'Overweight' Letters From Schools Outrage Parents

[The Straight Story]

'Overweight' Letters From Schools Outrage Parents

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Parents are outraged over letters being sent home from Central Florida schools calling their children overweight.

...
"I don't feel that it's accurate," parent Solan Udell said. "I don't feel that he's overweight. You don't look at my son and say he's overweight."

"It makes me feel bad for my son, I guess," parent Kiely Solby said. "I don't want anything negative said about my son. You try for the best for your children."

Solby and other parents are blasting Florida's latest health screening report cards, calling the findings pure insult and bad math, Local 6's Mike Holfeld reported.

...
"They felt like they were being accused of something," Orange County school health services Regina Hayward said.

That prompted the county to develop a new letter explaining the screening isn't fool proof and doesn’t take muscle mass or bone structure into account.


http://www.local6.com/spotlight/16259092/detail.html

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. The DU fat bashing brigade should be along any minute now....

:hide:

[Winterblues]

6. Not sure I would know how to defend being fat....

I think gluttony is one of the cardinal sins isn't it..

[Warpy]

9. Nobody wants to be fat

and if we had a permanent weight loss solution, nobody would be fat.

The statistics are dismal. No matter what weight loss strategy is used, from diet to massive exercise programs to gastric surgery, 90% of people who achieve their ideal weight will gain it back within five years.

Something besides a moral failure is at work.

[CRF450]

15. I'll tell whats at work

All the greasy high caloried crap food we're feeding on is making us fat, not to mention lack of excersise, especially the case for children when they're doing nothing but sitting in front of the tube playing video games. Additionally, schools are not making PE/recess a high priority like they really should. Some elementary schools have basically thrown recess out the window, and cut down on heavy physical activities over concerns of kids getting hurt.

[Blue Diadem]

41. Something we've noticed,

My daughter and I were discussing this very subject the other night after attending my granddaughter's soccer game. The parents are assigned to bring drinks and snacks after each game. The other night, the kids all had their bag of treats and soft drink and then the coach wanted everyone to go out for ice cream. We declined and at first my granddaughter was upset but quickly got over it as she finished her snacks and sugary drink.

I just don't get it. My 3 kids all played sports and there may have been a trip or two for ice cream during the season, but they never had snacks and drinks after each game..and then ice cream on top of it.

[CRF450]

59. Yeah sodas arent a good idea in highly physical activities

Durring my summer job, when I'm out in 85-100 degree weather, I strickly stick to water. IMO no other drinks can rehydrate you like water can. When I'm not working/sweating hard, I can crack open an icy cool can of Mountain Dew and I'm all set. I dont drink those as often as I used to anymore though.

[wtmusic]

65. I'll disagree with that.

For aerobic activities like running/cycling sugary drinks are a convenient source of energy. The carbonation is useless, but sucrose is a medium-glycemic index carb which is great at providing energy quickly when it's needed.

Most people would benefit more from a carb/electrolyte/water mix that skips the artificial color, carbonation, etc.

[Blue Diadem]

143. The kids all have water and/or gatorade during the game

I remember it being water and gatorade with my kids teams too. I'm concerned with the additional calories..especially adding ice cream on top of the other treats and the sweetened drinks. These are 8-10 yr old girls and about 1/4th of the team is overweight enough to affect the way they walk and run. They play on average 3 games a week plus practice, IMO, it defeats all the exercise they're getting.

[KamaAina]

53. "Additionally, schools are not making PE/recess a high priority like they really should."

Atlanta has gone so far as to eliminate recess because it cut into instructional time!

Thus, if Bush** had grown up in Atlanta, there wouldn't have been any subject he could have passed. :P

[CRF450]

66. Hey, education is a big thing for sure...

But kids need to be let outstide and be kids. I'v seen stuff (and I'm sure you have too) like dodge ball being outlawed from some schools because of sue happy, over protective parents.

Fear mongers have really turned us into a country full sissies with no guts.

[Igel]

96. Eh, PE.

It doesn't do that much good. Seriously: The three hours a week I spend in PE often consisted of standing around on a baseball diamond (not much running there), trotting around aimlessly on a football field, or competing with 20 other kids for doing gymnastics on three-four pieces of equipment. Lacrosse was pretty much like football. Now, soccer and track/field burned off some calories, but they were only for a few weeks out of the year. I got more exercise walking to school.

The girls had bowling. Interpretive dance. Theirs was less strenuous than ours.

The exercise came out of school. Pickup football, basketball, baseball games. Biking. Out playing in the woods, often involving lots of running. Swimming. Climbing trees. If you stayed home, there were chores (usually involving yardwork), homework, reading for pleasure or listening to records and--in the evening--tv. Except that if it was still light out my parents and those of my friends usually kicked us outside. We could play pool at a friend's house, or just hang out ... until *his* parents kicked us out.

Most kids didn't go to burger joints, they didn't have the money; eating out was a rare occurrence. Most parents made their own meals, where "making" wasn't "heating up pre-prepared food". This was late '60s/early-mid '70s, at the beginning of the uptick in obesity and weight. Pre-made food, eating out, and computer/video games were just hitting pop culture when I left school. Now they're endemic.

[MadHound]

90. It isn't fear of kids getting hurt

It is the ongoing lack of money, and now with NCLB, lack of time that is forcing PE, along with art, music and many other things out the window.

[reformedrethug]

103. BINGO!!!

Kids today do not go outside and play, they dont play kickball, dodgeball, tag, cops n robbers, nothing. What they do is sit in front of the tv and play video games or get on their computers.

[Thothmes]

109. Have to agree with you

In my neighborhood, you never see kids outside acting like kids.

[CRF450]

110. I fuckin loved kickball

Including dodgeball, unless the other kids had really good hands, I was hard to hit out LOL. When I get in the face, I either went to the nurse (I got hit in the eye pretty good one time, parents said "oh dont worry, it'll heal and go away") or cried it off and continued playing in the next round.

[reformedrethug]

127. Oh yea, I remember the following rule:

No blood, no foul. Growing up anytime I got hurt, if I was bleeding or had bone sticking out I was taken care of. Otherwise no harm no foul LOL

[rpannier]

108. I agree with you

But, I would start with the lack of physical exercise as being the prime cause.
Physical exercise burns excess fat and is good for your heart and your body.

The lack of recess is a serious problem (IMO)...Thank you NCLB. I live and work in Korea. For our elementary aged girls every class is 40 mins followed by a 10 min break. Our Middle School daughter is 45 and 10.
That break gives them a chance to run around, socialize and get exercise.

My girls eat a lot of crap. But, they're all thin because of exercise -- and because they don't eat crap all day.
Plus, the school lunches in Korea are not individualized lunches -- this helps.

