Study suggests parents of overweight kids see what they won't say

[kwikdriver]

Many parents do not admit that their child is "overweight," but new research shows that while they may deny the term, they see the truth.

Even parents who say their child is not overweight will select a sketch of a heavier model when asked to choose one representative of their child, a study found.

Comparisons between images and sketches showed that parents' visual perceptions of their children more clearly reflect their child's physical appearance than words they might use to classify the child's weight," study author Dr. Helen J. Binns, of Northwestern University in Chicago told Reuters Health.

"Parents have a correct visual perception, but don't consider that to fit in the medical 'diagnostic categories,'" she added.

Previous studies have found that helping parents recognize their child's overweight status and their willingness to make the necessary behavioral changes is key to their child's treatment. Parents who fail to recognize that their child needs help may not be ready to receive any related counseling or other interventions, researchers say.

Yet, various reports show that many mothers -- especially those with young children -- do not consider their overly chubby children to be overweight, with some wrongly believing that their child is "about the right weight."

In the current study, Binns and her team examined parents' perceptions about their child's overweight status and investigated whether sketches may be useful in helping parents recognize their child's problem.

Of the 223 children studied, 20 percent were overweight and 19 percent were at risk for overweight. Over half (60 percent) of the 2- to 17-year-old study participants were under 6 years old.


Similar to previous studies, the researchers found that many parents failed to recognize that their child was overweight. Only about one-third (36 percent) of parents correctly identified their child as overweight or at risk for becoming overweight.

However, asked to select a sketch representative of their child, 70 percent selected a middle or heavier sketch, Binns and her team report in this month's issue of Pediatrics.

This was particularly true for parents of children 6 years or younger, the researchers note.

In addition to choosing the heavier sketches, parents of younger children were also more likely to use words to identify their child as overweight or at risk for overweight, and were more likely to worry about their child's weight.

Overall, 26 percent of parents of overweight or at-risk-for-overweight children said they worried about their child's weight and 18 percent said a doctor had expressed concern about their child being overweight or gaining weight too quickly.

Parents of older children were less likely to worry, unless they considered their child to be less active or slower than his or her peers, or if a doctor had expressed concern about their child's condition, the report indicates.

So what can parents do to address their child's excess weight?

"Start by setting a good example in relationship to foods, physical activity and leisure time activity," Binns advised, noting, "your children are watching you and will follow what you do."

Also, she recommends that parents "play actively" with their children and "decrease the availability of opportunities for sedentary behavior."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11701659/

[ProfGumby]

Hmm....

Sounds like my oldest son's friend. His friend will absolutely not eat any vegetables or fruits and puts up all sorts of fuss if he has to eat anything he deems remotely healthy. He even jokes about it and borders on insulting those around him who do eat foods he doesn't like.

Mom shrugs it off as "he is just a picky eater". And she laughs it off as if it is no big deal. But the kid weighs as much as any two of his classmates. And he looks the part of a lazy slob as well. To be fair, he is a big guy with a large frame. He would be a big guy even at his optimal weight and proper diet.

Until Mommy and Daddy decide to be parents, there is little hope this boy will change his ways until somethig catastrophic happens.....

What I guess makes me the most uncomfortable is I see some of the old me in him. Though to be fair, I was always physically active and no where near as sedentary as this kid. I too have a large frame and am a big guy, even when I get to my optimal waistline which on me was a size 38! Also, he already has the whole bag of oreos gone in one sitting thing down pat.....I didn't perfect that till I was in my mid 20's!

I just can't shake the feeling that he is gonna end up with all manner of problems that could have been prevented!

[jodinicole]

I have always been very careful as to what my daughter eats. Her first birthday was the first time she had ever had sweets (birthday cake) and my friends thought that was so strange. She didn't even get juice unless it was made from the juicer.

I watch my friend's child walk around with kool-aide in his cup, or I see a toddler sucking back a coke and I just can't believe what I'm seeing!

