngest is very, very active but he is a solid muscle mass. He weighs more than he should on charts, but he is solid muscle naturally. He is very strong and doesn't seem to get tired ever! :D

 

Dawn

[bettyandbob]

Some states and some cities have higher concentrations of obese people, that may be part of what you are seeing.

 

Also you have to consider perception. On average kids in my area are larger than kids were when I was a child (I live in the same area). What people think of as "normal weight" today is really overweight.

 

Additionally, I definitely see obviously overweight, and obviously obese children. There are a significant percentage of people interested in fitness in my town (we have swimming, running, biking and tri clubs as well as team sports for adults). As a result there are kids who follow their parent's lead into sporting activities. But a big difference I see is in general play. We have miles of bike trails. As a kid I knew them all and I knew where all the great places to stop were whether that was a creek or a big jungle gym. I go out on the trails now. I don't see kids. I don't see kids walking to friends. I don't see kids riding bikes for no reason other than just because. The kids who are fit today are in programmed sports activities--they may also shoot hoops once in a while at a playground, but generally playgrounds only have mothers watching little ones play and no one is bikeriding aimlessly anymore.

[2squared]

I have two nephews are overweight/obese. They both are not naturally active. One reads a lot and the other plays video games a lot and doesn't get outside to move. The book reader knows a lot and is rather smart, but he is very overweight at 10yo. I would rather he read less, knew less, and was a healthy weight. I see that video games are becoming more of a habit with him. :glare:

 

I think that exercise is made too formal when people talk about getting exercise. Most people think of exercise as organized sports, running, etc. I wish that natural exercise - gardening, walking, parking farther away from stores, getting off the couch to change the channel, etc - was emphasized. We just need to get our bodies to move more.

[2squared]

But a big difference I see is in general play. We have miles of bike trails. As a kid I knew them all and I knew where all the great places to stop were whether that was a creek or a big jungle gym. I go out on the trails now. I don't see kids. I don't see kids walking to friends. I don't see kids riding bikes for no reason other than just because. The kids who are fit today are in programmed sports activities--they may also shoot hoops once in a while at a playground, but generally playgrounds only have mothers watching little ones play and no one is bikeriding aimlessly anymore.

 

:iagree: That's exactly what I was trying to say, but you said it so much better. Kids/people aren't building the habit of having their bodies move outside of programmed activities.

[Serenade]

It's important to remember also that the powers that be changed the weight range for the different weight categories a few years back, throwing more people into the overweight and obese categories. So people we wouldn't have considered obese or overweight 20 years ago, are now considered to be in these categories.

[regentrude]

I would say that it's regional. Some areas will have more of a concentration of obese people than others.

 

Absolutely - and that is not just true for kids, but also for adults.

Whenever I travel from our Midwest town to Colorado or California, I am amazed to see so many normal weight, fit adults.

[unsinkable]

I have two nephews are overweight/obese. They both are not naturally active. One reads a lot and the other plays video games a lot and doesn't get outside to move. The book reader knows a lot and is rather smart, but he is very overweight at 10yo. I would rather he read less, knew less, and was a healthy weight. I see that video games are becoming more of a habit with him. :glare:

 

I think that exercise is made too formal when people talk about getting exercise. Most people think of exercise as organized sports, running, etc. I wish that natural exercise - gardening, walking, parking farther away from stores, getting off the couch to change the channel, etc - was emphasized. We just need to get our bodies to move more.

 

:confused: What? Do you really mean this?

 

The 2 things aren't mutually exclusive.

[MissKNG]

You must be in a different universe! There are a lot of kids who are pretty plump around here. .

 

:iagree:Here too!

 

There are LOTS of commercials/programs/outreach/campaigns to try and help motivate kids to get off the couch and play around here.

 

My girls are not obese and are highly, highly active (and our days usually average 15 + hours). I actually tell them to "PLEASE sit on the couch and watch TV for a few minutes" so I can get something done! :lol:

Edited August 25, 2011 by MissKNG

[Mosaicmind]

There are plenty here and the majority of the kids do not play a sport. None of my kids are overweight or even close to it, in fact my ds who just left for the Airforce almost didn't make the minimum weight to get in. We have plenty of over-weight and a few obese teens at our church.

[kalanamak]

I have one dd in middle school and one dd in high school and I am not seeing any overwieght kids here.

