Noticing very chunky young kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve got 6 kids. My most active, muscular child that is always busy, moving and does the most amount of sports is my “heavy child”. 8 and weighs 70 lbs. We received nutritional counseling at the last check up. We all eat fairly healthy, occasional desserts and junk food. Just crazy that one child is heavier while the rest are stick thin. So, sometimes it truly is just genetics. But, I do see a lot of very overweight children and it breaks my heart.

Im struggling to understand how an 8 year old at 70 lbs could be fat. Especially one who is active. That's about 80%, so 1 out of 5 kids weigh more. I have a 9 year old who weighs about 80 lbs and is very skinny (but lots of muscle and super tall).

[Anonymous]

More thoughts on obese students: their parents excuse them from everything. Can’t go outside for recess because of seasonal allergies.

Will make their way to the school clinic from recess and or PE and demand to rest or go home due to nausea, overheat, fatigue or will want to lie down for duration of the physical activity. Running the pacer day is a nightmare for clinic staff - mad scramble for stock inhalers.

This goes on from K-HS. I’ve heard parents say they’ve signed up Larla/Larlo “for sports” for the sole purpose of “exercise” and “fitness” but these are the same kids who stay up all night gaming, eating fistfuls of Takis, stop at 7-11/Starbucks for giant cokes/fancy coffees en route to school, and DoorDash food to be delivered ahead of X practice. In ES, Larlo just stands there at baseball practice and in the games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids, one has always been slim despite eating a ton (and she’s a girl), and the other (a boy) packed on a ton of weight between ages 9-12 and finally is slimming down by 14. Both kids eat healthy foods, not picky, we don’t drink soda or eat out a lot. His metabolism is just more like mine (sorry, son).

Some of his friends pound soda and spend all their money eating junk at the snack bar all summer and after school and are stick thin. He’s my kid who happily snacks on cucumbers after school.

You can judge all you want, but you have zero clue how everyone is actually eating.

No, we don't know how everyone is eating. We do know there is no obesity in POW camps, so it definitely is linked to eating, no matter what you believe about genetics.

It’s obviously calories in calories out, because of physics, but how many calories actually go out is incredibly complicated because the metabolism is not an engine. And how many calories go in depends on large powder on how hungry the kid is, which owes a great deal to hormones, not just activity level. All of these things can be influenced by genetics (though they’re definitely not entirely heritable — one reason physical activity is healthy is because it can alter those hormone levels even if it doesn’t burn a lot of calories.)

Its obviously part of the equation but its not a 1+1=2 when insulin resistance and other factors come into play. What lowers one persons response to glucose wont reduce anothers. Some people respond best to weights others to walking. I have to track my sugars and walking for 20min after every meal has insignificant reduction but weight training for 20-30 min 1x causes a 16-18-hour reduction across the board when compared to the same meals in a previous day where I didnt weight train.

But I would have never known that if I didnt have to track and record and look at data.

And obese children are already on the path of an impaired metabolism and glucose response. Which is why it's a concern, rather than "fat-shaming".

Youre still shaming children commenting about something out of their control. They dont control their food or the chemicals they ingest or the lack of education and research on placenta/pregnancy. Thats society.

The problem is our food and chemicals etc etc. But please continue to share your "concern" about the overweight kids. Its much easier than having corporations held responsible and our government having any teeth whatsoever when it comes to population-level health.

No, we are actually shaming the parents. But that isn’t “allowed” either because the parents will just give all sorts of excuses why it isn’t their fault .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More thoughts on obese students: their parents excuse them from everything. Can’t go outside for recess because of seasonal allergies.

Will make their way to the school clinic from recess and or PE and demand to rest or go home due to nausea, overheat, fatigue or will want to lie down for duration of the physical activity. Running the pacer day is a nightmare for clinic staff - mad scramble for stock inhalers.

This goes on from K-HS. I’ve heard parents say they’ve signed up Larla/Larlo “for sports” for the sole purpose of “exercise” and “fitness” but these are the same kids who stay up all night gaming, eating fistfuls of Takis, stop at 7-11/Starbucks for giant cokes/fancy coffees en route to school, and DoorDash food to be delivered ahead of X practice. In ES, Larlo just stands there at baseball practice and in the games.