I wish parents had to take some kind of basic nutrition class when they are expecting a child something to stop this growing number of over weight children in this country. I look around my town and I see so many kids that have weight problems, and children should not have weight problems!

I wish there was a way to stop this from happening, but I really don't see it changing.

[Frogbreath]

I wish parents had to take some kind of basic nutrition class when they are expecting a child something to stop this growing number of over weight children in this country.

I really doubt it's a problem caused by ignorance of basic nutrition. I think it's more likely to be apathy.

[ProfGumby]

I really doubt it's a problem caused by ignorance of basic nutrition. I think it's more likely to be apathy.

Apathy to some degree, actually to a large degree! We were all taught basic nutrition in school as kids. And you can't walk 3 feet in a child birth class or in an OBGYN's office without being told about proper nutrition.

Moreover, most school aged kids today have basic nutrition classes and you should see what they are teaching them! YIKES!

But then that is just my opinion about what good nutrition is. Maybe lot's of refined, high fructose corn syruped fruit juice and lots of refined grains and bleached flour is actually good for everybody! Provided it is washed down the fortified skim milk from hormonally enhanced cows!

[kebaldwin]

The "health experts" are telling kids and parents the wrong foods to eat. Until we atart beating the "health experts" the kids won't get any better.

[ReginaW]

The "health experts" are telling kids and parents the wrong foods to eat. Until we atart beating the "health experts" the kids won't get any better.

Exactly!

My son is now 18-months old (time flies!) and to date, he still hasn't tried french fries, doesn't drink much juice, has no clue what soda is, has never had bread, spits out pasta/noodles (he hates it - yippee!) and has no idea what candy or cookies are.

What he'll eat until it comes out of his ears - asparagus, green beans, blue berries, blackberries, canteloupe, avocado, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash (all types).....all the really good stuff....along with yogurt, cheese, meats, chicken, some fish, turkey, lamb, buffalo, and other fruits and vegetables. He mainly drinks goats milk and water - occassionally he'll have some fruit juice, but it's certainly not a mainstay of his beverages/diet!

Why? It's what he's given - I see absolutely no reason to give him junk...in time he'll find out that other foods are out there, but by then I can hope he's totally loving what he eats and doesn't want the junk......

NOW NO POPPING MY BUBBLE/DREAM here!!!! :cool:

[kebaldwin]

I certainly hope that you can hange in there with those eating habits once he goes to school. The schools would be laughable -- it was that they are in charge of our kids.

They go around preaching about how bad alcohol, drugs, smoking, etc are -- but pass the doughnuts, cookies, and candy!

Wait till you see how much junk kids eat everyday. It is no surprise that kids graduate with diabetes medicine.

[Frogbreath]

The reason I think it's a case of apathy, moreso than lack of education, is that while the average person mistakenly thinks that eating fat causes heart attacks and whole wheat is a health food, no one really believes that twinkies, potato chips and McD's fries are good for kids. Yet they provide this stuff for their kids anyway because the kids are whining for it. Even though I never kept junk in my house, my kids were exposed to it at all their friends' houses - and they liked it. They were in awe of their chunky friend's cupboard full of potato chip bags and other "snacks." "Just say no" works about as well for twinkies as it does for pot.

[ProfGumby]

....Why? It's what he's given....

Right on ReginaW!!

I am guilty of giving in to our "picky eaters" myself, to some degree.

The way to get a kid to eat healthy foods is to only give him healthy foods in the first place. They will eat them eventually. I do not mean starve them into eating things, but if your child is a big fan of junk foods and processed foods, gradually give them less of that stuff and more of the good stuff.

Too many parets do not want to be the parent on top of apathy. I do most of the food shopping here so most of what my kids eat, I buy. Well, that is when my DW doesn't run out and buy a ton of crap foods as I have none in the pantry....

