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Obesity in children, brought on by today's Dr. Phil
- Nov 29, 2007 at 6:19 PM
- By
- Comments (27) Total Views (416) Everyone can see this journal post.
Dr. Phil's not completely over for me yet, but good lord...
A 80 pound 3 year old?
A 224 pound 7 year old?
A 145 pound 6 year old?
At WHAT POINT do you realize that there is a HUGE problem? Granted, the first little girl, they're looking into medical issues, but still.
I'm honestly really amazed at the kind of people I see in stores now. I've seen little, tiny kids who have giant, round bellies and fat rolls, WAY beyond the normal childhood pudge or large frame. I mean, when I see a 7 year old with breasts bigger than mine, what am I supposed to think?
Not to mention the adults. What used to be morbidly obese about 10 years ago in this country is now on the LOWER side of obsesity. There was a man that worked at our Wal-Mart in Georgia who, quite literally, took up an entire aisle with his waist and butt. I can't imagine he was under 400 pounds.
My neighbors that live behind me are all on the insanely large scale... not overweight, but overweight to the point where I can't imagine anyone getting there. Their boys are 7 and 12, and they're both enormous as well.
Really, how could you watch your kids get that large, and not want to fix it for them? Not do everything you could to fix it, especially knowing how unaccepting our country is of very overweight children and people, particularly women?
I don't know. This is obviously a rant, but I don't understand how moms, who love their children so much, can let this happen to their kids.
I get that in that, some of them are probably feeding their children to MAKE their children happy, but can't they see how damaging that is to their baby? Argh! Having your child throw tantrums and cry until they pass out because they couldn't have a cookie is sad, fine. But seriously? More than ANYTHING that should show you how addicted your child is to said cookie, and how big of a problem it is! If Rowan threw a fit as big as some of the kids on this show over a cookie, I'd throw away every single cookie in the house, and NOT buy more until he could deal with the fact that it's a treat. A treat in our house means that you don't ask for them. You get a treat when Mommy and Daddy give you one, and you only get them as a reward for good behavior. Screaming will get them put in the TRASH, not in your mouth!
Like Dr. Phil just said, if your child is eating all this crap food you have in your house... GET RID OF THE CRAP!
I'm not perfect, by any means, by I also do pay attention to what my son and I eat. We ARE allowed treats, but rationed and spaced. If Rowan begs for food and I'm exhausted, I'm not giving him chips. He gets an apple, applesauce, string cheese, or something of THAT type. Still tastes great, is simple for me because it's premade, but it's not a bowl of CRAP! Not that hard! If I step on my scale and realize I gained some weight, I'm going to rethink what I'd been eating, and change it! It's a LOT easier to lose 3 pounds than 30.
Seriously people, your children will thank you a LOT more in the future for throwing those cookies away then they will if you give them to them. Think for the FUTURE, not the now.
Comments:
You know, while I agree with some of that, I found other bits offensive. I'm "morbidly obese" but have had bouts of anorexia norvosa because of people ranting like this--and ended up gaining weight, becoming more depressed and feeling like shit. I still feel humiliated if people see me eating, no matter what it is. And honestly? When I give in, eat everything I want, the weight flies off of me and I feel better. Then someone sees me eating, makes a comment and back again to the cycle.
I'd rather have a fat kid than one obsessed with being thin (which is NOT always healthy--and being overweight does NOT cause all the fucking medical issues people claim they do--that's just a throwback to the original fat-phobic religious nuts who started this whole thing) or judging other people by what they weigh. I'm going to do what I can to prevent my kids from getting fat, but hell, my husband ate healthier than anyone I know growing up and still does most of the time and he's huge. It's not all about food. A LOT of it is that these parents are letting their kids sit around watching 6-12 hours of television a day, playing video games the rest of the time and not getting out and being healthy, active kids. And really, who can blame all of them? Not everyone lives in a nice, safe, suburban neighborhood or trusts their neighbors and random passerby.
The world isn't safe. Everywhere we go is plastered with "Have you seen me?" signs of kids who were doing normal kid things and were kidnapped and most of the time, killed. So people keep their kids inside where they're safe. And sedentary. They don't get the sun and exercise they need because the parents are too busy to set aside the time to take them somewhere safe.
I know a girl who chows down on fudge, burgers, cookies, all that crap and weighs about 90lbs (she's 17, and like five foot nothing). I know my health-food-loving husband who weighs an unknown amount because he won't go near a scale. Food is not the culprit, 80% of the time. Inactivity and inability to be healthy, active KIDS is. Eating right means shit for most of the people I know. Sure, my kid does eat right and cookies and that sort are treats, but I'm not going to obsess over it and cause yet another eating disorder.