[New Dawn]

119. I do not think outdoors play is necessary

What would be good to promote is: eating only two normal sized meals per day, and zero snacking in between meals.

[wtmusic]

16. Warpy

where did you get your 90% stat from?

[Warpy]

29. Medical trades.

Very informative reading.

[panzerfaust]

150. Likely not that dismal

Though I realize that the (unreferenced save for "Medical Trade") 90% figure quoted was for those who reached IBW, which is a minority in any weight loss program, not for the majority who fail to achieve that goal, this does seem needlessly dismal.

IBW is Ideal Body Weight with "Ideal" defined as in no increase in morbidity and mortality as occurs with being overweigh. Though, yes, if you are underweight you will likely live longer than those at IBW - lots of recent non-human animal studies show that caloric restriction results in a longer average life-span.

Anyhow, a recent meta-analysis supports that the idea that "Compared with conventional management, surgery resulted in greater weight loss (21 kg weight loss at eight years versus weight gain), with improvements in quality of life and comorbidities..."

Obesity surgery, though often done, in my opinion, by opportunistic and rapacious surgeons (I have had too many people with complications from these surgeries dumped at my public hospital on a Friday night), it can truly be a life saving operation, as the natural progression without surgery (or with very difficult lifestyle changes) is a significant shortening of one's life.

Those who argue that you can be morbidly obese and healthy (as Sojourner Magazine did for many years) either have not looked at the data, or have not understood it.

Don't tell me about your 'really fat Gran' who is 'healthy as a horse'. For one thing, horses only live for about 20-30 years in captivity (less in the wild), but, more importantly, an individual case means nothing - except that that person is lucky - for just as there are people who smoke 5 packs of cigarettes a day and die at 92, there are people like the fat Gran who live a long time. But on average, both smoking and morbid obesity shorten one's lifespan: This has been shown repeatedly.

This was recently brought to light in a political discussion in Australia, where it was pointed out that "Stop Smoking" and "Weight Loss" programs did not SAVE the government money (as was being argued as a reason to support them) by cutting health-care costs for lung cancer, kidney failure, stroke, and heart attack, but would actually end up costing the government much more, as the people lived longer.

[CoffeeCat]

18. People are anesthetizing themselves with food..

This entire country has PTSD.

[Fireweed247]

28. That and all the prozac, zoloft, and other crap they have kids on

probably isn't helping either.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

32. People are medicating the CRAP out of their kids!

It's unbelievable how many drug-dependent kids I know.

[CoffeeCat]

116. I agree with you...

My opinion probably stretches farther than yours though. I think that anyone
who puts a child on anti-depressants is a child abuser.

We're such a sick society right now. Everyone is supposed to feel flat-lined--including
children. If they don't fall into the cookie-cutter mold, just dope them up to control
them.

So sick.

Can you imagine what Jim Carrey must have been like in 3rd grade? If he had been a victim
of lazy, uninformed parenting--he probably would have been on ten different mood stabilizers
and he would have grown up to be a tax attorney--instead of a brilliant comedian!

Just my 2 cents...

[mrreowwr_kittty]

14. ....That didn't take long.

:eyes:

[Missy Vixen]

33. Of course it doesn't

It's yet another chance for the thin to feel morally superior to those of us who just didn't win the genetic and metabolic lottery.

:eyes:

Julie

[mrreowwr_kittty]

36. The thing is, a lot of them aren't thin.

I've seen so many posts by people who claim to be "working on losing that last 20 lbs. so I know how hard it is to lose weight blah blah blah..." You'd think they'd know better, but they act like they don't.

But IMHO, the most annoying weight scolds are formerly slightly overweight people who lost a couple of pant sizes through diet and exercise one time and extrapolate their experience to people who are struggling with morbid obesity and/or medical conditions that preclude easy weight loss.

[Missy Vixen]

40. I'm consistently amazed at the beautiful people that post here

Let's face it: I attended a DU get together two years ago at which I specifically asked that the only photo of me allowed was one in which my face was partially obstructed. I just can't keep up with the hotties around here, that's for sure.

I agree with you on the formerly slightly overweight here as well. I wouldn't dream of telling someone else to "overcome your genetics" or eat a starvation diet, but they have no problem with it.

Julie

[mrreowwr_kittty]

42. Yep, a bunch of Brads and Angelinas is what we have here.

I know, I've been to get-together too. ;)

[The Straight Story]

54. I resemble that remark

:rofl:

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

50. If obesity rates were not skyrocketing

you might have a valid point but rates are going up because of lifestyle.

* 26 percent of U.S. children watch four or more hours of television per day.
* 67 percent of U.S. children watch two or more hours per day.
* Almost half (48 percent) of all families with tweens have all four of the latest media staples: TV, VCR, video game equipment and a computer.
* The bedroom of the 21st century child is a multimedia environment. Of children 9 - 13 years old, more than half (57 percent) have a TV in the bedroom; 39 percent have video game equipment; 30 percent have a VCR; 20 percent a computer and 11 percent Internet access." (VERB Fact Sheet)

But Im sure you're right diet and exercise have *nothing* to do with the increasing rates..

[mrreowwr_kittty]

57. You're exactly one of the people I was talking about.

Newsflash: Your personal experience is not universally applicable.

Furthermore, your stats are just all the more reason to take those undeserved tax credits away from middle class parents so they can't buy as many of those high tech amenities. Looks like they're not spending it on health insurance premiums after all, eh?

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

72. really I never would have known

:sarcasm:

News flash for many people *it is* applicable, increasing rates leads more towards lifestyle and diet than it does to genetic or medical conditions. But why let logic on one topic stop you from trying to pick a fight on another..

I sure hope you dont mind kids who got tax credits taking care of any medical conditions you might have in a few decades.. Go ahead and berate the nurses of tomorrow..

[mrreowwr_kittty]

78. So if the kids grow up to be obese and/or not nurses, can we get the money back?

:shrug:

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

80. Youll be dead by then so Ill put a flower on your grave, we will

find you one away from all those awful breeders..

[mrreowwr_kittty]

81. You guys aren't awful. Many of you are a little too entitled-acting for my taste.

Not to mention sanctimonious and grandiose. Procreating does not make you a wise elder sage on all things.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

82. But it does supply the next generation

who on a micro level might end up fat, drug addicted, criminals but on the marco level end up providing the social services that breeders and non breeders alike need..

[distantearlywarning]

61. Back again for more fat-bashing I see.

I guess you didn't get enough from that flaming thread last week.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

73. I was flaming?

hmm I had no post pulled meanwhile some others who were attacking me had many pulled... Yea I was the troublesome one..