 

Where I am there are obvious cultural influences on weight. Perhaps you're around less people of the two cultures I notice it in.

[Laura Corin]

The younger ones get PE four days a week, the olders three days. School lunches are compulsory - they work with allergies and there is a vegetarian option every day.

 

Laura

[twoforjoy]

It's important to remember also that the powers that be changed the weight range for the different weight categories a few years back, throwing more people into the overweight and obese categories. So people we wouldn't have considered obese or overweight 20 years ago, are now considered to be in these categories.

 

Yup. Around 1998, the weights at which people became "overweight" and "obese" were lowered, so that, overnight, millions of people who were formerly "normal-weight" were overweight without gaining a pound, and millions of people went from overweight to obese without any weight gain.

 

And then, surprise surprise, since the late 1990s, obesity rates have levelled off.

 

It's almost as if the enormous spike in obesity in the 1990s could be due largely to the change in definition, rather than in people suddenly becoming enormously fat. But, that doesn't sell magazines or get people to buy diet products.

[bettyandbob]

Yup. Around 1998, the weights at which people became "overweight" and "obese" were lowered, so that, overnight, millions of people who were formerly "normal-weight" were overweight without gaining a pound, and millions of people went from overweight to obese without any weight gain.

 

And then, surprise surprise, since the late 1990s, obesity rates have levelled off.

 

It's almost as if the enormous spike in obesity in the 1990s could be due largely to the change in definition, rather than in people suddenly becoming enormously fat. But, that doesn't sell magazines or get people to buy diet products.

 

 

That may be true, but kids are definitely heavier, regardless of the medical definition. And in general kids are less active.

[redsquirrel]

there are plenty..and I mean PLENTY in my neighborhood. Kids with rolls of fat on them. But, I live in the poorest school district in town. Lots of kids with little access, either practical or cultural, to any fresh food. Most of the kid spend most of their days in one institutional setting or another. They have very little time to just be outside and play. When they are home, they just sit in front of the TV, or they are home without a parent and are not allowed to go outside to play.

 

The school does have a nice playground and I hear recess. Mostly I think it is lots of poor families with strong habits of prepared and junky food. The grocery store in my neighborhood is Aldis and I went in there a couple times. It was mostly junk food, sweetened drinks, sugar cereal and lots of smoked and preserved meat. I mean bacon, sausage, ham hocks, deli meat and things like that. There was produce but it didn't look very fresh. Maybe they aren't all like that, but I was not impressed by what I saw. But, you don't need a car to get there and it is right on the corner.

[AuntPol]

My kids are slim and athletically built. OF course, they are very active.

 

In my main homeschool group here, most seem to be slim and athletic but a few are plump -mostly in that "baby fat" kind of way. In another group that I belong to where the families seem a bit more "stereotypical" in their socialization skills, the kids tend to be a lot of plumper.

 

In public elementary, we had quite a few plump, several fat and a couple severely obese kids. One kid was 160 pounds in Kindergarten!!!!! In all cases, the kids who were overweight came from the families that on free/reduced lunch and brought extra money to spend on ice cream. baked goods, chips, and extra chocolate milk. The only family I know who wasn't F/R lunch that had overweight kids in the school was a family that ate out every single night of the week and did no activities. Both parents were overweight too.

 

We had to turn away a 4'10", 156 pound kid that wanted to play football on my husband's team because he was not in the weight regulations for that league. We've had some really overweight kids on the baseball team that are probably considered obese medically.

 

 

Regardless of schooling/background, I see "chunkiness with the girls more than boys and usually I see more plumping after they get to middle school. Girls here are starting to get "skinny fat" or at least getting a belly. On the otherhand, when we see a kid who is really overweight beyond husky/chunky/plump, it tends to be boys. All the "OMG. What are his parents thinking" obese kids we know have been African-American boys but I've seen "fat" in all ethnic groups and I do see a casual correlation of economic class and weight.

[msjones]

Absolutely - and that is not just true for kids, but also for adults.

Whenever I travel from our Midwest town to Colorado or California, I am amazed to see so many normal weight, fit adults.

 

I agree with it being somewhat regional. We travelled to DC this summer, and I was surprised by the number of overweight adults and children. I assume we were seeing a cross-section of American tourists.

[8circles]

There aren't any over here. But there are several that we see when we go closer to the urban core. IME more poverty = more obesity.