[Bandito]

It is easy for me to ensure that my son eats well at home. The problem for me is when he goes to school with no microwave access. Those of us with school aged children, what do you pack for them? I am running out of ideas, and could use some suggestions. He does not have access to a microwave so all items must be eaten cold...
What I currently give my 6 year old:

Ham/turkey and cheese sandwich on LC bread
or
Peanut butter (natural) and SF jelly either on LC bread or LC tortilla

Baby carrots and ranch
or
apple slices w/PB

2 String cheese

and a bottle of water

[kebaldwin]

The reason I think it's a case of apathy, moreso than lack of education, is that while the average person mistakenly thinks that eating fat causes heart attacks and whole wheat is a health food, no one really believes that twinkies, potato chips and McD's fries are good for kids.

I'm not saying that it is all ignorance or all apathy -- but IMHO there is a lot of ignorance out there -- because of what the "health experts" are telling the kids and parents what is healthy. At the expense of repeating myself for the upteenth time here is what the "health experts" are saying is healthy:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/gallery/showimage.php?i=15174&catid=member&imageuser=20510

http://www.wcpss.net/child-nutrition/winners_circle_intro.html

Until I researched it three years ago -- I thought the most important thing was low fat. So I was eating the hell out of low fat products and my health continued to get worse.

Regarding the apathy -- many parents are so overworked that if they could not open a can, box, or bag (usually high glycemic foods) -- the kids and parents would not get *anything* to eat.

[Hellistile]

Speaking only of our city, two of our hospitals keep advertising for funding for their children's centres which keep expanding and expanding to meet the increasing demand for facilities for sick children, especially in the area of diabetes and cancer. It breaks my heart. So when your child starts whining for pop tarts, morning, noon and night, picture him/her with no hair, lying in bed, with tubes sticking out of everywhere.

[Frogbreath]

I was a very conscientious mother and I probably did as much harm as good now that I think of it. Everything was whole wheat and lots of other grains, tending towards vegetarianism, low saturated fats, skim milk and lots of polyunsaturated oils. Sometimes concern, conviction and misinformation are just as bad as total apathy I suppose. Pushing my organic potatoes I certainly felt superior to those other parents who indulged their kids with chips and Hohos. What a twit.

[kebaldwin]

Speaking only of our city, two of our hospitals keep advertising for funding for their children's centres which keep expanding and expanding to meet the increasing demand for facilities for sick children, especially in the area of diabetes and cancer. It breaks my heart. So when your child starts whining for pop tarts, morning, noon and night, picture him/her with no hair, lying in bed, with tubes sticking out of everywhere.

I think that everyone that buys high glycemic foods should have to see that first.

Would it be wrong to take my kids over to the children's hospital to show them all the sick kids, shock them, and blame some of these kids health problems on eating junk?

Kid of like taking kids to a jail or showing them gory car crashes when teaching them to drive.

[ReginaW]

Wait till you see how much junk kids eat everyday. It is no surprise that kids graduate with diabetes medicine.

Unfortunately I already see it with my 4-year old niece and nephew who love chicken nuggets, french fries, cookies, candy and chocolate milk (low-fat of course!) - makes me want to scream!

They are super-super-thin kids (10% for weight on the charts) but so was I when I was their age - eating habits have a way of catching up with you later and that's what I fear for them. I was really thin as a kid and didn't eat the types of junk food they're eating now - and that's what really worries me, they're eating, day-in-day-out way too much junk food now, what are they going to be eating when they're adults? :::shudder:::

[ReginaW]

....Why? It's what he's given....

Right on ReginaW!!

I am guilty of giving in to our "picky eaters" myself, to some degree.

The way to get a kid to eat healthy foods is to only give him healthy foods in the first place. They will eat them eventually. I do not mean starve them into eating things, but if your child is a big fan of junk foods and processed foods, gradually give them less of that stuff and more of the good stuff.

Too many parets do not want to be the parent on top of apathy. I do most of the food shopping here so most of what my kids eat, I buy. Well, that is when my DW doesn't run out and buy a ton of crap foods as I have none in the pantry....