Not bashing fat people as any non reactionary person reading my post can clearly see. but if sticking your head in the sand and cursing to the worms that people concerned about *rising* obesity rates among kids are bigots well then have at it..

[distantearlywarning]

76. No, I meant you were back for more.

More ego-feeding at the expense of your fellow DUers who don't happen to have as superior a metabolism as you.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

79. I have a crappy metabolism

hence as others have said I'm one of those people who are overweight and trying to lose it who are able to admit how I got here in the first place. Im not going to put my fingers in my ears and let my poor physique lead me to curse others who point out that there are pretty serious heath problems down the line for me should I not lose weight.

You can see in other post here who I think telling the kids parents needs to be done delicately and privately because its damn hard being overweight noth physically and mentally (kids can be very, very cruel).

[Clark2008]

74. And 90 percent of our food has high fructose corn syrup

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

77. Hence I said diet is part of the problem..

I'm totally willing to accept that, the problem is both diet and physical activity. When I was a kid I spent three hours a day out side (one at school and two at home). Most of my meals were not ready made (where you get into corn syrup and the like) and snacks were fruits or veggies.

The big question is should a parent be made aware of a potential health problem. The manner of sending the note home with the kids is clearly stupid but informing the parent?

BTW got a source for that 90%?

[TransitJohn]

100. A VCR is a latest media staple????

Where in the hell did you get those statistics, and when???? I gotta imagine the internet connectivity is higher than 11%, too.

[treestar]

137. Child metabolism

You are growing. You will burn it up. Kids do play video games but they also play sports.

It's silly to claim kids eat too much and don't exercise enough. Kids are growing and they can eat a lot without getting fat. They metabolize just sitting there.

I see them play outside and play sports a lot, too. Just because they have the video games doesn't mean that's all they do.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

141. Its not that they eat too much

its what they are eating (what we are all eating). I agree that a kid can pack it away like nothings business and if they are physically active several hours a day its no big problem.

[LanternWaste]

148. What are the contrasting rates for earlier periods?

What are the contrasting rates for earlier periods? Hard to tell if the numbers are going up or down if only one snapshot stat is provided...

[Scout]

31. cuz of course all people who are overweight are gluttons...

:eyes:

even if they WERE (which is not true) we don't give a good god damn about "cardinal sins"

[krabigirl]

105. LOL at you...

[AZBlue]

117. Wow....that didn't take long at all.

[timtom]

128. I find in myself that it's not overeating.

My portions are not more than the rest of my family's.

The problem is one of metabolic rate. And lack of exercise.

I'm 65.

It may just be metabolic issues with many of those youngsters.

So back off, fat police everywhere.

[treestar]

135. Oh come on, it is not nearly that simple

:rofl:

Age, metabolism, heredity, etc.

Maybe you are young. When you are older, you will weigh more even as you eat less.

Don't be so judgmental.

[AlCzervik]

7. there is almost no info in the article so why would there be bashing? that reporter

should try a little harder.

[CoffeeCat]

13. I've been everywhere on the weight map...

...from a size 2, up to a 16.

I really don't understand why anyone would want to "accept fat."

Fat is unhealthy. Being overweight is unhealthy.

Not everyone can be a size 6. Maybe a person's ideal size is 14...depending on
bone structure, muscle, etc.

However, let's not delude ourselves into celebrating fat. Are fat people terrible
or lesser-than? Hell no. Everyone deserves respect. I have friends who are all
shapes and sizes and I don't pick friends based on size, nor do I discriminate. I
experienced what it was like when I was overweight. You totally disappear. I have
complete sympathy.

However, let's not enable people. Let's help people feel better and be healthy. Let's
move toward empowering people to be their best selves--not to placate them and tell that
that it's perfectly fine to be out of shape, unhealthy and on the road to heart disease,
diabetes, and back problems.

I'm not into bashing fat people--but let's at least be clear about the fact that fat
is not a state you want to be in. It's not healthy.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

17. I've also been many weights and have never been obese

But at my plumper times, I've endured the attentions of "helpful" people and I can tell you that no one ever nagged, harangued, or shamed an ounce of weight off of me. People who are fat know they are fat. As for the children, these "fat letters" are a misguided effort that is bound to backfire. Shaming children like that is not just counterproductive, it's traumatic. If anything, it will cause weights to go up, not down.

[Missy Vixen]

43. Is "enabling" treating someone else as you'd like to be treated?

>However, let's not enable people. Let's help people feel better and be healthy.<

That's it. Let's nag, and shame, and "enable" those people to feel even more invisible than they do now. After all, this is more LOOKS than anything else, isn't it?

I submit that the vast majority don't give a shit about health. They care because they don't want to look at fat people, and I've read it here over and over and over and over in the past seven years. If you'd like an eye-opener on the subject, take yourself off to www.televisionwithoutpity.com and read the comments about Marissa Jaret Winokur's recent appearances on "Dancing With The Stars". Ms. Winokur danced CIRCLES around the "thin" and "fit", who were obviously winded after a minute and a half of aerobic exercise. They're thin, though, and that's all that's important, isn't it?

>I'm not into bashing fat people--but let's at least be clear about the fact that fat
is not a state you want to be in. It's not healthy.<

Let's be clear about the fact that the VAST majority of fat people don't want to be that way. The diet industry makes $33 billion a year in the USA. Why else would anyone undergo bariatric surgery, with a mortality rate of 1 in 200, for instance? They're desperate. They'd like to be treated as human beings, even if they have to permanently alter their digestive systems to do so.

Julie

[mrreowwr_kittty]

52. Spot on. It IS about looks.

When Jordin Sparks won American Idol last year, some awful woman, a self-appointed "obesity expert" took it upon herself to create an organization to "combat obesity" or whatever. She was able to milk it for 15 minutes of fame by getting on the talk show circuit and criticizing a lovely and talented young girl, who looks perfectly fine and healthy to me. She claimed that she was doing it because Jordin Sparks was promoting an unhealthy image for young women. You know, as opposed to the chain-smoking stick figures who grace the covers of magazines and the red carpets.

Here's the woman I'm talking about. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18537945/

Her name is MeMe. Fitting.

[distantearlywarning]

63. It's totally about looks.

The fat-bigots use the very convenient excuse of "health" to justify their behavior. But it really is simply about pushing another group of people down constantly so they can continue to feel superior about themselves. Just like human beings have done to one stigmatized group or another since the beginning of time.

Even the "it's for their own good and I wouldn't want to enable them in their poor lifestyle" justification is probably hundreds if not thousands of years. If you want to see it in more action, go over to FreepVille and search for threads on homosexuality or welfare. The assholes can call it anything they want, but in the end it's always about justifying bigotry of one sort or another.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

84. Which is why "concern for your health" starts at a MUCH lower weight for women than men.

It's uncanny how any woman over 120 lbs. is assumed to be fat and unfit, no matter her body type and activity level. Whereas you can say a guy weighs 350 lbs and people will still ask how tall he is and if he's an athlete before they assume he's obese.