Just some food for thought. 
I agree about watching for signs and backing off when your child STARTS to become large. 224 lb child???? I am overweight and my bmi is still below 30 but not by much and *I* don't even weight 224 (I did prior to getting pregnant and am thankfully almost at 200 now *phew*).
My kids get treats, they get crap food and probably a lot more than they should, HOWEVER, they are in an excellent weight class, both of them (My 5 y/o is kinda skinny actually) but just because I don't SEE them getting fat doesn't mean there aren't other problems that eating shitty food might cause.
Knowing that my kids eat healthy about 75% of the time and shitty the other 25% and they have no problems, I have to say you can't *always* assume a large kids is over fed. Yea, it probably *is* what's going on, but we dont' really *know*. Just saying.
Also, I know many obese adults that do not bring it on themselves. My mother drives me MAD with her healthy eating. Seriously, I hate the food in her house because it's all weird, nasty (imo) healthy stuff and yet the woman is the same size as me. She seriously cannot lose the weight. She put it on with her pregnancies, never dropped it and now, being older, her metabolism has completely slowed down (hence me losing MY weight NOW).
Ok, I started rambling so I have NO clue what my point is or was. Idk. Thanks for sharing the journal though. lol
I will definitely admit that I'm not perfect. I could stand to loose a 5-10 pounds. My problem is not really the way I eat. I try to stick to all natural or organic foods.......we do allow, as this journal so eloquently put it, treats from time to time. I'll admit my problem is that I don't exercise like I should. Inactivity is a big part of the problem with many in this country, but I still think that food is a bigger problem. An inactive person that eats right is not going to be fat......in most cases.....although, they won't be as healthy and strong as they would if they exercised. I put on a lot of weight with my pregnancies. Some of that was, I'm sure, due to hormones, but I'll be the first to admit that my portion control was WAY out of whack when I was pregnant! I can only blame myself that I haven't lost it all after my youngest was born. I lost much of it, purely from eating right, but if I would put the time and effort into exercising, I know I could reach that goal.
Aww, Xakana, you know me enough to know that rants like this NEVER include medical problems! I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't think that, considering I gained 96 pounds in 3 years because of a medical problem, regardless of what I ate (or didn't) and what I did (or didn't do). Now in 9 months, after getting the problem identified and getting medication, I've lost almost 40 pounds.
But medical issues and adults who have self-image problems aren't what I'm talking about. I'm only really talking about the KIDS, who parents are the enablers and providers of the food, who LET a 3 year old get to 80 pounds, or LET a 6 year old get to 220. Wouldn't you think when your 6 year old hit 100 pounds, unless they were really tall, you'd take action THEN? I know the first (and ONLY!) time I stepped on a scale and it went over 200, I was about ready to become anorexic, if that's what it took. That number scared the CRAP out of me!
And of course, lifestyle has a HUGE impact, but that's part of the "change what you're doing if your kid is GETTING fat" instead of waiting until they're dangerously fat before you change things.
I definitely would prefer a CHUBBY kid (not fat, because that has a lot of health problems and psychological problems of it's own) to one obsessed with dieting, and possibly becoming anorexic or bulimic. That's a whole other aspect though. You can change your family's diet and lifestyle for the better, and healthier, WITHOUT damaging self-esteem. If you force your child to eat healthy food and exercise, but you sit on your butt with chips, THAT is detrimental, of course! Which is why not only should the children be outside playing and getting exercise and eating right, but it should be a FAMILY endeavour. Most of the kids you see that are unusually and frighteningly overweight have VERY large parents as well... obesity has been referred to as a social disease, in that the people around you and THEIR habits definitely influence your own. So, a family that diets and exercises together, is going to do better ALL AROUND, for everyone, and form a bond of unity, rather than damaging a child by singling them out as "the fat one."
I'm not perfect by any means. I suck at cooking and hate it, so my husband and I barely even eat, and what we do eat, isn't all that great. What Rowan eats is premade, processed things, but as healthy as I can get them, like applesauce, string cheese, yogurt (NOT the kid stuff), apples, bananas, broccoli with cheese, etc. I know we could do a lot better. Hubby and I need to eat more than once or twice a day, and I need to actually cook. But, I also know that unlike these parents on these shows, if Rowan were throwing a temper tantrum and holding his breath until he passed out over COOKIES, he would NOT be getting a cookie - they would go in the TRASH!
