Really sad-so many kids have gained weight during covid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, you can have an active kid who just wants to play with other kids (in PE class, outside at recess, playground after school, rec sports). Take away the other kids, and activity is a lot less fun.

Agree. My son plays rec baseball and most of the boys showed up this spring absolutely out of shape, literally gasping for breath after one turn around the bases. 11 year old boys should be able to run and run and run!

[Anonymous]

My kids (6 and 9) DID attend a few sports camps last summer and did some recreational activities in the fall, and they're both thicker in the middle when they were previously on the skinny side. I think some posters underestimate the amount of exercise (and snack avoidance) is involved in simply going to school each day. I went to my office on Monday to get some work done, and easily got 4500 steps from trips to the copy machine, restroom and parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure there is a contingent of people here who have everything all figured out, but I am one of the people who have kids that gained weight during the pandemic.

My son goes to school three days a week, is enrolled in virtual weight lifting twice a week, indoor (distanced) tennis twice a week, and he bikes like crazy in the neighborhood - and he gained a significant amount of weight during the pandemic.

We are a very active family - my husband and I are health-conscious, athletes, and not obese.

We don't buy much junk at all - but my son will chow down a whole box of fruit popsicles during the day out of sheer bordem when we are busy working.

Kids are suffering here just like adults are. I mean seriously, do you not know of some adults who gained weight during the pandemic? It's an epidemic.

PP, you are right. This is a public health crisis because keeping kids home from school and as a result keeping them still in front of screens is absolutely what obesity researchers call an obesogenic factors. There are science-ignorant PPs on this thread who obviously don't know anything about the science of obesity.

Keeping kids home from school for a year is going to eventually be recognized as the public health harm it was. We just need the years to collect the depressing impacts of it. Many kids will never recover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Put them last? Were they not allowed to kick a soccer ball in the backyard?

You assume everyone has a backyard.

Everyone has a park.

Parks and school playground were closed for a long time. Police kicked everyone out from a school playground. We kicked soccer around in a dog park since those were never closed. Dog owner gave us stink eyes, dogs didn't mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure there is a contingent of people here who have everything all figured out, but I am one of the people who have kids that gained weight during the pandemic.

My son goes to school three days a week, is enrolled in virtual weight lifting twice a week, indoor (distanced) tennis twice a week, and he bikes like crazy in the neighborhood - and he gained a significant amount of weight during the pandemic.

We are a very active family - my husband and I are health-conscious, athletes, and not obese.

We don't buy much junk at all - but my son will chow down a whole box of fruit popsicles during the day out of sheer bordem when we are busy working.

Kids are suffering here just like adults are. I mean seriously, do you not know of some adults who gained weight during the pandemic? It's an epidemic.

And locally, most public school kids just started going back in twice a week after an entire year of no school.

[Anonymous]

Here's to the "lol porky 10 year olds are normal yolo" people:

https://www.nature.com/articles/1602888

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I noticed the same thing at my child's soccer practice this week, OP. This is a combined 3rd and 4th grade age group and mostly 3rd graders, so 8 and 9 year olds. It would be pretty unusual for puberty weight gain at this age.

And going to soccer practice and games with friends is FUN. Kicking a ball around by yourself or with your parents is NOT fun.

Same for my daughter's U12 rec practices that started last week. Its a tough age to really tell if girls are gaining weight naturally or not, but those girls had no stamina! I think one girl literally forgot how to move her arms and legs to run. They ran once down and up the field and were gasping for air like fish out of water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure there is a contingent of people here who have everything all figured out, but I am one of the people who have kids that gained weight during the pandemic.

My son goes to school three days a week, is enrolled in virtual weight lifting twice a week, indoor (distanced) tennis twice a week, and he bikes like crazy in the neighborhood - and he gained a significant amount of weight during the pandemic.

We are a very active family - my husband and I are health-conscious, athletes, and not obese.

We don't buy much junk at all - but my son will chow down a whole box of fruit popsicles during the day out of sheer bordem when we are busy working.

Kids are suffering here just like adults are. I mean seriously, do you not know of some adults who gained weight during the pandemic? It's an epidemic.