Note my American Idol example above. I don't recall any "obesity expert" coming out on talk shows to bemoan Ruben Studdard's body mass, but one sure as hell was out there to slam Jordin Sparks, who is maybe a size 14, if that.

[Marr]

89. Women certainly do get a lot more of the fat bigotry than men, no

doubt about it. There are a lot of women out there with extremely out-of-whack body images because of it. A lot of men, too-- but with women it almost seems endemic.

Have you noticed how television shows will so often pair a very fit (or just extremely thin) woman with an man who is completely out of shape? It's all over the place. It's like it's just not an issue for the guy.

Still, if we're talking childhood obesity, I do think it's worth communicating with parents that their child is overweight, and that childhood obesity can lead to a lot of health problems down the road.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

93. The problem should be dealt with at a systemic level.

With such a high percentage of children being heavy and even having conditions, like Diabetes II, which were previously unheard of in juveniles. Obviously there's something majorly effed-up going on for so many young people to be heavy all of a sudden. We need to look at food supplies, school systems, community designs, and corporations instead of blaming and shaming individuals. OTOH, we need to treat people as the individuals they are, and not make blanket assumptions about someone's health based upon the numbers on the scale or on some BMI chart. I was as healthy, cardiovascular and otherwise, as a size 16 as I was as a size 4 as I am now at a size 8/10. I was less happy at the bigger size because of the way I was treated socially, but my health was not impacted and I have the numbers to prove. Oh, but I had one doctor express 'concern' about it. For my health, y'know. :eyes:

I hear you on the Hawt Thin Babe with Chubby Regular Looking Dude pairings. I'd like to see the reverse, a trim guy with a plump woman, just once. Of course, people would be coming out of the woodwork to tsk tsk about her "health".

[Marr]

95. That's something that people just don't get.

I think a lot of people figure if you don't look like a Soloflex ad, you aren't fit. And if you're thin, you're healthy. Bodies vary as much as faces. People have short limbs, long limbs, thick waists, narrow waists, you name it.

That's one of the problems I have with the whole "fit but fat" argument that was popping up around here recently. What people call "fat" is often nothing remotely similar to obese. It's often just a sturdier frame. I know a woman who was an alternate on the last Olympic swim team, and I heard someone describe her as 'a little chunky' or something to that effect. She's got hardly an ounce of fat on her. She's in incredible shape, she's just not built like a stick.

Oh and I do know of *one* pairing of a fit male and an overweight woman on television. Since this is the intarweb and my buddies can't hear me and make fun of me for the rest of my life, I will tell you. Days of Our Lives had one of those model guys married to an overweight woman. Yeah, I watch Days on my lunch sometimes. lol.

Anyway, just the exception that proves the rule.

[leftynyc]

132. There is one on

One Life To Live also - a guilty pleasure of mine for 30+ years. She was only supposed to be a short term player but people went crazy finally seeing a woman who was not a size 2.

[Nikia]

106. Which proves that it isn't about health

Men are a lot more likely to subcumb to "obesity related" ailments than women both as a correlatory effect (higher weight means higher risk) and without even being overweight. Women are less likely to suffer from these ailments, especially before menopause, and there isn't as high of correlation between being overweight and increased risk of problems especially in the "overweight" range. If society was really concerned about obesity as a health problem, there would be more pressure on men to lose weight than women. Instead women who aren't even medically overweight are encouraged to lose weight through calorie restriction.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

113. Damn right they would

Also, women tend accumulate fat more in their lower bodies, which puts less strain on the heart and other vital organs than abdominal fat. It's all about looks.

[Marr]

88. I don't think this is about looks.

If we're talking about childhood obesity, we're talking about getting parents to wake up to the fact that they may be setting their children up for a lot of health problems. The level of childhood obesity these days is astounding.

My own best friend has been overweight since I met him in first grade. He overeats and doesn't exercise. He had these habits almost thirty years ago when I met him, and he's never changed. We're 35 years old now and he's got diabetes and set of other health problems stemming from his lifestyle. If someone could've eased him out of these habits back when he was a little kid, he'd probably be in much better health today.

[Rainbowreflect]

47. I don't disagree with what you are saying, but for some people

it is much harder.
I have lost over 80lbs in the last 18 months. I have to work at it continually. I have had to change almost every part of my life.
I take my own food almost everywhere I go.
I exercise for 2 hours most days.
I have to give up a great deal of social activities that were important to me.
Some days it does not seem worth it, but most days for me it is.

I am not trying to sound like I think I am better than anyone else, what I am saying is some people do not have the time to put into it. Or have too many other issues in their lives. For some people it is easier to stay or get thin, some of us have to work very, very hard to get there.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

62. A few years ago, I was 30 lbs lighter than I am now and very fit.

It was exhilarating to finally have the cut physique I'd always dreamed of. OTOH, maintaining it was akin to a second part time job. Ditto on the 2 hours at the gym and counting every calorie. I've relaxed my personal standards considerably and it shows. Luckily for me, I'm still well within what is considered "normal" weight for a woman my height so I don't have to put up with crap from busybodies who are just trying to help. But I know people come in a wide variety of body types and metabolic rates, so my personal experience doesn't translate to everyone and that some people have to work just as hard to be average weight as I do to be "buff".

[panzerfaust]

151. Congratulations!

[Connonym]

125. It's a myth that you cannot be simultaneously overweight and healthy.

Your post clearly indicates you've got issues with weight but don't project your insecurities onto all overweight people. The empowerment comes from the realization that people come in all different sizes and people can be healthy at many different sizes and someone who weighs 400 lb has just as much a right to be happy and accepted as a part of society as does someone who weighs 100 lb. That's not enabling, that's learning to control your urge to judge.

[CoffeeCat]

133. Sorry, I don't agree with your statement at alll...

I do agree that "someone who weighs 400 pounds has just as much right to be happy
and accepted as part of society, as someone who weighs 100 lbs."

Every person has a right to dignity and to be respected--regardless of their weight.

We're not talking about that.

That's not enabling. That's not the enabling to which I was referring.

The enabling I'm talking about--is people who want to push the meme that it's healthy
to be 400 lbs---and morbidly obese--when clearly it's not. You're not helping anyone
when you try to make very unhealthy and obese people swim in denial--as if their extra
weight is just something that everyone else needs to get over.