I do the shopping here - simply don't buy junk food, it's not in the house, it's not an option, ya know? Then again, he's still only 18-months and has no clue what is out there - he has limited TV time, so he isn't deluged with commercials and when we're shopping I don't go down the candy, cookie/cracker or cereal aisles anyway - so he remains clueless! Now if I could only keep him in such a cocoon til he's 18! LOL

It's kinda humorous when friends/family see him eat - they're like, wow - how'd you get him interested in blueberries? (or aspargus - that's a favorite for the "wow" effect) Or the really lame one - he'll eat chicken without breading for you? I'm like, yeah.....why wouldn't he when he's never had it breaded - he's had it crusted with macadamia nuts or pecans - loves it that way - but still hasn't had it with breading.....bad mommy...depriving him of bread crumbs and damaged oils and trans-fats! LOL

[ReginaW]

I have always been very careful as to what my daughter eats. Her first birthday was the first time she had ever had sweets (birthday cake) and my friends thought that was so strange. She didn't even get juice unless it was made from the juicer.
.

My son had fresh made whipped cream for his first birthday - stuck a candle in it....yup, deprived him of the cake - oh well.

[ReginaW]

It is easy for me to ensure that my son eats well at home. The problem for me is when he goes to school with no microwave access. Those of us with school aged children, what do you pack for them? I am running out of ideas, and could use some suggestions. He does not have access to a microwave so all items must be eaten cold...
What I currently give my 6 year old:

Ham/turkey and cheese sandwich on LC bread
or
Peanut butter (natural) and SF jelly either on LC bread or LC tortilla

Baby carrots and ranch
or
apple slices w/PB

2 String cheese

and a bottle of water

There's lots you can pack - especially if you get a cool-pack to put in the lunchbox or bag!

Yogurt
Cut veggies (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli florets, peppers, tomatoes) with dressing
Leftover meat salads - chicken salad, turkey salad, etc. in WW pita (minis I would think would be fun for a kid)
Salads that have lots of things in them - lettuce, tomato, chopped eggs, etc.
Fruits - cut canteloupe, honeydew, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, etc.
Cold-cut roll-ups
Any cheese - string, block cut cheddar, colby, etc.
Sides that are good cold - like broccolislaw, cole slaw, carrot salad, etc.
Cheese with whole-grain crackers
Fruit with cheese combos that complement each other
Sandwiches on whole grain breads - kids often will eat breads like rye or pumperknickle even if they won't eat whole wheat - thin sliced varieties are good since that allows the bulk of the sandwich to be the insides rather than the bread...
Hard boiled eggs

You could also make things like cheese chips (melted cheese in the oven until it's crispy like a chip) or egg custards --- maybe pack up "build-your-own" type lunches like tacos with a good whole grain taco shell used to start - if the ingredients are packed apart, they'll be crisp when put together at lunch instead of soggy?

You might also want to ask if you could provide a microwave in the lunchroom for the school? I dunno if that's an option or not, but if they'd let you provide a microwave (for use by an adult in the lunchroom) that might be an option that expands the possibilities for a small sum?

[Bandito]

Thanks Regina, those are some great suggestions. And most of those suggestions he would actually eat too! These include ingredients that we have on hand at home. Isn't that funny how what limits us is our own creativity? Thanks again for your fresh perspective.

[tom sawyer]

I don't see it as apathy, or ignorance. Its more like stupidity combined with denial.

Apathy is out, because in most cases we are not talking aobut parents who eat right but let their kids eat crap. No, they set the bad example and the kids follow.

Ignorance, no, because as was said we are bombarded with nutrition advice (albeit mostly bogus) and still the majority do not heed this advice. Its really not like the majority of people are overweight because they were eating the way the food pyramid said. Its because they were eating the extra-large stuffed crust meat lover's pizza and going to the all-you-can-eat buffet.

When you have been repeatedly told that something will cause you health problems, and you do it anyway, thats stupidity. And you can justidy it by denying the validity of what is happening right before your eyes.

