Low priority but still a concern: my kids are going to gain weight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t they stay active? I’m doing online power yoga every day, plus running every afternoon. We also have free weights in the garage. Kids can still play outdoors every day. Have them help with yard work. Walk the dog. Ride bikes. Go for hikes. There is no reason to be sedentary right now.

nope.
Our hiking trails are closed.
Our dog is a monster lab who will pull them to the ground.
Yard work, yes, the do it, but it isn't particularly calorie burning?
Free weights aren't either
My kids are 9 and 12. What will they play outdoors? And btw playing is wonderful, but it isn't exercise.
Bottom line --there will be weight gain. The key is to moderate food intake.

These are all lame excuses. And it’s the reason so many kids are fat and out of shape. I’m a fitness trainer, yoga teacher, and strength and conditioning coach. My kids are healthy, active and probably underweight despite eating all the time. They were raised to understand the importance of staying active. There is no excuse for gaining weight during this. If you do, it’s by choice.

Train the dog to walk properly on a leash. You have the time now. Until then, walk with them.

You don’t need “hiking trails” to go for a hike. Lace up your shoes and walk.

Free weights absolutely burn calories if you use them as part of circuit training or HIIT/Tabata. Add a jump rope. That alone will burn a lot of calories.

You’re asking what a 9 and a 12 year old can do outside? Ride bikes, play touch football, set up a badminton game (Cheap to buy on amazon). Hula hoops, jump rope. So many options.

Yard work burns a lot of calories. My kids have been mowing the lawn since they were about 10. It takes a couple of hours and it’s hard work.

Don’t make excuses. There are plenty of ways to stay fit, healthy, and active right now.

NP. You are completely out of touch. You may have a ton of time as an employee in the fitness sector, but many people on this board are working from home 40 or more hours a week (I’m at about 60 hours) plus working with our kids on school work. Honestly, how can you be so clueless?

[Anonymous]

Eat less. Its an energy thing.

Idiots.

[Anonymous]

Don’t buy chips, junk food, etc. — if it’s not in your house no one can binge on it. Our one treat is ice cream, which we eat once a week (Saturday night) as a family treat. Kids are eating a lot more fruit, vegetables, yogurt, smoothies, nuts, etc because the junk isn’t in the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t they stay active? I’m doing online power yoga every day, plus running every afternoon. We also have free weights in the garage. Kids can still play outdoors every day. Have them help with yard work. Walk the dog. Ride bikes. Go for hikes. There is no reason to be sedentary right now.

nope.
Our hiking trails are closed.
Our dog is a monster lab who will pull them to the ground.
Yard work, yes, the do it, but it isn't particularly calorie burning?
Free weights aren't either
My kids are 9 and 12. What will they play outdoors? And btw playing is wonderful, but it isn't exercise.
Bottom line --there will be weight gain. The key is to moderate food intake.

nerf battles in the yard burn a ton of calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t they stay active? I’m doing online power yoga every day, plus running every afternoon. We also have free weights in the garage. Kids can still play outdoors every day. Have them help with yard work. Walk the dog. Ride bikes. Go for hikes. There is no reason to be sedentary right now.

nope.
Our hiking trails are closed.
Our dog is a monster lab who will pull them to the ground.
Yard work, yes, the do it, but it isn't particularly calorie burning?
Free weights aren't either
My kids are 9 and 12. What will they play outdoors? And btw playing is wonderful, but it isn't exercise.
Bottom line --there will be weight gain. The key is to moderate food intake.

These are all lame excuses. And it’s the reason so many kids are fat and out of shape. I’m a fitness trainer, yoga teacher, and strength and conditioning coach. My kids are healthy, active and probably underweight despite eating all the time. They were raised to understand the importance of staying active. There is no excuse for gaining weight during this. If you do, it’s by choice.

Train the dog to walk properly on a leash. You have the time now. Until then, walk with them.

You don’t need “hiking trails” to go for a hike. Lace up your shoes and walk.

Free weights absolutely burn calories if you use them as part of circuit training or HIIT/Tabata. Add a jump rope. That alone will burn a lot of calories.

You’re asking what a 9 and a 12 year old can do outside? Ride bikes, play touch football, set up a badminton game (Cheap to buy on amazon). Hula hoops, jump rope. So many options.