When I was a size 16, I avoided the swimming pool because I was ashamed. I finally
decided that I was valuable, no matter what my size. I took my children to the pool
and I had a great time all summer. It was only after I totally accepted myself (and
others too) that the weight began to fall off. I wasn't trying to be a size 5 again, but
I finally realized that I deserved to be healthy, happy and fit.

People who are obese abuse food. These people need understanding, love and acceptance.
They don't need people judging them. However, they don't need the poison of denial which
only keeps them imprisoned in their own bodies, not living their fullest lives. Making
obesity en vogue is not some kind of virtue. It's irresponsible.

There is a casual relationship between being obese and heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Now, there is strong evidence of a link between being obese and Alzheimer's. Judging someone
isn't necessarily bad. Sometimes it's helpful. I think we can all agree that you'd "judge"
someone who was abusing drugs or alcohol. Being 400 lbs means you are abusing food.

The thought processes and habits that cause someone to weigh 400 lbs--are dysfunctional
and a form of self-abuse.

I accept people of all shapes and sizes. However, if a friend who was morbidly obese asked
for my advice--I would not tell her that she is just fine and everyone else is discriminating
against her. That would be an injustice and it would be doing a disservice to her.

There is a difference between accepting someone, regardless of their size---and celebrating
unhealthy, dysfunctional and dangerous behavior.

[wtmusic]

2. And they're off!

:popcorn:

IBTL

[AlCzervik]

3. the link is a little thin on details--hah, see what i did there? But seriously, there

is almost no info on the age and height or anything else so it's kind of difficult to say one way or the other.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. So we are now testing non-stop

and not just for academics.

Good grief.

[napi21]

8. When I was in grade school MANY MANY YEARS AGO, we got

an annual physical exam. They tested your eye sight, hearing, weight & height, and to be honest I don't recall what else, and a report would be sent home to your parents. I didn'r know they ever stopped doing that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. We only test vision and hearing here

[aikoaiko]

21. height, weight, vision on my report cards too.

Plus the turn-you-head-and-cough-while-your-gonads-are-being-grabbed test for sports.

[napi21]

5. Ok, so maybe I'm a fat basher, but a parent pretending that a problem

with their child doesn't exist because they don't want it to is just silly at best!

[mrreowwr_kittty]

23. Sending shaming letters home with kids is not the answer.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

30. Well youre spot on about not sending it with the kid

but sending a letter via the mail to a parent saying

"We are a bit concerned that bobby seems to be obese, long term this can do terrible things to his health and we would like to work with you, the parent, to help him have a more healthy life style. Together we can work on more activity and a better diet to help him have more healthy habits as he grows.

If there is a pre-existing medical condition of which we are unaware we would like to know what we can do to accommodate him. Please feel free to contact us."

--

Ignoring or celebrating this is far more unhealthy than confronting it..

[Johonny]

45. this I don't get

on one hand we are suppose to accept overweight is perfectly ok. On the other hand we have to accept that if the school informs you your kid is overweight then the school has shamed them. Either being overweight is acceptable or not. If you perfectly fine with your kid being overweight then the school has done nothing shameful because you believe being overweight is fine... something tells me the fact parents are unhappy is that deep down they feel guilt for their kids being overweight and because they know being overweight particularly as a child is not fine health wise.

[distantearlywarning]

58. The parent might be perfectly fine with the way their kid is

and even believe themselves that fat isn't bad, but still object to society labeling their child that way because they don't want their child to be hurt by others. After all, despite all of the American platitudes about "ignoring what other people think", none of us are still very good at doing that.

It's not that hard a concept.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

87. Replace the word "overweight" with "Jewish" in that statement and see if it sounds okay. nt

[PassingFair]

111. Or "stupid".

This is ridiculous.

"It has come to our attention that your
child is stupid...."

[KitSileya]

120. Or, you know....

"It has come to our attention that your child has rashes all over his skin. This might be a sign of meningitis, but if you don't want to acknowledge how dangerous it might be, just keep him away from the doctor!"


Perhaps the school could have chosen a better way to address the problem, but childhood obesity is dangerous. It is often a symptom that the kid is getting the wrong foods and the wrong level of activity, and can lead to diabetes, cardiac problems, and a whole host of other consequences. Or, if diet and exercise isn't the problem, large weight gains might be symptom of even more serious health issues. Parents see their children every day, and might not be consciously aware that their kid has gained a lot of weight. It's easy to deny it when the problem grows by an ounce or two a week - the school has no such blinders.

[PassingFair]

152. Unless the parents are known BLIND PEOPLE....

this is out of line no matter WHAT the rationale.

[ourbluenation]

138. oh come on. drama much?

[panzerfaust]

140. Shaming - ?

... or simply informative.

Have not seen the letter.

[Fireweed247]

10. So they are sending letters to the teachers

and administrators telling them they are fat as well?

[mrreowwr_kittty]

20. Yeah, according to statistics, 60% of them probably are.

This is what I don't get about the fat shaming. I'll bet 2/3 of the DUers who santimoniously opine about how hideously gluttonous Americans are carry a few extra pounds themselves.

[Midlodemocrat]

26. Some schools give the letters to the children to bring home.

So, yeah, they know.

[wtmusic]

12. "I don't want anything negative said about my son."

"I don't feel that he's overweight."

"I don't feel that I'm overprotective and in denial."

:crazy:

[panzerfaust]

136. Type-2 Diabetes

USED to be called AODM - ADULT Onset Diabetes Mellitus - but when so many kids started getting it, it was renamed to Type-2. Actually, first it was renamed as "Type-II", but people kept saying that they had Type-Eleven diabetes, so the Roman were replaced with the Arabic numerals.

Briefly, before it was AODM, it was called OADM - Obesity Associated Diabetes Mellitus: Which is truly what it was, and is. Had it not been for the need to be politically correct, it would not have had to have been renamed.

Yeah, I'm overweight (BMI 29) - in that respect I am a good American - but I keep trying to not be, only take up one airline seat, and blame nothing but my poor eating and exercise habits. Well. Not true. Actually, I blame being on-call and up all night eight or more times a month which leads me to eat very bad types of food to keep my sugar/caffeine high so can keep going.

[GreenEyedLefty]

19. The question is, is it the school's place to do something like this?

Regardless of the parents' denial, this does seem to be a bit of overreach, IMO.

[harun]

48. Probably not, but have you seen how huge children are now?

Something needs to be said by somebody.

[Quantess]

124. Agreed!

Are people not alarmed at how overweight kids are these days? They're developing heart disease too young.

[alarimer]

I don't know but the schools need to stop serving junk food for lunch.

They also need to BAN coke and junk food machines. For many schools that has been a way to increase revenues for budgets that have been cut drastically. They also need MANDATORY PE classes and classes on nutrition and health. Not to demonize those who are overweight. But being overweight is decidedly NOT healthy. It is a risk factor for many diseases(heart disease, diabetes).