[mae_west]

my daughter is in grade 3 and has 20 minutes to eat lunch at school. I pack her lunch in the starfrit containers that have dividers in one and no dividers in the other with a water bottle and all 3 pieces fit in a lunchit that looks like a small purse (very organized).

The lunch includes:
small , shaped crackers (6 to 8- whatever fits in one section of the divided container),
sliced ham or turkey,
sliced cheese,
baby carrots (no dip- it's messy and she doesn't want it),
one whole apple sliced and cored (or some grapes or cut up canteloupe),
and sometimes a granola bar or a small dessert that I bring home from work ( I cook in a hospital- our food is great!).
Small things, or things cut small so she can eat with her fingers.

I switch over to sandwiches if my daughter asks for a change, but if asked most days she wants the crackers and ham and cheese for lunch.
I don't send things that need to be put together because it is too much work for small children and it uses up their lunch time. Simple is better.

I keep salad for supper at home. It takes too long to eat and is not nutritious enough to keep a child full for the afternoon of school. Protein foods are better to stave off hunger, and keep her concentrating on school and not a rumble in the belly. I also give her a snack afterschool if she is hungry.

My daughter does not have a weight problem, because of 1 hour of indoor soccer and 1 hour of gymnastics every week.

[coolwater]

I don't have any children, but I'd like to some day, and I've often thought how I would navigate the nutritional hazards my child would face in daycare, kindergarten, school, birthday parties etc. Aside from packing lunches, I'm afraid I'd have to tell people that my child is at risk of diabetes, or allergic to sugar and starch...something! I know it would be a lie, but at least then I'd have a bit of assurance that folks wouldn't feed my kid crap.

[MyJourney]

I was a very conscientious mother and I probably did as much harm as good now that I think of it. Everything was whole wheat and lots of other grains, tending towards vegetarianism, low saturated fats, skim milk and lots of polyunsaturated oils. Sometimes concern, conviction and misinformation are just as bad as total apathy I suppose. Pushing my organic potatoes I certainly felt superior to those other parents who indulged their kids with chips and Hohos. What a twit.

Please dont be so hard on yourself. Whole, natural, organic foods are still MUCH better than the white junk that the average person eats.

My mother sent me to school with chocolate sandwiches on white bread. She would mix nestle quick (the already sweetened stuff) with sugar, vanilla extract and half a stick of unsalted margarine and blend it really well with the back of a spoon till it was one giant chocolate mass and then spread it on white bread, cut it in half and that was my lunch with skim milk.

[bladegem]

Please dont be so hard on yourself. Whole, natural, organic foods are still MUCH better than the white junk that the average person eats.

My mother sent me to school with chocolate sandwiches on white bread. She would mix nestle quick (the already sweetened stuff) with sugar, vanilla extract and half a stick of unsalted margarine and blend it really well with the back of a spoon till it was one giant chocolate mass and then spread it on white bread, cut it in half and that was my lunch with skim milk.

:Puke: :Puke: :Puke: :Puke: :Puke:

[bladegem]

Question: How do you parents keep your kids eating healthy while they're away at school?

My mom packed healthy lunches for in elementary school and I always ate them instead of trading...because I would have felt horrible about trading away the food my mom gave me. But if your kid isn't endowed with this sense of guilt...do they really end up eating what you pack?

[kebaldwin]

You can't always expect your kids to eat great at every meal and every snack.

But you have to limit how much. It's all about teaching them control and moderation.

I think that every parent wants their kid to have a great future. It's very easy today.

Most kids eat so much crap and get so little sleep -- it is no surprise that most kids can't simply sit down, shut up, and focus on their teacher and work.

But my kids don't eat all that crap (only a fraction of it) -- they take a high quality kid's multivitmain and fish oil -- they usually get to bed at a decent hour -- so they can listen and focus.

If you get kids to eat right -- you keep their insulin levels low -- kids will be active and naturally play and exercise.

But I'll bet that less than 20% of the kids do this -- so it is very easy to have a top kid.