[Jenny in Atl]

Come on down to Atlanta... we have lots of kids and adults with weight issues. I've always felt the more folks in a town/city drive (spending many hours in the auto) the heavier the overall population. No one walks in Atl...

[Soror]

Plenty here, I think our area here is fairly high in this regards from what I have heard. My kids are naturally petite here. I was small and dh was as well- until Mom bought a Nintendo and went on a baking spree. Before then he spent hrs riding his bike and swimming. Ds has as of late been enjoying more inside activities and it concerns me, I don't want him to be a scrawny skinny, so we are taking a proactive role to be more active. We had settled down more as the heat (100+) really makes you want to stay inside. We don't do organized sports but do family activities- lots of hiking and walking, biking, swimming etc.

[swellmomma]

DS is chunky. He is not obese yet, but he definitely has gained weight in the last year. In our case it is mainly due to him gorging on bread products (and sneaking them when they are limited), and he has reduced his physical activity drastically since moving here, mainly to avoid the bullies (he can't go to the park or ride his bike around town without getting beat up). Just through diet changes here he and I have both lost weight this summer, he is down 4lbs. Our goal is to keep him where he is until his next growth spurt and not gain anymore. He will be in sports again once they start in October, and in the meantime has asked to start doing my dvd workouts with me.

 

In my town there is MANY overweight kids, and down right obese ones. Mainly due to the bullies in town restricting the activity that can happen. Last summer I babysat a 4 year old that weighed 73lbs, many of the boys the kid's ages are well over 150lbs already (these are 10-12 yr olds). Ds is not that high yet and I hope he doesn't end up being so. Both his father and I struggle with our weight so it is not surprising but still not good.

 

On the other side of that though. DD is super tiny, 12 yrs old 60 lbs just barely over 4' tall. She has high cholesterol and has for years. Health wise despite her brother being overweight he is healthier than her in that reguard. She is naturally more active than him, she likes to be in competive sports and such, where he has always preferred to be the spectator (even as a little one). Yet she is the one at higher risk of health problems.

 

Even in school PE is reduced so much. The gov't mandated that all kids haave to have 30 minutes of PE daily. However, due to lack of space (not enough time everyday for every class to use the gym), several of those time slots are actually done in the classroom doing things like cup stacking. CUp stacking is fun but in no way helps with their PE requirements. When the kids were in PS in the past 2 of their "PE" classes were in teh classroom doing cup stacking every week. That left only 3-30 minute classes per week of PE. Also the favorite punishment was to lose recess. DD had no recess (morning or lunch time) for 6 months due to detention in 1st grade. Add all of that to single story schools. and it means less exercise by far.

 

Even at the junior high/high school I looked at. All the junior high classes were in one hallway. Thye only had to bring the books for 2 classes and then had 5 minutes to switch books. But everything was mere steps away. All the High school classes were on teh second floor. No one was going up and down the stairs all day. And again they utilize only a few hallways up there so no hustling it. I remember my own high school, we had 3 levels, and we were up and down those 3 levels all. day. long. That makes a huge difference. Heck I have noticed it in my own home. Our old house we had 2 levels, and we were up and down those stairs all the time. This house is a bungalow. We have all gained weight since moving here just from losing that built in exercise.

[Cinder]

Come on down to Atlanta... we have lots of kids and adults with weight issues. I've always felt the more folks in a town/city drive (spending many hours in the auto) the heavier the overall population. No one walks in Atl...

 

:iagree:

[Daisy]

Wow, there are a lot of overweight/obese children here. It is really sad. I'd easily say that more than 50% of the children at my husband's school are overweight and his school is a magnet fine arts school with dance, gymnastics, etc.

 

I think part of it is just our weather. It hits 100+ six months out of the year. Many school days the children are not allowed outside for recess because the air quality is so bad. These children suffer from secondary problems such as type 2 diabetes, asthma, etc.

 

But then we also have issues of diet (hispanic foods loaded with dairy, beans, rice) and activity (working parents having to use video games as babysitters).

 

It is a HUGE problem here.

[Sevilla]

There are a lot of overweight/obese children (even toddlers) in my area. When we go to the free splash pad, you see kids with rolls of fat stretching their shirts and huge guts when they're only 5 years old (example). Many elementary school students are clearly overweight (this is the dominant body type of el.ed students in the local school - this is considered 'normal' and it is the children who are obese/morbidly obese who are considered 'overweight'). I see 1st graders who have defined breasts due to being overweight and the estrogen effect from that. Our high schools have students who are in 3XL.

