So what’s with the class and weight? Granted lots of less affluent people have abhorrent food culture, giving their kids sugary drinks and chips and candy. However there’s candy everywhere nowadays, prizes at school as someone said, so it’s can’t be the only factor.
Where I live I see a lot of chunky Hispanic kids (mestizo), maybe their metabolism is somewhat different?

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

+100 all of school provided sugary food/junk food is really not helpful. No one wants to see kids go hungry but I really wish they would avoid the sugar and junk. At least at our school. Maybe some schools are better about this. I do understand there are nutritional guidelines they have to follow for school lunches- but those guidelines must be very misguided if so- at least based on the food I’ve seen served.

Anonymous wrote:Some of the most rigid parents have chubby kids. I’ve noticed especially vegan/gluten-dairy-red-dye free parents end up with chunky kids who become very food-focused. I don’t know if it’s the constant discussion about food, what they can and cannot eat, or constant offering of approved foods, but the children often end up obsessing over food in a way that regular chips-and-apples kids don’t. No judgment, just observation.

I’ve noticed this too- but seems it could be the parents are prone to weight gain (or were as kids) so they are extra careful with what they allow for their own kids. So it might be the kids’ genes as opposed to the diet restrictions IYKWIM.

Unfortunately a lot has to do with poverty and social class. At my kids private elementary school, virtually every kid is skinny.

My audhd kid is on meds that lead to weight gain. He doesn’t initially present as neurodivergent. Your judgment of his body before you ever encounter his personality tells me so much more about you than him. Your judgements about “societal ills” have impacts on real kids’ bodies. Congrats on continuing the concern-trolling and exclusion. This way of engaging with weight talk reminds me of all of the fat shaming of the 1990s. I wasn’t fat then nor a special needs parent so it didn’t hit me the same way. Now I want to tell these people to either take a serious professional role in improving public health or keep your trap shut. Your casually judgmental words here inspire more exclusion, and self-hatred rather than inspiring any kind of healthy change. Go jump in a lake.

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

Some of the most rigid parents have chubby kids. I’ve noticed especially vegan/gluten-dairy-red-dye free parents end up with chunky kids who become very food-focused. I don’t know if it’s the constant discussion about food, what they can and cannot eat, or constant offering of approved foods, but the children often end up obsessing over food in a way that regular chips-and-apples kids don’t. No judgment, just observation.

Anonymous wrote:Not every over weight person ( either kid or adult) eating unhealthy and doesn’t do exercise. Some were born with health issues or facing other challenges in life.

Yes. 70% of adults who are overweight or obese and 12-22% of children and teens who are obese have health issues or other challenges. It's a national tragedy. (We are way past a national epidemic.)

The reason for this societal problem is on display in this thread. Nothing but denial, excuses, and blame-shifting.

Not every over weight person ( either kid or adult) eating unhealthy and doesn’t do exercise. Some were born with health issues or facing other challenges in life.

I rarely see genuinely overweight kids in my UMC area. Maybe a few teens. Most kids eat a ton of junk, too- especially by the time they hit middle school or so. It’s kind of surprising actually. Most do play a sport so I’m sure that is a factor.

A lot of kids do seem to get a bit soft looking/filled out looking before puberty growth spurt but I don’t think that is anything new. Usually temporary.

My kids eat a ton and can’t gain weight no matter what they do. Much skinnier than DH and I were at their ages.

I’d never say anything, but it really is noticeable sometimes. In my area out west, there are very few overweight kids. It’s how I remember elementary school being. When I visit my hometown in the Midwest, it’s shocking to see how many kids are overweight. It’s 75% of the kids we see and that number correlates with pictures my friends post of their kids and their friends on social media.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is still shocking to me OP. Especially when I see chunky kids with thin parents.

But we aren't allowed to talk about it and have to just pretend we don't notice.

Why do you need to talk about other people’s kids?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s the non-stop snacking, sugar, and processed foods.

All foods are processed. Bottled water is processed. Ultra processed is the problem.

Even fruit is processed. How do you think they get strawberries to your grocery store? They pick them green and force ripen them on the truck. Organic or conventional it's the same process

Anonymous wrote:It's weird how much energy you are putting into judging children's bodies.

It’s not about an individual child, it’s evidence of a societal problem.