[Regret My New Name]

67. Agreed. Also, if school took extra initiative in regards to that

then they wouldn't look like hypocrites.

[Marr]

91. Many schools have outsourced their meals, which doesn't help.

Where you once had a group of cafeteria workers who actually *cooked* the meals each day, you now have cut rate, off-site operations that churn out garbage for the kids to eat. Empty calories.

[Igel]

97. Our pediatrician does precisely this.

Then again, our kid's four and still goes in for 'well child' visits.

On one visit, the parents of a couple little absurdly chubby kids commented on how skinny our kid is. I looked at them, and after dismissing mental images of gooses force-fed to produce pate, wondered if they'd be diabetic before puberty, or after. I also wondered how the pediatrician would point out their obesity--they considered this a good thing.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

22. I am of two minds on this..

One of the primary reasons kids start to get over weight is too much couch time at home and a poor diet to boot. It can sneak up on people and it will be far easier for these kids to develop good habits and lose the weight now rather than later. Its irresponsible to try to improve their minds and ignore their bodies.

"I don't want anything negative said about my son. You try for the best for your children."

I understand the feeling but you cant go through life making sure your kids never hears anything bad about themselves and sometimes you have to confront something which in the near term might make them feel bad but be better in the long term.

--

At the same time kids, in particular, have a huge variety of healthy shapes and sizes and sticking strictly to the BMI is not helpful. Maybe if the school reserved it for kids who are *way* outside the BMI range (into the obese and morbidly obese) and even the apply a common sense filter to it. Kid might mathematically look obese but if he is plainly not because of high muscle density at the nurses digression don't send a letter.

Finally the letter needs to be sent in the mail, without the kid or his peers knowing about it, let the parents deal with it in private.

[Fireweed247]

24. Why don't they try testing our food supply instead?

What if it is our GM food, corn syrup in everything,vitamin depleted soils, pre-packaged fried crap they serve for school lunches, the fact that kids can't bike to school because they might be hit by a SUV, our violent terror filled society full of child molesters and kidnappers so that parents don't give their kids the freedom to go outside...

[demmiblue]

44. :clap:

Or: poverty

Or: the cutting out of physical education due to curricular pressures

Or: the stress on families in these economic times

Or: on, and on, and on, and on....


As you point out, weight issues do not have a single source! It is far too simplistic to just say, "our kids eat too much!"

Some schools are at least addressing the issue of quality food for lunches, but not many!


P.S. Would you like some tater tots with your post?!


:thumbsup:

[lapislzi]

70. FIRST thing I thought of!

What kind of crap is on the school lunch menu? Pizza? Nachos? Chicken nuggets? Fries? Coke machine in the cafeteria (but Coke donates to the schools dontcha know)? My daughter's school even offers waffles for lunch.

Of course it's the parents' responsibility to guide kids to a healthy diet. But the school should be supporting their efforts, not undermining them with swill. And if the parents have lousy nutrition, the school could at least provide one healthy meal.

[Marr]

92. I agree we get a lot of crap food here, but Americans also eat far too

much food. Our portions must be at least three times the size of a portion in, say, France. We've become accustomed to the super-size meal.

Remember when AM/PM's big attention-grabber was the "Thirsty-Two Ouncer"? It seemed like an enormous drink back then. Now it's the medium. I think the big one is either 96oz. or 112oz. now. It's nuts.

[CPschem]

25. "I don't feel that he's overweight"

Um, that's why we have metrics. I have absolutely no problem with these letters. It's a great public health intervention IMO.

[wtmusic]

34. Ex-actly.

I grew up overweight and my mom would have said the same thing (she grew up in the Depression and being overweight meant you were rich).

I wish my school had sent a letter home.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

38. Yeah, I'm sure a letter sent home would have been a magical catalyst

If you grew up overweight, then obviously the social stigma you undoubtedly suffered was not enough to take pounds off of you so why would a letter to your mother have done it?

[wtmusic]

49. Because both I and my mom were in denial

IMO the cold hard fact that I was overweight and some suggestions for weight loss would have helped.

When I look at my old report cards my gym teacher tiptoed around it..."wtmusic tires easily...he can't participate in some activities...blah blah..."

IMO many people are in denial, and the "social stigma" is not enough. There are too many ways to feel good about being overweight, but where a distinction should be made is not equating one's physique with self-esteem and acceptance. People can still feel good about themselves and be overweight, and ironically I think it makes the problem worse when the fact is denied.

[Dukkha]

56. it's the same as a head lice letter

or ADD, hygiene, or physical abuse issues. if it's a legitimate health concern they should inform the parents.

[Regret My New Name]

69. If I had kids I'd be pissed off if they checked him for lice....

I mean, I don't want to hear anything negative about him or her.... ;)

[JerseygirlCT]

112. I have to agree. Embarrassing, maybe painful, but

if it's a serious health concern, the parents need to be made aware of it.

It's hard to see any "flaw" in our darlings sometimes. But sometimes their health is at stake, and changes made while they're still young may save their lives.

Hopefully, the letter causes a concerned parent to see the pediatrician and get some more information.

Far, far too many children these days are overweight. Not chubby, but seriously in trouble. Ignoring that to save feelings risks their lives. It's not worth it.

[Not_Giving_Up]

27. We got health screening reports a couple of weeks ago.

Both of my kids were checked off as underweight. I understand that for my son because he's 5'3 and only weighs 90 pounds. My daughter is just plain tiny, and well balanced. Yes, my son has been checked for all manner of things because he has a hard time gaining weight. He's 14 and eats me out of house and home. He's fine, he just got his Dad's metabolism.

[Sabriel]

35. Maybe they should start in their own backyard/playground

Where do kids do a lot of eating each day? At school.

Where do kids do not much moving around or meaningful exercise? At school.

Where do teachers had out tons of candy and other crap to kids as "incentives"? At school.

That's a captive audience they have there. Schools can't do much about what happens once students leave the building, but they CAN impact their health by changing school lunches, removing vending machines, and removing sugary snacks/treats from classrooms. Oh, and how about not making kids sit in their seats all the live-long day?

Maybe then they can send home the letter, after they've policed themselves.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

39. Yeah, and are the fat teachers and administrators getting letters too?

After all, they're setting a bad example for the kids by being fat. :sarcasm:

[MiniMe]

37. With the cost of food going up so much, it is going to get harder and harder

to feed kids a healthy nutrutios diet. When you have to stretch the budget, you go for things like pasta which fills you up.

[UndertheOcean]

46. Banning all Sugary nonnutritious softdrinks at school will probably save those kids from

a couple hundred calories a day ... very helpful.