 

What people around here consider 'skinny' is actually normal weight, but the dominant view of healthy has gotten that skewed :(. A child who is overweight but not obese is considered 'normal weight' by people simply because they can fit into kid sized clothes and don't have jowls and an overhanging belly at age 8. My BMI is 21 - that's healthy and not underweight. But people consider me 'skinny' instead of 'normal weight.'

 

There are a few contributing factors IMO:

 

1. Diet. This is a huge one (and driven in part by poverty and in part by culture). A lot of oils/processed foods/carbs and not as much protein, fresh produce, whole foods and whole grains. These kids are also fed the school lunch which is microwaved in plastic (endocrine disruptor!) and is something like this: 'shaped chicken tenders, french fries, canned peaches in syrup, goldfish graham cracker and chocolate milk."

 

2. Lack of outside time. I am by no means amazing in this area, but my kids get outside far FAR more than any of their neighbors - easilyl twice as much (which is not saying much! We spend probably 1 hour ouside per day in nice weather and far less in cold weather. Our urban neighborhood = kids can't play outside without me there, and it is pretty much impossible for me to spend 3-5 hours per day outside with all the other things I have to get done).

 

3. TV. We're the only family in our neighborhood without a large screen TV - it seems like the kids spend their summer days with the TV on instead of being outside (and the lack of dual car families means it's hard for the mom and kids to go much of anywhere).

 

4. People talk about how important it is for kids to get outside and play unstructured, but it's really hard to do that when there are no other kids outside. Society has changed and it's considered borderline negligent to let your young elementary aged children play unsupervised for hours outside. Letting them go a few blocks away out of your sight? Taboo. So just where/when/how are they supposed to get this 'free play with other kids'? It's hard - even parks around here are practically empty more often than not.

Edited August 25, 2011 by Sevilla

[Jennifer3141]

Or you can come up here!!

We have plenty of plump kids.

 

I do very subtley watch my kids. You want to play the Wii? Fine, but you'd better accept that you're going to have an equal time reading and running around. We fell in love with "Signing Time" when they were babies and the "5 every day!" (fruits and veggies) song stuck with us. And both of my kids have noticed that their tummies feel less great when we do a ton of fast food or we miss that fresh fruit for days or whatever.

 

I try balancing fun with common sense health stuff. We go out to eat a lot and the kids can have soda and pizza. But the next meal, we need oatmeal or something better for our bodies.

 

It's common sense stuff. Health issues aside for some kids, it's really not rocket science to not have fat kids. They are KIDS. They were born to run and be crazy for a great deal of the day.

 

But there are a LOT of fat kids around here. I felt awful for a little girl last weekend on the swings. She wanted to be pushed but I knew there was no way I'd be able to do it safely for either of us. I'm not comfortable touching other people's kids to start with, but this was just a giant kid, a couple of years younger than DD.

 

I watch my kids run in the backyard every day. And their bodies are so perfect, KWIM? Not like "perfect" in some perverted sense but perfect in that they function perfectly. They run with no pain (I'm knocking on 40 and I'm starting to get that old man thing happening when I move fast. I say, "Oof!" now. lol) They jump randomly, just to feel how how they can jump. They ride their bikes for the sheer joy of wind on their faces. They roll down the hill (destroying their clothes!) because it's fun.

 

And I remember feeling that way about my body. I remember feeling like there was no creek I couldn't jump or hill I couldn't make it to the top of.

 

It breaks my heart that a lot of kids are missing out on what epitomizes childhood for me.

 

I'm on WW and it's made me think a lot about food and kids.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I'm in East, and I can tell you that close to 40% of the kids in our local school are overweight. I would say that the K-5 might be a little below 40%, but by the time you get to HS it is more. That does not mean they are all inactive. Most of the football team would be considered overweight, but not obese.

 

If you are just counting obese then the numbers would be lower, but still too high.

 

If you look at adults, it would be closer to 70% overweight.

[FriedClams]

That's one of the things I notice about our HS group - there are VERY few overweight kids. Perhaps there are more - but they aren't out and active in the HS community. I'm in MS and the obesity rate is alarming. I don't see it with my younger scouts - but it's obvious with the older boys.