Yard work burns a lot of calories. My kids have been mowing the lawn since they were about 10. It takes a couple of hours and it’s hard work.

Don’t make excuses. There are plenty of ways to stay fit, healthy, and active right now.

NP. You are completely out of touch. You may have a ton of time as an employee in the fitness sector, but many people on this board are working from home 40 or more hours a week (I’m at about 60 hours) plus working with our kids on school work. Honestly, how can you be so clueless?

Okay, but somehow these kids apparently had time for activities and the like before. So, take that same time and do something with your kids. Go for a walk, bike, hike, etc. as a family. Set up an obstacle course in the backyard or basement. Let them run up and down the stairs. Get a mini trampoline. Get a jump rope.

[Anonymous]

Hey! From someone recovering from an eating disorder, just want to say if you're prioritizing your kids maybe gaining a little weight over quarantine and calling it the "covid 19/15" over the global pandemic that is killing hundreds of thousands of people, maybe reexamine your priorities and your fatphobia. There are so many worse things a kid/person can be than slightly overweight, and messages throughout childhood from my mom like the ones y'all are sending right now are what triggered my anorexia. Please think about your actions and words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey! From someone recovering from an eating disorder, just want to say if you're prioritizing your kids maybe gaining a little weight over quarantine and calling it the "covid 19/15" over the global pandemic that is killing hundreds of thousands of people, maybe reexamine your priorities and your fatphobia. There are so many worse things a kid/person can be than slightly overweight, and messages throughout childhood from my mom like the ones y'all are sending right now are what triggered my anorexia. Please think about your actions and words.

This this this.

And stop focusing on weight gain (the ultimate evil!!!)

If your kids aren't getting enough activity, help them with that.

If your kids are eating chips all day d/t stress or boredom, you know-- maybe make healthier snacks the main or only option.

But I see a lot of people focusing on weight gain and that-- the FOCUS-- is unhealthy.

People saying things like, "Well, exercise isn't the main way you lose weight-- it's cutting calories!"

Yeah, who cares? Exercise is good! Do exercise because it's good and healthy and positive for your mental state, too!

Same thing with eating foods that provide fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t buy chips, junk food, etc. — if it’s not in your house no one can binge on it. Our one treat is ice cream, which we eat once a week (Saturday night) as a family treat. Kids are eating a lot more fruit, vegetables, yogurt, smoothies, nuts, etc because the junk isn’t in the house.

I'd like to make fun of this but it just makes me too sad. (But yay, good for you, healthy mom?) Am I going to gain weight with all the junk food and carbs in my house right now? Yes. Is my 7-year-old already getting a little tummy on her, given I'm a single mom working at home full-time and leaving her by herself too much (and free to snack on stuff I haven't manged to put out of her reach) as I have one conference call after the other? Absolutely. This is literally the last thing I'm going to waste any energy worrying about right now. I'm assuming my kid will lose the extra 2 lbs she's gained this summer when she (hopefully) can go back outside on playgrounds and such and play with her friends.

[Anonymous]

All the sanctimonious posters - I think it's unreasonable NOT to be concerned about this new normal leading to unhealthy habits, one symptom of which is often weight gain. If it was 1-3 weeks, whatever, but since it'll likely go on for months, I think people are smart to get ahead of it now before unhealthy habits get ingrained. It's been long enough now that parents are in a good place to evaluate whether or not this will be an issue with for their kids - like a previous poster mentioned, some kids will probably be MORE active without sitting in a classroom all day, while some (particularly those whose preferred exercise is organized sports) will see a dramatic decrease. Some kids may be eating better if you find you have more time to cook. Some kids (like the chip kid mentioned above) may have taken to eating more unhealthy food. If your kids are naturally just as active or more active, and haven't changed their eating habits, great. But it seems really likely that for lots of kids, that won't be the case.

I think one good place to focus is on boredom eating. It's super unhealthy in a variety of ways - not learning to entertain ones self, setting up an unhealthy and potentially lifelong habit, snack foods tend to not have a lot of nutrients and too many calories, etc.

