So Many Fat Young Kids around !!!

[Gravity Aided]

I blame the parents.

I think, at least in the States, things changed between the 70's and the 80's. We had the more active lifestyle, but less stuff, and no cable Tv or computers(I was born in 1960) so there wasn't a lot for kids to do but ride bikes and play sports. Most families had one car, and for most of the time I was at home, there was just one income as well. I was the son of a couple of health-food aficionados, and was taught to consider vegetables a primary part of a good diet. People nowadays have a great deal of unhealthy food options that are a whole lot easier than good eating, which requires preparation. Corn syrup replaces sugar in many foods, and preservatives have become a substitute for freshness. Overweight kids are just another symptom of the drawbacks of modern society, the solution may be very complex.And I agree with @jefmcg , that it's never too late. I have to work on my weight every day, and I've been well over 300 pounds due to not following advice I got while growing up, but I lost the weight and still have more to go. Cycling is an interest I should never have given up.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Obesity is simple, if you take in more energy than your body expends you will put on weight it's a natural thing for when time are hard, there comes a point where it is damaging for your overall health weight to carry to energy expended, however there has always been larger people and not so large people, so what I fail to understand why it is now an issue, the issue if there is one is with us as parents and consumers, we allowed it to happen, most of my family is larger than I am but most of my family is older than me, as for smaller portions when younger yea it was the case but i always remember being hungry but maybe from the energy expended whilst out or the fact I was growing.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I think we were hungry back then. We ate what we needed, not what we wanted. We worked at preparing it, and that more work without all the machines. Helped expend a few calories there, as well.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I think we were hungry back then. We ate what we needed, not what we wanted. We worked at preparing it, and that more work without all the machines. Helped expend a few calories there, as well.

I think its become to easy for food, I see a lot of waste, which if you had been hungry people would not do, we see people on tv fighting for food or shelter and we condemn them, but unless a person has gone without food for a week or more you can't say what will drive you to try and survive if not you but your children

 

[classic33]

How do you get over to someone who lives 300 yards from the school, taking their kids over 3 miles, to a Mc'Donalds for breakfast. Collecting them at dinnertime, repeating the trip made earlier. Then catching the bus, making a half mile journey, home when school has finished.
That they would be better off actually walking to & from school. Possibly cutting out the morning trip to get a "breakfast"?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@classic33 I could as could you and many others, there are many things that could be done.

 

[Gravity Aided]

How do you get over to someone who lives 300 yards from the school, taking their kids over 3 miles, to a Mc'Donalds for breakfast. Collecting them at dinnertime, repeating the trip made earlier. Then catching the bus, making a half mile journey, home when school has finished.
That they would be better off actually walking to & from school. Possibly cutting out the morning trip to get a "breakfast"?

McDonalds tastes a lot better when you go without it for six months.

 

[classic33]

@classic33 I could as could you and many others, there are many things that could be done.

Plain language used in the reply as regards walking to & from school.

One parent considers 37 stone(their figure) a normal weight. Folding seats have a weight limit, bus driver asked them to move.

 

[classic33]

McDonalds tastes a lot better when you go without it for six months.

I'm with D. Fense on this.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Plain language used in the reply as regards walking to & from school.

One parent considers 37 stone(their figure) a normal weight. Folding seats have a weight limit, bus driver asked them to move.

Does the person not consider that at 37st and no one else is that size its not normal. Like I said its easy to change these things, however the voice needs to bigger than than the media, and J.K.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

McDonalds tastes a lot better when you go without it for six months.

Never liked M.D.'s can't even remember the last time I could afford one or even think about getting one, sorry just came to me passing Peterborough on the by-pass on the way to London, bit of a s*** morning wet ect.... camping kit wet, just wanted to get warm and a pee ect..........

 

[Cuchilo]

McDonalds tastes a lot better when you go without it for six months.

I disagree . I probably have one every six months and always say to my self " why am i eating this shoot "

 

[rugby bloke]

In my experience there are a multitude of sporting opportunities available to children, however as they are almost exclusively run by clubs then it requires the parent s to make a small investment in money and time to support their children in their endeavors. The focus has very much moved away from schools to the voluntary sector. It is a poor excuse for parents to turn around and say there is no where for little Jimmy to play. We also need to recognise where children are succeeding in sport. I spent most of Sunday watching a regional trampolining tournament, the level of skill and commitment from all the competitors was impressive to behold.

 

[Arjimlad]

Our local school, whose motto was working in the community, fenced off its playing fields to stop the persistent dog muck-spreaders. There's plenty of open playing field land about though, and it is well used for rugby and football and in better weather, informal kickarounds by local children.

One reason I started cycling again at about 32 was to keep active for my kids. My sons aged 12 & 15 are slim although they are eating us out of house & home at the moment. The older one has a paper round and seems to appreciate getting up & out on his bike every morning bright & early, and the younger one goes fishing, which is not all that active. They both cycle to school. When the younger one stops growing he will have to incorporate some exercise into his routine.

I know plenty of kids who do not walk anywhere. They are not used to walking further than from the house to the car, or from the car to the school. I think that is the main problem. If you take them on a walk they whine & moan that their legs are tired after half a mile. The parents are overweight and do no exercise, they too walk nowhere.

 

[Deleted member 35268]

Recently I can't help but notice there are so many fat young kids around. My wife and a friend were saying the same thing last week.
There is even a holiday advert at the moment were a guy is with his 2 young sons on the beach (I guess 7 & 9 years old) and they are FAT!!!
My thoughts/observations are...........
Some of these kids are only 8-12 years old and TBH look as though it is just too late for them.........they are massively obese.
I get the impression (I'm not a doctor) that the very young ones i.e. 5-8 years old are not just way over-weight.......they are massively tall and look BIG BONED as though over eating at such a young age will over-feed the bones etc. Again it looks like no way back for many of them.
Scary really.

Would you say there was a hi percentage of fast food outlets in your area ?

I know of a place in the south where there are s**t loads of independent fast food joints and the locals are mostly obese (this is not my personal view, it was reported in the national news from medical statistics). It's easy to say that the food outlets have created "fed" the issue, but the people are wanting the products.