Oink oink?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More thoughts on obese students: their parents excuse them from everything. Can’t go outside for recess because of seasonal allergies.

Will make their way to the school clinic from recess and or PE and demand to rest or go home due to nausea, overheat, fatigue or will want to lie down for duration of the physical activity. Running the pacer day is a nightmare for clinic staff - mad scramble for stock inhalers.

This goes on from K-HS. I’ve heard parents say they’ve signed up Larla/Larlo “for sports” for the sole purpose of “exercise” and “fitness” but these are the same kids who stay up all night gaming, eating fistfuls of Takis, stop at 7-11/Starbucks for giant cokes/fancy coffees en route to school, and DoorDash food to be delivered ahead of X practice. In ES, Larlo just stands there at baseball practice and in the games.

THIS. We know affluent families who eat takeout with their families almost every night and have a daily Starbucks habit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a high poverty school and by 5th-6th grade, nearly every student is overweight. It's sad. Some of them stayed overweight as they grew but some of them were a normal weight and then just packed on the pounds.

Schools are a huge part of the problem. Our high poverty school has free breakfast and lunch for all. It’s all garbage food. Considering the high obesity rate-kids aren’t starving, they are overfed. Schools need to keep it simple, have a couple heathy options and that is it. White milk, apples, peanut butter/cold cut sandwich. And no chips/candy as prizes and incentives for everything

You just made it clear you don't actually understand what food insecurity is like. It is not wasting away into thinness. It is the inability to afford healthy food. That can come with a lack of TIME as well. Shopping, cooking and food prep takes time, which many struggling families don't have. Have you ever thought about what the food in your house would look like if you have to take public transportation to collect it?

It is not simply "lazy poor parents feed their kids chips and soda all the time". It's much more complicated than that. But it gets you all off the hook to vote for people who might actually HELP these children if you can just blame their lazy, fat parents.

No, sorry, that is BS. Basics are cheap. Eggs, milk, oatmeal, beans are cheap. Immigrants and poor people in less developed countries manage to cook basic simple food on a tight budget. But American poor people can’t manage this. Easier to hit up the drive thru. It’s easy to eat a lot of junk when using the government money and free school food

I think eating healthy requires either $ OR time. I fully agree with what you’ve said (eating healthy is MUCH cheaper if you know what you are doing) but a lot of times lower income homes also have a lot of family problems/instability and other issues such as lack of a car to transport groceries home, no fully functioning kitchen/storage, cooking knowledge etc. So, it is easier to just get frozen pizza, microwave stuff, snack food or whatever.

Everyone has time to cook simple meals. People are just lazy and look for the easiest possible way to feed themselves and their kids. With so many options, most people will pick the junk convenience foods

[Anonymous]

I see some kids at the pool a little bit chubby but within normal range for kids. Have not seen any kids that are overweight to the point it is unhealthy.

[Anonymous]

This is why children are starting to get diabetes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a high poverty school and by 5th-6th grade, nearly every student is overweight. It's sad. Some of them stayed overweight as they grew but some of them were a normal weight and then just packed on the pounds.

Schools are a huge part of the problem. Our high poverty school has free breakfast and lunch for all. It’s all garbage food. Considering the high obesity rate-kids aren’t starving, they are overfed. Schools need to keep it simple, have a couple heathy options and that is it. White milk, apples, peanut butter/cold cut sandwich. And no chips/candy as prizes and incentives for everything

You just made it clear you don't actually understand what food insecurity is like. It is not wasting away into thinness. It is the inability to afford healthy food. That can come with a lack of TIME as well. Shopping, cooking and food prep takes time, which many struggling families don't have. Have you ever thought about what the food in your house would look like if you have to take public transportation to collect it?

It is not simply "lazy poor parents feed their kids chips and soda all the time". It's much more complicated than that. But it gets you all off the hook to vote for people who might actually HELP these children if you can just blame their lazy, fat parents.