I've explained to my kids that there are many things that they will have to learn to control and moderate - alcohol, drugs (over the counter, prescription, and illegal), gambling, smoking, sex, etc -- and they need to start with food today. I'm convinced that any one of these can ruin their lives -- if they don't learn to moderate and control them.

Sometimes there seems to be more reasons for failure -- but a whole series of things have to be done right to succeed.

But I've explained all this to my kids -- and to my surprise -- they have bought it and most of the time -- live it. Sure, there are times I have to reign them back in. There are times I've had to reign my self back in.

They are allowed to have one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner, per week, that is high glycemic. They can have one high glycemic dessert per day. Other than that -- I expect them to watch it and I am all over them.

This may sound like a lot -- but if you really followed kids around and found out what they ate -- you would not believe it. It's no surprise to me that kids are graduating with type 2 diabetes.

[zedgirl]

It's kinda humorous when friends/family see him eat - they're like, wow - how'd you get him interested in blueberries? (or aspargus - that's a favorite for the "wow" effect) Or the really lame one - he'll eat chicken without breading for you? I'm like, yeah.....why wouldn't he when he's never had it breaded - he's had it crusted with macadamia nuts or pecans - loves it that way - but still hasn't had it with breading.....bad mommy...depriving him of bread crumbs and damaged oils and trans-fats! LOL

Exactly!

I wonder what the Inuit parent does when their baby turns up their nose at fish or the Maasai parent when their baby won’t drink blood?

[ItsTheWooo]

Sedentary behavior does not cause obesity.
Obese people are sedentary because their metabolisms don't work right to make energy.
This is because they are eating so much food and carbohydrate (which is probably encouraging if not causing the former problem of over eating).

It is my personal pet peeve that it is assumed obesity results from lack of movement. In my opinion this belief is just an attractive package to put the message that "you're a bad person because you're fat, fatty" message in. If people are fat because they are lazy, this opens the door to make all kinds of assumptions about character and morality. Lazy people are often considered to be unproductive, gluttonous, wasteful, oblivious... fat. It stands to reason fatness, then, is a mark of poor morality. It is personal failing and their fault. That is what I hate; turning fat into a personal shame, and thus, creating the "feeling of fat" that all of us here know so well.

Lack of movement results from obesity not the other way around. Lack of energy (movement) results from compromised metabolism, just like shallow breath results from compromised respiratory system. "Play more honey" isn't going to help your child become thin if they feel tired and want to sleep all the time (like I remember feeling).

You fix obesity by addressing the source problem, and in children, 99% of the time it's eating keebler elf cookies and big gulps while also being unfortunate enough to posses a crappo metabolism.

[ItsTheWooo]

...
nevermind

[ProfGumby]

Please dont be so hard on yourself. Whole, natural, organic foods are still MUCH better than the white junk that the average person eats.

My mother sent me to school with chocolate sandwiches on white bread. She would mix nestle quick (the already sweetened stuff) with sugar, vanilla extract and half a stick of unsalted margarine and blend it really well with the back of a spoon till it was one giant chocolate mass and then spread it on white bread, cut it in half and that was my lunch with skim milk.

:Puke: :Puke: :Puke:

Though I have to admit as a kid that would have been the type of lunch to die for....and could it be any worse than the pack of Hostess Cupcakes I frequently had in my lunch?

[ItsTheWooo]

BTW I am all for healthy kids...
I'll be the first one to encourage diet sodas and low sugar and starch food for kiddies.

...I just don't like the idea of passing worth judgements about who you are related to weight. Especially, ESPECIALLY children who are in their formative years and still don't know who they are. That message is profoundly scarring. It is probably one of the worst things that happened to me, the pain of childhood as a fat kid, and I still deal with that...

[ProfGumby]

Why can no one see it is injust and inherently wrong to regard heavy people the way you regard that boy? Even if every obese person were a food loving "slob", why is this a crime? Is liking food and leasure crime, like doing drugs and stealing? You would think it were worse.