 

One thing that I think is GREAT is that there is a grant that through Weight Watchers teachers in the PS system can go for a HUGELY reduced rate. I pay $10-$12 a week - they can go for 15 weeks for $60 if their BMI is over 25 and they attend 12 of the 15 weeks. I think it's great (though I do wish I could get in on that deal!!). When the teachers change themselves - they can so much more effectively affect change for the kids.

[abbeyej]

They're all over the place. Most of them aren't "obviously obese". A few are. Many are just "soft". I see them everywhere. At the pool in the summer, at ballet classes, at home school classes, at the grocery store, at the mall... They often make "normal" weight kids look "skinny" to us, just because we've gotten so used to seeing kids that are overweight (by a little or a lot).

[Jyniffrec]

I have one dd in middle school and one dd in high school and I am not seeing any overwieght kids here. Furthermore, I really don't see how they could be. The schools are huge as are the textbooks and the breaks between periods are very short so the kids really have to be moving to make it to classes on time. The high school is two stories so there is much going up and down the stairs as well. I think that the kids would get plenty of exercise even if they did nothing other than go to school but almost everyone here plays a sport as well. My kids are tired when they get home and they really don't have time to do much other than homework, eat, shower and get their stuff ready for the next day. No time for tv or video games and it seems to be the same for all their friends. Finally, I really don't see kids eating that much either. I have had several parties for children now and no one ever eats much at all even when I serve kids friendly food. So am I living in some weird alternate universe or what? Where exactly are all these kids I keep hearing about?

 

When I read your post I thought, "Come on down here to TN and you'll find plenty of obese kids". Then I saw you are in TN, lol. Maybe it has to do with the areas we live in, but there are lots of obese kids here.

 

Dh has done a good bit of studying on the subject since he did a Safe Routes to School study for work. He read an article in which one principal was quoted saying that safety is more important than health. This is in an area with sidewalks and safe neighborhoods. :confused:

 

Our 3 year old daughter is the only one in danger of having weight problems right now. We moved from one house that had plenty of yard space out of the country to a house in town. She didn't like playing in the yard out there. Here we go out and walk together since there are a lot of places accessible to us now. We have P.E. every morning down at the track that is just a block away from us. We also have a community garden that the whole family volunteers at once a week. I am so happy and relieved to have made the changes we have. Her doctor noticed an improvement at her last appointment, I am pleased to say.

 

I realize that these changes aren't possible for everyone, though. The problem is so pervasive in our society it is hard to get away from. Towns are not made for walking anymore. Suburban neighborhoods are some of the most dangerous to walk in (because of car traffic). Sidewalks in cities don't connect, if there are any at all. Roads are made for cars and not people because they are so wide (and they encourage motorists to go fast). It can be very, very hard to make changes when one is fighting with these kinds of societal challenges. Moving into an old neighborhood is what worked for us. The roads are small and there are sidewalks. The area has mixed uses so that we can walk to church, to the store and to playgrounds. But even this lifestyle isn't possible for many people because those kinds of neighborhoods are getting expensive. We lucked out and found an affordable house.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Plenty here. I especially noticed it at the pool where there's no where to hide. My kids are a normal weight and I've had people comment on how 'skinny' they are. Two of my boys are really thin but the others are 'normal' but look thin in comparison. I'm especially sad to see so many under 7s heavy.

[butterflymommy]

hmmm.... well when my girls were in school there were a number of obese kids, a handful of them so obese they had mobility problems. I would say a good 1/3 of the kids were "heavy" and maybe about half of that 1/3 actually obese.

 

However I live in an area with a lot of obese people, so it doesn't surprise me to see the kids in this sort of shape too.

[2squared]

:confused: What? Do you really mean this?

 

The 2 things aren't mutually exclusive.

 

Yes, I really mean this. Obviously the two things aren't mutually exclusive, but for this kid...he would be a lot healthier if he increased his body movement. He has gained A LOT of weight in the last year, and he doesn't go outside AT ALL anymore - and they live on country acreage like us. But, then again, I value outside playtime at the younger ages as more valuable than reading.