No, sorry, that is BS. Basics are cheap. Eggs, milk, oatmeal, beans are cheap. Immigrants and poor people in less developed countries manage to cook basic simple food on a tight budget. But American poor people can’t manage this. Easier to hit up the drive thru. It’s easy to eat a lot of junk when using the government money and free school food

I think eating healthy requires either $ OR time. I fully agree with what you’ve said (eating healthy is MUCH cheaper if you know what you are doing) but a lot of times lower income homes also have a lot of family problems/instability and other issues such as lack of a car to transport groceries home, no fully functioning kitchen/storage, cooking knowledge etc. So, it is easier to just get frozen pizza, microwave stuff, snack food or whatever.

Everyone has time to cook simple meals. People are just lazy and look for the easiest possible way to feed themselves and their kids. With so many options, most people will pick the junk convenience foods

OP - I concur on this point. My kids have sports 5 days a week and instead of getting take out 5 days a week (because that is absolutely disgusting) I have bento boxes that I pack ahead of time and bring healthy dinners with us on the road. Kid who has practice eats before practice and kids who are just there to watch/play can eat while their sibling is practicing. Then when they are home and showered they can have a snack later (usually cut up applies, cheese sticks, mozarella sticks, etc) before bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a high poverty school and by 5th-6th grade, nearly every student is overweight. It's sad. Some of them stayed overweight as they grew but some of them were a normal weight and then just packed on the pounds.

Schools are a huge part of the problem. Our high poverty school has free breakfast and lunch for all. It’s all garbage food. Considering the high obesity rate-kids aren’t starving, they are overfed. Schools need to keep it simple, have a couple heathy options and that is it. White milk, apples, peanut butter/cold cut sandwich. And no chips/candy as prizes and incentives for everything

You just made it clear you don't actually understand what food insecurity is like. It is not wasting away into thinness. It is the inability to afford healthy food. That can come with a lack of TIME as well. Shopping, cooking and food prep takes time, which many struggling families don't have. Have you ever thought about what the food in your house would look like if you have to take public transportation to collect it?

It is not simply "lazy poor parents feed their kids chips and soda all the time". It's much more complicated than that. But it gets you all off the hook to vote for people who might actually HELP these children if you can just blame their lazy, fat parents.

No, sorry, that is BS. Basics are cheap. Eggs, milk, oatmeal, beans are cheap. Immigrants and poor people in less developed countries manage to cook basic simple food on a tight budget. But American poor people can’t manage this. Easier to hit up the drive thru. It’s easy to eat a lot of junk when using the government money and free school food

I don’t know. I remember around 2008 when the housing crisis hit and my husband lost his company and left with some big debt. I could no longer go to the store and just buy groceries without looking at the prices. One time, and I’ll never forget it, I had $18 and some change to get two or three days worth of food. The generic whole wheat bread was twice as expensive as the generic white bread so I got the cheap white bread. I had to think of food that fills a stomach not quality food. Basic pasta with cheap tomato sauce, they had buy one hot dog pack get one free. No snacks or deserts. No fresh vegetables.

This lasted about three months of a very limited budget. I can’t imagine a lifetime. I suppose there are smart cooks out there who can take the basics and make something appetizing out of it but I couldn’t.

Poor quality low nutrient food can absolutely negatively impact your health in the long term. It will NOT, however, make you obese. Unless you eat TOO MUCH of it. Unless you think that a slice of white bread contains substantially more calories than wheat bread? (Hint: it doesn’t- maybe 10-20 calories per slice depending on the brand.)

No duh. But eating a fresh, minimally processed, high fiber diet (that is linked to being fuller more easily) requires money, access, and education. You cannot possibly think that a person who can afford whatever they want at Whole Foods 2X/week who is getting fresh high quality food at every meal, is just “better at not overeating.” The body will keep being hungry until it’s nutritional needs are met. So, after eating 2000 calories of inferior food, *you will still be very hungry.* Whereas most people are not left as hungry following a day of balanced eating with fresh foods. Store bought wheat bread is also leaded with crap, by the way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see some kids at the pool a little bit chubby but within normal range for kids. Have not seen any kids that are overweight to the point it is unhealthy.

Sorry but this is self-limiting. Obese kids won’t have a pool membership and or will refuse to go to the pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a high poverty school and by 5th-6th grade, nearly every student is overweight. It's sad. Some of them stayed overweight as they grew but some of them were a normal weight and then just packed on the pounds.