Many kids don't think twice about drinking soda, and how much empty calories they get from it , they need to be EDUCATED about proper and healthy nutrition.

All schools must have a daily PE class ....

But shaming the kids is not helpful at all , private letters must be sent through mail to the parents.

And if they do it , they need to do it properly , by measuring actual body fat rather than just depending on BMI

[JerseygirlCT]

114. Completely agree, on all counts

Soda has no place in schools. Neither do candy machines. And too many school lunches are nutritional nightmares.

Kids should never be shamed. This is information to go privately to the parents. Absolutely agree. And the information on which the assessment is made should be the right information and carefully gathered.

[Beregond2]

51. It sounds like

these were reports of the Body Mass Index, a completely ridiculous and outmoded methodology. Using that method, you can be at 2% bodyfat, and be reported as "obese" if you weigh enough. What matters is fat percentage, which is harder and more expensive to determine accurately, so they fall back on this absurd calculation.

[distantearlywarning]

55. I think everybody in this thread is missing the most interesting part of this story:

Take a closer look at the parent's response - it will tell you a lot about how we view fat in this society, and why sending letters home is bound to fail as a public health measure until we stop viewing fat that way.

The two important phrases are: "You don't look at my son and say he's overweight" and "I don't want anything negative said about my son".

What this parent really believes is: "Fat is only something that has to do with how you look on the outside" AND "Fat is something that is stigmatizing for a person to have". Notice that she doesn't mention health, or physical fitness, or his ability to play sports, or anything like that. She mentions LOOKS and STIGMA, because that's what FAT is in our society.

Contrast her reaction to FAT with an imagined hypothetical reaction to a letter about a health issue that isn't stigmatized and you'll see what I mean: "your son needs a measles shot", or "your son has mild nearsightedness", or even "your daughter is slightly underweight for her age". It seems unlikely that she would be so angry about any of these hypothetical health issues. It's not about her being in denial about her child's health problems, it's about defending him from being put in a lower status category in this society.

Receiving that letter about FAT is, for her, like receiving a letter from the school in 1945 saying that the school has discovered her child is black. "He's not black! Just look at him! He looks white to me! And I feel bad that anyone would be saying such a negative thing about my son!"

See, in her eyes, the school is not telling her that her son needs help with a health problem. In her eyes, the school is telling her that her son is BAD WRONG UGLY STIGMATIZED DOOMED TO FAILURE AS A HUMAN BEING, which she of course is going to disagree with because she loves him and doesn't think he's bad or wrong or ugly.

So she's never going to grasp the health implications of obesity for her son, because she, like everybody else in this country, is totally unable to separate the real issues surrounding weight from the giant neon overlay of fat = socially anti-normative. And letters about it will just make her mad and defensive, not encourage her to help her son.

And that extends to this entire culture, IMO. Personally, I believe we will never make progress on this issue until we stop thinking that FAT is the same thing as BAD. The stigmatization of weight in America only results in people feeling shamed and defensive and angry. And being kind to others is not the same thing as "enabling" (before any fat bigots think they need to waste their breath about that topic).

Beyond that, perhaps the school should take a look at what aspects of classroom life might be enabling weight problems in students and endeavor to fix those on a systemic level (e.g., recess, cafeteria food, gym class, etc.)

[UndertheOcean]

64. Good post !

[mrreowwr_kittty]

86. Thank you for a well stated observation and solution.

The problem needs to be addressed at a systemic, not individual, level. Singling out students with an embarassing letter only exascerbates the shame and stigma.

[JerseygirlCT]

115. Yes, very good post! nt

[AngryAmish]

60. NOT MY PRECIOUS SNOWFLAKE!!!!

Florida, of course.

[El Pinko]

68. What is the deal with parents today?

Their kids get an F dor plagiarism and they just about riot, at little league games, the PARENTS fight over trivial disagreements, and now, instead of using the schools' professional evaluation of their kids as overweight as an impetus to help get their kids on the track to better health, they wallow in denial and complain about the school looking out for their kids' health?

:wtf:


That being said, any school that sells Little Debbies and Cokes at a "snack bar" or machines has no right sending such notices out.

[Regret My New Name]

71. I agree with ya 100%

In fact I was gonna say the exact same thing, with the exact words, in the exact same order, but then I figured it would be wrong to copy and paste what you just wrote and claim it as my own.

But seriously, I don't see the problem with pointing out the problems when it comes to children's weight. The person in the article shows why it is needed. She doesn't even realize that her child is overweight. Sometimes we need that to be pointed out us... I know when I was overweight I didn't realize how far over I was. I knew I was bit, uhhh, chunky, but I didn't realize how much until I made a real effort to be healthy. I think our sense of "healthy" weight is pretty damn skewed. That being said, I think it's wrong for them to send such letters out if the school isn't doing their part though. Such as getting rid of junk food and having decent physical education.

[conflictgirl]

75. How much you want to bet the school also serves crap food and cut recess?

I'm willing to bet money that as the school is sending home letters about the overweight kids, the school is likely contributing to the kids' obesity by cutting recess (so more time can be spent studying for the NCLB-related tests of course), having school materials sponsored by Domino's and Pepsi and cafeteria meals that are abysmally low quality. I went to some kindergarten-readiness thing at my kid's school last year in which they fed us cafeteria meals - breaded chicken patty along the lines of like Banquet frozen meals, served with mayo packets on white buns, with corn, canned peaches in heavy syrup, a little pouch of pretzels and a milk carton. As someone who used to eat like that I can tell you that it did give me pre-diabetes, and I was substantially more overweight after a few years of eating that way. If kids are eating those meals every day then it's no surprise they're obese, especially if they're eating comparable food at home.

I'm not saying that the school shouldn't be trying to reform the kids' health or that the overly-defensive parents are right. And I DO carry a few extra pounds myself and need to do better with my own diet and am the first to admit it. But maybe if the schools want to do something about the problem of child obesity, they should start with reforms in the aspects they can control - like the policies affecting what takes place in their own buildings.

[snooper2]

83. it's just going to get worse...people are lazy

100 years ago you HAD to cook food...now it's all pre-packaged crap...
100 years ago kids PLAYED for entertainment, now they play PS3
100 years ago people had to actually WALK, now they plop on escalators and ride handicapped motor carts while shopping

It's not fucking rocket science....And yes, you can shop and buy GOOD FOOD on the same budget you pay for pre-packaged crap...

Get up and cook This for breakfast..