I'm sorry but your post is just so... angering. I can't be mad at you, even though you say these things, because it's not your fault. I think the same way, I hate myself for that. Even those still heavy think this. In our minds we are all fat, and we don't hate any fat more than we hate our own.

Here's the truth as I see it. We are all fat. All of us, no matter what we weigh. We see in fat our worst fears and suspicions about ourselves, our worth.
Fat is that buildup residue of things you can't accept about yourself. Fat is all of your guilt and self hatred and everything that you can't handle and don't want. Culturally speaking, the obese are the scape goats we pin all our shallow vanity, material gluttony and excess on. We drive big cars and waste so much, while looking down condescendingly on lowly fat slobs. All is forgiven now, because you have a membership to a gym and enough time to focus on not eating carbs calories or fat.
I read these health blurbs and a part of me is laughing, another part is crying, underneath this cool discourse about carbs and fat and calories and health. We all know this has nothing to do with health, this concern over weight and clothing sizes. It's about fat as an emotion; about shame and guilt, purity and worth. A thin drinking smoker raises less concern than a heavy person. It's not about health. Please. Health is a euphamism for moral worth.

My mind is a tragic caricature of the notion of "fat as an emotion". I don't even really care about looks, funny that. I never wanted to look good, this was never my goal. It wasn't about improvement but attonement. I always just wanted to be thin enough to be acceptable (because I was not, at all, when I was fat). Of course, if you think like that, that's not healthy is it? Unfortunately not, too bad I did not conscoiusly understand this at the time and now it is so intertwined with who I am that I don't think I can ever be reasonably neutral in this regard.
Fat. It's almost like a contageous disease that can permeate your safe zone and infect you. This panic over the obesity epidemic, sometimes you would think it were. I admit, sometimes when I see a very large woman who is oblivious about her "condition", I feel a jolt of alarm, a slight panic. Like you, the existence of such people challenge my own sense of who I am and my security. It is my deepest fear I am fat, or will become fat again. Even my own body, sometimes I will touch a part in a certain way and become terrified that somehow it is fat. As a matter of fact today I was walking home and I had my hand behind my back, touching the top of my hips. Suddenly it occured that my backside felt broad; I imagined it to be hugely elephantine, and, for a moment, actually became alarmed. I just want to be as far away from fat as possible.

Sorry for the rant.
I shouldn't have read this thread, because I knew what it would be about;
I probably should stop now.

No, don't stop..you have some great things there that hit home with me too. Fat as an emotion really hit the nail on the head for me too! That is an awesome way to describe it.

Like you, the existence of such people challenge my own sense of who I am and my security. It is my deepest fear I am fat, or will become fat again.

That sentance in particular was the one that brought it all home. I had never thought of it that way. I posted elsewhere that when I see bigger people with all manner of junk food in their cart, I almost feel compelled to say something as that used to be what was in my cart. But more importantly, it reminds me of where I was once, and where most fear going again. That is one of my biggest motivators to stay on track now.

In your post prior to this one you said a good many things that I could not have, and didn't see from your viewpoint till reading them. Like this -

Lack of movement results from obesity not the other way around. Lack of energy (movement) results from compromised metabolism, just like shallow breath results from compromised respiratory system. "Play more honey" isn't going to help your child become thin if they feel tired and want to sleep all the time (like I remember feeling).

You fix obesity by addressing the source problem, and in children, 99% of the time it's eating keebler elf cookies and big gulps while also being unfortunate enough to posses a crappo metabolism.

I did not really mean to impune a sedentary life caused problems, though in hindsight I sure did, didn't I? However I meat to conveigh the thought that unless his parents changed his enitre lifestyle, he was headed down the same path I certainly was, and at a much, much younger age.

And you again showed a much better cause and effect relationship, and a new way for me to see that.

And, as far as that goes, I know I can do nothing for him, per se, but I can raise my own kids with a better grasp of nutrition.

So, you should not need to regret reading this thread, or posting here. I am sorry if it angred you though. But once again, you have given me some valuable insights into the why of how people, myself especially, see things.