Schools are a huge part of the problem. Our high poverty school has free breakfast and lunch for all. It’s all garbage food. Considering the high obesity rate-kids aren’t starving, they are overfed. Schools need to keep it simple, have a couple heathy options and that is it. White milk, apples, peanut butter/cold cut sandwich. And no chips/candy as prizes and incentives for everything

You just made it clear you don't actually understand what food insecurity is like. It is not wasting away into thinness. It is the inability to afford healthy food. That can come with a lack of TIME as well. Shopping, cooking and food prep takes time, which many struggling families don't have. Have you ever thought about what the food in your house would look like if you have to take public transportation to collect it?

It is not simply "lazy poor parents feed their kids chips and soda all the time". It's much more complicated than that. But it gets you all off the hook to vote for people who might actually HELP these children if you can just blame their lazy, fat parents.

No, sorry, that is BS. Basics are cheap. Eggs, milk, oatmeal, beans are cheap. Immigrants and poor people in less developed countries manage to cook basic simple food on a tight budget. But American poor people can’t manage this. Easier to hit up the drive thru. It’s easy to eat a lot of junk when using the government money and free school food

I don’t know. I remember around 2008 when the housing crisis hit and my husband lost his company and left with some big debt. I could no longer go to the store and just buy groceries without looking at the prices. One time, and I’ll never forget it, I had $18 and some change to get two or three days worth of food. The generic whole wheat bread was twice as expensive as the generic white bread so I got the cheap white bread. I had to think of food that fills a stomach not quality food. Basic pasta with cheap tomato sauce, they had buy one hot dog pack get one free. No snacks or deserts. No fresh vegetables.

This lasted about three months of a very limited budget. I can’t imagine a lifetime. I suppose there are smart cooks out there who can take the basics and make something appetizing out of it but I couldn’t.

Poor quality low nutrient food can absolutely negatively impact your health in the long term. It will NOT, however, make you obese. Unless you eat TOO MUCH of it. Unless you think that a slice of white bread contains substantially more calories than wheat bread? (Hint: it doesn’t- maybe 10-20 calories per slice depending on the brand.)

No duh. But eating a fresh, minimally processed, high fiber diet (that is linked to being fuller more easily) requires money, access, and education. You cannot possibly think that a person who can afford whatever they want at Whole Foods 2X/week who is getting fresh high quality food at every meal, is just “better at not overeating.” The body will keep being hungry until it’s nutritional needs are met. So, after eating 2000 calories of inferior food, *you will still be very hungry.* Whereas most people are not left as hungry following a day of balanced eating with fresh foods. Store bought wheat bread is also leaded with crap, by the way!

I grew up lower middle class without college educated parents and we had to very strictly budget. My mom added up her grocery cart in her head each week because she knew she couldn’t go over budget. We minimized junk food and takeout because it was BOTH expensive and unhealthy. We ate a lot of old school “meat and potatoes” type rules because mom was southern. No weight issues in our house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a high poverty school and by 5th-6th grade, nearly every student is overweight. It's sad. Some of them stayed overweight as they grew but some of them were a normal weight and then just packed on the pounds.

Schools are a huge part of the problem. Our high poverty school has free breakfast and lunch for all. It’s all garbage food. Considering the high obesity rate-kids aren’t starving, they are overfed. Schools need to keep it simple, have a couple heathy options and that is it. White milk, apples, peanut butter/cold cut sandwich. And no chips/candy as prizes and incentives for everything

You just made it clear you don't actually understand what food insecurity is like. It is not wasting away into thinness. It is the inability to afford healthy food. That can come with a lack of TIME as well. Shopping, cooking and food prep takes time, which many struggling families don't have. Have you ever thought about what the food in your house would look like if you have to take public transportation to collect it?

It is not simply "lazy poor parents feed their kids chips and soda all the time". It's much more complicated than that. But it gets you all off the hook to vote for people who might actually HELP these children if you can just blame their lazy, fat parents.