And locally, most public school kids just started going back in twice a week after an entire year of no school.

They're going to shut down again because of variants. Mark my words. We will be lucky to make it till Christmas break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's to the "lol porky 10 year olds are normal yolo" people:

https://www.nature.com/articles/1602888

So people who are naturally inclined to obesity gain the most weight between 7 and 11?

[Anonymous]

Among the kids we know, the kids who have gained weight are the kids who are naturally bigger/taller/sturdier. The tiny skinny ones are still tiny and skinny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure there is a contingent of people here who have everything all figured out, but I am one of the people who have kids that gained weight during the pandemic.

My son goes to school three days a week, is enrolled in virtual weight lifting twice a week, indoor (distanced) tennis twice a week, and he bikes like crazy in the neighborhood - and he gained a significant amount of weight during the pandemic.

We are a very active family - my husband and I are health-conscious, athletes, and not obese.

We don't buy much junk at all - but my son will chow down a whole box of fruit popsicles during the day out of sheer bordem when we are busy working.

Kids are suffering here just like adults are. I mean seriously, do you not know of some adults who gained weight during the pandemic? It's an epidemic.

And locally, most public school kids just started going back in twice a week after an entire year of no school.

They're going to shut down again because of variants. Mark my words. We will be lucky to make it till Christmas break.

WTF are you talking about? Christmas break? Its March.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Among the kids we know, the kids who have gained weight are the kids who are naturally bigger/taller/sturdier. The tiny skinny ones are still tiny and skinny.

I have two skinny kids who haven't gained weight in 2020 (no more than usual). But they are certainly wimpier than they were and have less stamina. Now that the weather has started to warm, they are in the yard but instead of running around, they are mostly walking around then coming in.

[Anonymous]

I have three boys, the youngest is 13. Around 11, boys start growing and growing. First feet, Then they get longer legs and arms. The vast majority get skinnier in this phase. Very few get noticeably chubbier first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think a lot of UMC kids had decreased exercise. My kids did sooccer pretty much all year. Also, they have so much free time with virtual schooling that they spend a lot of time biking around the neighborhood, walking the dog, etc. I get that it’s different for kids that don’t live in safe neighborhoods or aren’t old enough to go out by themselves. But UMC 10 year olds? They had more time than ever to get out and exercise. (Even with the rain yesterday mine was doing exercise programs off YouTube because she only has an hour of class on Wednesday.)
But a lot of kids get pretty heavy in 4th to 6th grade before their height shoots up.

+1

I don’t know any UMC kids that have gained weight. My kids haven’t. However, mine have been involved with sports on some level (small skill sessions etc if fields closed when numbers went up) constantly since last Fall. They also hike, swim, ride bikes, jump on the trampoline etc a lot. We do live in a warm climate however.

It’s the poorer kids that have suffered most and probably gained. Many don’t have yards- much less a pool trampoline bike etc. Parents are busy and don’t have time to take them hiking, and certainly don’t have $ for organized sports (club and travel has run continuously, rec sports have been cancelled to a greater extent).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have three boys, the youngest is 13. Around 11, boys start growing and growing. First feet, Then they get longer legs and arms. The vast majority get skinnier in this phase. Very few get noticeably chubbier first.

It's just random -- some kids grow height first then fill out, and some kids do it the opposite. I have 30 nieces and nephews and I watched them all grow. They are all slim or skinny adults now, but about a quarter of them were seriously chunky in the pre-puberty years. Actually, the one that is heaviest (not fat, just solid) was super thin at that age, and didn't bulk out until late HS/college.

I posted earlier but my kids are getting more exercise than they ever did. They are in school only about 12 hours a week now -- whereas before they spent from 9 to 3 every day sitting at desks, with only 20 minutes for recess. One is hula hooping right now. Maybe this is the benefit of having extremely hyper-active kids. It's a PITA in every other way! I'm gaining weight for sure, having replaced my walking commute with time spent trying to make sure the kids don't kill each other, and replacing my daily salad with a PBJ or whatever I can grab between zoom calls.