[ProfGumby]

BTW I am all for healthy kids...
I'll be the first one to encourage diet sodas and low sugar and starch food for kiddies.

...I just don't like the idea of passing worth judgements about who you are related to weight. Especially, ESPECIALLY children who are in their formative years and still don't know who they are. That message is profoundly scarring. It is probably one of the worst things that happened to me, the pain of childhood as a fat kid, and I still deal with that...

This is why I have never said anything to this kid, nor about what he eats to him, or infront of him etc..

Fatso, and all it's derivatives, a word I heard as a kid many times still grinds at me, deep inside. I guess many are in that club, aren't we? I thought I had dealt with that childhood scar pretty well, but in hindsight, I have a wee bit more work to do...

That word is probably what turns me inside out when I see someone and think fat. I guess what we fear most about ourselves we judge/project into others. The big difference now is I am much more aware of that, how it hurt me and how I don't wish to hurt others with it.

And for what it is worth, no one here, at least not me anyway, is seeing you as anything but an intelligent, and fit person with a great deal of insight to offer. You see things as I cannot, and I thank you for that!

[SidC]

NOW NO POPPING MY BUBBLE/DREAM here!!!!You're doing great and kudos to you! Now all you have to do is keep him away from school nutritionists, newspapers, school cafeterias and government food pyramids for another twenty years or so -

[ProfGumby]

Full disclosure - I'm affiliated with the following organizations:
Carbohydrate Awareness Council
Nutrition & Metabolism Society

My posts here are my own thoughts and should not be considered representative of the above organizations. My blog is Weight of the Evidence.

Hi Regina! I went and checked out the two sites in your signature line and your blog....that's a lot of great info there!!!

Just thought I'd let you know I plan to spend a wee bit of time looking into them.

Thanks!

[SidC]

It is my deepest fear I am fat, or will become fat again.And mine, also. It's a two-edged sword, though, isn't it? At this point, it is what keeps me constantly vigilant about maintaining this WOL. But it also means it is always on my mind - does this tomato soup have sugar in it? Beware! I must remember that I had a LC bagel for breakfast - so no choice but salad for lunch...etc etc. How I envy people who can just eat whatever and get away with it!

ItstheWooo - I hear you on the weight/exercise problem. My whole family has weight problems, I've been 160 at 5'2" (twice) and I have a younger sister who currently tops 350 lbs. She has struggled so - it breaks my heart. Everything is hard for her - walking is hard, swimming is hard, getting out of bed is hard. People can't appreciate what an effort is involved in any activity that everyone else takes for granted unless they've been there.

And that's why the overweight kids break my heart, too. They get a bad start, bad habits, bad self-image and it just means a lifelong struggle on many fronts from there.

[kebaldwin]

Sedentary behavior does not cause obesity. ...

You fix obesity by addressing the source problem, and in children, 99% of the time it's eating keebler elf cookies and big gulps while also being unfortunate enough to posses a crappo metabolism.

I agree 100%, hence my signature --> "Beat the health experts - not the kids!"

[Frogbreath]

Originally Posted by ItsTheWooo
"Sedentary behavior does not cause obesity. ..."

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Angeline]

:Puke: :Puke: :Puke:

Though I have to admit as a kid that would have been the type of lunch to die for....and could it be any worse than the pack of Hostess Cupcakes I frequently had in my lunch?

Damn this brought back a memory for me. My lunches used to consist of salami on white bread, with yellow mustard and a Joe Louis (think twinkie) for dessert.

I think I would have rather not remembered .......

hmmm. Wonder if that has anything to do with the fact my father died young of a heart attack (he was in his 50's), my sister has been diagnosed with Crohn disease, my brother, who was born with only one kidney, and has always loved junk food, has seen that kidney failed and is now on dialysis. All of them have been fat or obese most of their lives. My mother, who is not obese, has problems with her intestines.

So far I have escaped all this.....or at least it seems like it. But when I was in my 20's I got interested in natural food. I never did stick to it that well, but it no doubt raised my awareness.