No, sorry, that is BS. Basics are cheap. Eggs, milk, oatmeal, beans are cheap. Immigrants and poor people in less developed countries manage to cook basic simple food on a tight budget. But American poor people can’t manage this. Easier to hit up the drive thru. It’s easy to eat a lot of junk when using the government money and free school food

I think eating healthy requires either $ OR time. I fully agree with what you’ve said (eating healthy is MUCH cheaper if you know what you are doing) but a lot of times lower income homes also have a lot of family problems/instability and other issues such as lack of a car to transport groceries home, no fully functioning kitchen/storage, cooking knowledge etc. So, it is easier to just get frozen pizza, microwave stuff, snack food or whatever.

Everyone has time to cook simple meals. People are just lazy and look for the easiest possible way to feed themselves and their kids. With so many options, most people will pick the junk convenience foods

What a clueless and judgmental comment. Do you work multiple jobs? Cooking from scratch requires meal planning and shopping ahead, and then cooking and dishes. It’s not simple laziness.

[Anonymous]

My 10YO DS is chunky (and tall). He was born chunky. He eats a healthy diet, loves his salads and fruits, is active and gets good sleep. It's just how his body is, perhaps it is just a growth spurt before puberty.

My other kid who doesn't eat as cleanly is a skinny minnie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a high poverty school and by 5th-6th grade, nearly every student is overweight. It's sad. Some of them stayed overweight as they grew but some of them were a normal weight and then just packed on the pounds.

Schools are a huge part of the problem. Our high poverty school has free breakfast and lunch for all. It’s all garbage food. Considering the high obesity rate-kids aren’t starving, they are overfed. Schools need to keep it simple, have a couple heathy options and that is it. White milk, apples, peanut butter/cold cut sandwich. And no chips/candy as prizes and incentives for everything

You just made it clear you don't actually understand what food insecurity is like. It is not wasting away into thinness. It is the inability to afford healthy food. That can come with a lack of TIME as well. Shopping, cooking and food prep takes time, which many struggling families don't have. Have you ever thought about what the food in your house would look like if you have to take public transportation to collect it?

It is not simply "lazy poor parents feed their kids chips and soda all the time". It's much more complicated than that. But it gets you all off the hook to vote for people who might actually HELP these children if you can just blame their lazy, fat parents.

No, sorry, that is BS. Basics are cheap. Eggs, milk, oatmeal, beans are cheap. Immigrants and poor people in less developed countries manage to cook basic simple food on a tight budget. But American poor people can’t manage this. Easier to hit up the drive thru. It’s easy to eat a lot of junk when using the government money and free school food

I don’t know. I remember around 2008 when the housing crisis hit and my husband lost his company and left with some big debt. I could no longer go to the store and just buy groceries without looking at the prices. One time, and I’ll never forget it, I had $18 and some change to get two or three days worth of food. The generic whole wheat bread was twice as expensive as the generic white bread so I got the cheap white bread. I had to think of food that fills a stomach not quality food. Basic pasta with cheap tomato sauce, they had buy one hot dog pack get one free. No snacks or deserts. No fresh vegetables.

This lasted about three months of a very limited budget. I can’t imagine a lifetime. I suppose there are smart cooks out there who can take the basics and make something appetizing out of it but I couldn’t.

Poor quality low nutrient food can absolutely negatively impact your health in the long term. It will NOT, however, make you obese. Unless you eat TOO MUCH of it. Unless you think that a slice of white bread contains substantially more calories than wheat bread? (Hint: it doesn’t- maybe 10-20 calories per slice depending on the brand.)

No duh. But eating a fresh, minimally processed, high fiber diet (that is linked to being fuller more easily) requires money, access, and education. You cannot possibly think that a person who can afford whatever they want at Whole Foods 2X/week who is getting fresh high quality food at every meal, is just “better at not overeating.” The body will keep being hungry until it’s nutritional needs are met. So, after eating 2000 calories of inferior food, *you will still be very hungry.* Whereas most people are not left as hungry following a day of balanced eating with fresh foods. Store bought wheat bread is also leaded with crap, by the way!

Holy excuses Batman!!

Also love how it’s always Whole Foods vs 7-11 with your type. You can get perfectly good, healthy food at Giant, Safeways, Aldi’s, etc.