Dr. Phil pointed out to these moms, "If the only thing in the house is healthy food and snacks, what are your children going to eat?"
One mom responded, "Well, they'd eat healthy or starve."
THAT'S my point. These people have kids who treat food like a DRUG, and they're their dealers! If they were addicted to alcohol and crying and going into withdrawal over it, would you buy them a 40? No freakin' way! You'd try to keep them away from alcohol as much as possible, while helping them out, being supportive, and finding other ways to keep them happy. The SAME thing goes with unhealthy food, treats, or even TV... it's a fun thing to have, and can be nice to have, but the SECOND that you can't go without it, or start getting upset because you don't have it, it has become a PROBLEM, that needs to be cut off and dealt with.
And don't worry about cussing, Xakana... you have no idea how much I filter my own language on here. I'm married to a sailor, afterall. ;)
Good point Janeen, especially considering you know my stance on formula. It is really hard to get the RIGHT information, when even medical professionals are spouting out crap.
I do know that some issues with obesity are medical problems, or heriditary.
The thing is, I can't just believe that it's medical or genetic, when the rate of obesity, especially in children, in OUR country has skyrocketed like mad, but in other developed countries, like France, the problem isn't existant. I know there's a lot more to the current crisis than just food as well, such as kids not getting the exercise they did.
Xakana brought up a good point on that aspect as well, that when we were young, we could run around our neighborhoods all day, and our parents wouldn't worry about us, as long as you were home before dark. Nowadays, most people are NOT going to do that, especially not with children who are still in single-digit ages. That means that, A. kids are not getting as much time outside, both from fear from the parents, and also because the parents want to watch them, but can't spend all day outside, so it's limited to a matter of hours (if the child's lucky) of supervised, outdoor play.
I know a lot of my rant wasn't insanely specific, but the moms on Dr. Phil don't have these problems. These women were medicating their children with food, and acting like they were completely helpless when their 6 year old stole ice cream and cookies in the middle of the night, or their 3 year old was throwing fits until she passed out over sweets. That's nothing but BAD parenting.
One of the mothers had a 15 year old girl, who weighed upward of 350 pounds. She already had PCOS, type 1 diabetes, joint problems, asthma... practically half of the risks with severe obesity. Now, this girl had been to see multiple doctors, and wasn't getting better... HOWEVER, Dr. Phil played a message FROM one of her doctors, who said that the mom had been told to take her daughter for multiple surgeries, and did not, and was told to get her daughter counseling, and did not. She was non-compliant with all orders that involved any effort on her behalf, which obviously, is to the detriment of her daughter. The doctor went so far as to say that they were considering whether or not CPS needed to be involved in this situation due to the mother's non-compliance, that was a direct risk to her daughter's life.
Now, on another aspect, I understand that not being in your "ideal" weight range doesn't mean you're unhealthy by any means. However, NO ONE can deny that being morbidly obese has negative health effects, such as the ones the 15 year old had, in addition to things like cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, stroke, heart attack, incontinence, infertility, bone damage, and even lose of blood flow, leading to the possibility of amutation of limbs. Being VERY overweight IS unhealthy. If you can't function at the same level you would minus 150lbs, then you ARE unhealthy in your weight, period.
Now, I'm 165lbs. Ideal weight for my height varies, especially on scales that take bone structure into account, but it's somewhere between 117-130lbs. Now, at this weight, I function FINE. I'm not really concerned about health issues with my weight, but it's all self-esteem at this point, and my weight gain was caused by a medical problem which had plenty of OTHER consequences other than weight gain, and the weight loss is only a great side affect from taking care of the other medical issues. Ovarian cysts can be really serious if not taken care of, and mine are being taken care of. Weight is just a fraction of the things it's done to my body, both when it wasn't under control, and now that it is.
But again, that kind of thing is NOT what I'm discussing, either. I'm talking about the people who eat due to self-control problems, other issues, non-medical, and psychological in nature, and most importantly, the parents who are encouraging very UNhealthy eating habits in their children, to the extent where their children are very ill, treating food like a drug, and even get homeschooled because of how badly their weight affects their social life.
I really, honestly, just don't get how your daughter could hit 300 pounds as a preteen, and parents NOT do everything in their damned power to do something about it, from doctor-hopping, to reaching out to medical assistance programs, etc. I'm just wondering at what point in these parents' heads do they realize that what they're allowing, and often instilling, in their children, is unhealthy, mentally and physically, and could actually result in their child's DEATH?
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