[stripe]

A good number of the adults I see are at least overweight, and I see plenty of fairly round kids. Generally the neighborhood kids I see playing outside, are not obese. But that's not a big surprise.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Yes, I really mean this. Obviously the two things aren't mutually exclusive, but for this kid...he would be a lot healthier if he increased his body movement. He has gained A LOT of weight in the last year, and he doesn't go outside AT ALL anymore - and they live on country acreage like us. But, then again, I value outside playtime at the younger ages as more valuable than reading.

 

As the mother of many boys who spend hours reading AND hours playing outdoors every day (and are all on the tall-and-slim end of the spectrum), I can't understand this perspective at all. It doesn't have to be a choice between being intellectual and being physical. A healthy person is both. My little ones take books up into trees, and in their backpacks when they ride their bikes. I think that can be pretty normal for homeschoolers.

[joannqn]

One issue to consider is that, despite the images used in the media when illustrating stories of the "childhood obesity epidemic"--which tend to be of children who are very, very, very large--most overweight and obese kids look exactly like normal kids. Yes, there are a few kids out there who are like twice their "ideal" weight. But, most overweight/obese kids don't weigh much more than their "normal-weight" peers, and studies have found that even most doctors can't, by sight, tell which kids are "normal" and which are "obese" most of the time.

 

:iagree:

 

 

According to our pediatrician (who looked at height/weight charts), DS9 should be 15 pounds lighter. That would put him at the upper end of normal weight. When I look it up, his BMI puts him into the obese category. Most people I've talked to about it, don't believe DS is obese.

[Skadi]

That may be true, but kids are definitely heavier, regardless of the medical definition. And in general kids are less active.

 

I have seen absolutely no data to support your claim that children are heavier now than they were before the BMI standards changed.

 

Unless someone here is going to offer some scientific evidence, then statements like this are mere opinion. We can't make heads or tails of this issue based only on our personal observations. That's what makes science so useful.

 

Just because you think you see more heavy kids now than in years previous doesn't mean kids are heavier in general. Just because the media is screaming that we have an "epidemic" does not mean it reflects reality.

 

To back up what twoforjoy said: Study of 80,000 children finds "obesity epidemic" a myth You may also want to check out this article (with linked studies): An Epidemic of Obesity Myths

 

The longer this myth is propagated, the more harm it does to our children, our wallets and our reason.

[Julie Smith]

I agree that many people think people who are overweight are normal, and normal is skinny. It's not a matter of "How people think you look". It's a matter of how caring that amount of fat on your body effects your health.

 

My dh is obese. He bikes about 20K a week to and from work at the very least. He has huge calf muscles. But he is to fat. His life will likely be shorter because of all that extra fat. The weight adds to his sleep apena problems. He has sore knees and a sore back.

 

I don't have a body picture of him. But I would say he looks like the one on the left in this pic. Some people would consider him just overweight. But it's more then a few pounds.

 

(And no I don't bother him about his weight, go around calling him obese... )

[Skadi]

My dh is obese. He bikes about 20K a week to and from work at the very least. He has huge calf muscles. But he is to fat. His life will likely be shorter because of all that extra fat.

 

You might want to check out the links I provided above. A higher risk of weight related diseases and untimely death commences only beyond BMI of 40. Empirical studies show that there are extremely few people in US with a BMI of over 40.

[Julie Smith]

You might want to check out the links I provided above. A higher risk of weight related diseases and untimely death commences only beyond BMI of 40. Empirical studies show that there are extremely few people in US with a BMI of over 40.

 

Sorry for derailing this thread.

 

So, just taking my dh into consideration. He doesn't have a BMI of over 40. He has a BMI of 31.5. (Last year it was 34.9 but he lost some weight. But hasn't lost any in months). He has sleep apena, a bad back , and a bad knees.

 

So from what I read if he loses more weight it should lessen his sleep apena problems. If he loses more weight his back and knees problem will most likely decrease.

 

Wouldn't dealing with these problems possibly increase his life expectancy? Sure right now he can deal with his problems and still be active. But add another 30 years to his age. Wouldn't they start making him slow down ealier then not having them? Doesn't being less to non active as a senior citizen decrease your life expectancy? Sure he might not die of something directly related to weight issues. But those weight issues might effect him in many minor ways that will in total decrease his life expectancy.

[TravelingChris]

I don;t know so much about the kids but I have been surprised how much heavier adults are in this area. I am definitely overweight but over here, many, many are much more overweight than I am. I think it has to do with culture- lots and lots of deep frying.