I think the best way to combat this is to have standard times for meals/snacks, and no grazing. So, breakfast is at 8, lunch at noon, snack at 3:30, dinner at 7, or whatever. Beyond that, the kitchen is closed. Cut up some veggies in the fridge and keep fruit in the house - that's all that's allowed outside of mealtimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the sanctimonious posters - I think it's unreasonable NOT to be concerned about this new normal leading to unhealthy habits, one symptom of which is often weight gain. If it was 1-3 weeks, whatever, but since it'll likely go on for months, I think people are smart to get ahead of it now before unhealthy habits get ingrained. It's been long enough now that parents are in a good place to evaluate whether or not this will be an issue with for their kids - like a previous poster mentioned, some kids will probably be MORE active without sitting in a classroom all day, while some (particularly those whose preferred exercise is organized sports) will see a dramatic decrease. Some kids may be eating better if you find you have more time to cook. Some kids (like the chip kid mentioned above) may have taken to eating more unhealthy food. If your kids are naturally just as active or more active, and haven't changed their eating habits, great. But it seems really likely that for lots of kids, that won't be the case.

I think one good place to focus is on boredom eating. It's super unhealthy in a variety of ways - not learning to entertain ones self, setting up an unhealthy and potentially lifelong habit, snack foods tend to not have a lot of nutrients and too many calories, etc.

I think the best way to combat this is to have standard times for meals/snacks, and no grazing. So, breakfast is at 8, lunch at noon, snack at 3:30, dinner at 7, or whatever. Beyond that, the kitchen is closed. Cut up some veggies in the fridge and keep fruit in the house - that's all that's allowed outside of mealtimes.

How funny because I think the sanctimonious posters are the ones being bitchy about if kids gain weight, it is because the parents are failing. Those are the sanctimonious posters!!!

And they should STFU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fat phobia in this country is unreal.

Just wanted to chime in here... I’m an adult, my mother is worried about me staying “healthy” and “active” during our self-isolation. She worried about this when I was a teenager too. Guess what sort of relationship we have now?

Hint: don’t be like me mother

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t buy chips, junk food, etc. — if it’s not in your house no one can binge on it. Our one treat is ice cream, which we eat once a week (Saturday night) as a family treat. Kids are eating a lot more fruit, vegetables, yogurt, smoothies, nuts, etc because the junk isn’t in the house.

I'd like to make fun of this but it just makes me too sad. (But yay, good for you, healthy mom?) Am I going to gain weight with all the junk food and carbs in my house right now? Yes. Is my 7-year-old already getting a little tummy on her, given I'm a single mom working at home full-time and leaving her by herself too much (and free to snack on stuff I haven't manged to put out of her reach) as I have one conference call after the other? Absolutely. This is literally the last thing I'm going to waste any energy worrying about right now. I'm assuming my kid will lose the extra 2 lbs she's gained this summer when she (hopefully) can go back outside on playgrounds and such and play with her friends.

Completely agree that in your situation, surviving is the main priority. It’s like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Focus on the basics first. Once those are all set, then think about the nice-to-haves like physical activity and healthy food.

[Anonymous]

I’m in CA so it’s different (raining today but generally nice weather) but our activity is still limited since we’re in an apartment. Between eliminating restaurants, trying to grocery shop as little as possible (delivery options are on strike and we weren’t really using them anyway), and therefore having no space for things like ice cream in our freezer), my husband and I are somewhat rationing and have both lost a fair bit of weight. The stress was making me lose weight too. It wasn’t a goal, but an interesting side effect.

My children (3 and 7) get treats - this morning we baked muffins and tonight I gave them chocolate milk with dinner - but I haven’t seen unexpected weight gains. Our 3 year old has a little belly but she usually does.

In theory we both work full time during the week (in reality we’re now each able to do about 25-30 hours a week and take leave) and our kids are basically being raised by screens so I won’t be surprised if they gain some weight.

[Anonymous]

Buy a trampoline
Turn music on have a dance party
Xbox kinect sports or Just Dance games are interactive, fun, and a great way to get their heartrate up
Badminton is cheap and easy fun that requires them to move
YouTube has kid friendly "workouts," dances, and yoga etc.
My children have stayed active, I'm not worried about them gaining weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The fat phobia in this country is unreal.

It’s not like there’s a pandemic going on right now... Oh and obesity is a risk factor for bad outcomes, but who cares about that?

It MUST I’ve that people just hate fat people. Yup. No other reason.