Instead of nuking This shit



Take leftover dinner to lunch


Instead of buying this crap




COOK DINNER



Instead of being lazy and throwing this shit in the microwave




Oh, and if you want a snack, there are things call "fruit"



You don't need sugar in a plastic wrap

[gatorboy]

85. Both sides are to blame quite honestly. Schools have exterminated physical activity.

Yes, parents should pay more attention to what their children put in their bodies but the school system has destroyed the physical activity aspect of school. When I was young, we had 2.5 recesses PLUS P.E. daily. Now P.E. is once a week and the recess is what's left of your time after lunch. Desker-fucking-cising is not gonna cut it.

Parents need to get involved an d push physical education back into the program.

[Swamp Rat]

94. "No soup... Ding Dongs for you!"

[avenger64]

98. Hey, I hear they taser fat kids down there ....

.... n/t

[Broken_Hero]

99. My gut reaction to the OP

Is that the letters aren't necessary...the kid mentioned in the link is what, 15lbs overweight, but with the stigma of being overweight, it seems like if you use the term "obese" people automatically think of Jabba the Hut.

Being 15lbs over, isn't Jabba the Hut, but in my mind even if the kid is heavier, the letters aren't necessary...

In my personal experience/fight with my own weight control, I was reminded multiple times on a daily basis by every kid/adult I came across that I was fat, a lard ass, and or lazy...

I grew up fat, by the time I was in the 6th grade I was just over 200lbs, at a height of 5'10(if memory serves)...and I topped out at 425 my Junior year of high school(I was 6'3)...

I was reminded every single day, that I was fat...I was reminded every time I looked in a mirror, took a shower, tried putting on my clothes, or looked for new clothes...I was reminded every time I saw commercials on tv, read magazines, or watched movies, and I was reminded every time my mother looked at me, and beat me cause I was fat, or the snide comments she would make...

About the only reprieve I got was from comics, books, and music...if it wasn't for those things, I probably never would have made it through high school. Believe me, I'm sure the kids who are fat/over weight know it, and hear about it daily...I recall a kid in junior high who just wore "glasses" and he was pummeled often/made fun of constantly...and thats just for "glasses"...its amazing what kids will tease/fight over, at least in my day, and I guess its no worse/better than it is today...

The reasons why I was fat...hmm, there are many, and the main issues around that I won't share here, but I'll share a few...I am the second oldest of 12...I was raised on top ramen, hot dogs, and bologna. That isn't a nutritional diet, but with how tight money was, and other issues, thats basically what my parents could afford. I was the oldest boy, my older sister hauled ass when I was 7 or so, so I was the oldest, and I was stuck at home a lot, taking care of my brothers...instead of going out, having a gay old time...

The main issue for it, I somewhat discussed in the above, and I self medicated myself with food, and I was, what I was...During my Junior year of high school, I was hospitalized with two blood clots, one in my left calf, and one in my right lung...during this obstacle, I went from 425 to 380...and I decided to lose a weight, and I did lose a lot of weight...The cause of my clots are here:

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=factorvleidenthrombophilia

I was 235 when I graduated my senior year...I worked my ass off, and ate nothing, and did everything I could to lose more weight...I was anorexic, went to binge/purge, then I just went to purge the little amount of food/water I ate(which was mostly tuna fish/carrots/water)...I don't recommend losing weight that way, and I regret doing it that way, but its amazing how social/family pressures can impact you.

And do you know what I felt at 235? There was no difference in my view...I looked the same in the mirror at 235, as I did at 425...the only way I knew I was losing weight was because of the clothes that I could fit into...I went from a 4x down to a large(with room to boot), I went from a 56 to a 38(with a belt)...

And according to the BMI, I was 6'4 when I graduated at 235, I was still considered obese, cause I was still 40lbs overweight...if memory serves, for my height they want me to be 190(and excuse me, but fuck that). And, like many others in the weight/diet struggle, I gained a majority of my weight back...and I'm currently dealing with it again(but healthier this time, no tricks/gimmicks)...

But, back to the op...I didn't mean to get all emotionally tied to this, but I got suckered in...I don't think letters are necessary, the kid knows, the parents know...but thats just me, beat me, or flame me.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

101. Your post brought tears to my eyes.

Sending letters home with those kids won't help.

[Fleshdancer]

102. Is the BMI index the appropriate tool to measure the health of children?

I honestly don't know the answer to this. I do know that my 8 yr old daughter goes through randomly big growth spurts throughout the year and the changes are sometimes so radical that her body looks completely different from one month to the next (suddenly her legs are much longer or her tummy "pooch" seems bigger or smaller, etc).

As for the BMI index, I hate that anyone would use a tool that doesn't measure muscle mass. With so many kids going through dramatic physical changes while also participating in little league sports, gymnastics, cheerleading, etc, I just don't see how this could be accurate. In my neck of the woods, I see kids who seem overextended in extra curricular activities rather than not getting enough activity as often discussed on the national level.

If I get a letter home regarding the physical health of my child, then why not do the tests I remember being given in elementary school? How flexible are you? How many situps/pushups can you do? How many laps can you run?

[krabigirl]

104. If it's only based on BMI, then it's a crock.

[rpannier]

107. The question that needs to be addressed is "Why?"

I've known people who are rather active who come from overweight families -- it appears to be genetic.

I know people who are overweight because they spend all their time in sedentary activities -- computer, video games, watching tv, etc and they eat all kinds of crap while doing it.

The why (I think) should be the issue here. (along with...By how much? I mean, there is a huge difference between, your child is 1lb overweight, versus your child is 44 lbs overweight)


As to Ms. Solby..."It makes me feel bad for my son, I guess," parent Kiely Solby said. "I don't want anything negative said about my son. You try for the best for your children."
She doesn't want anything negative said about her son. My question(s) is (are)...
Is what they are saying true?
Is he overweight?

If so, why?

[Fox Mulder]

118. Well, kids are increasingly becoming overweight.

and parents should be taking care of it. But I don't think it was the school's responsibility to tell the parents like that.

[ruby slippers]

121. so, if you have Hashimoto's Disease, you are now being ridiculed?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

122. I guess so. Us hypothyroid types don't count.

They think we eat too much, and are lazy, just like all those other people!!

There are 30 or 40 million of us, but hey, we can't make excuses for being fat, even if we have REAL reasons.......


www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

[ruby slippers]

123. maybe gene DNA tests will finally stop them labeling, huh?

[KitSileya]

130. The school should definitely look to themselves,

but isn't it a good thing that the parents are warned that there might be something wrong with their kids? If their kids are dangerously obese, and hyperthyroidism is the cause, wouldn't you want those kids to get help? This check-up might be the only one these kids get with the American health care system (uncare system, more like it) being the way it is. Making the parents aware of a potential problem isn't a bad thing.

I do see your point of view, with obesity and overweight being so stigmatized in Western culture. Sometimes nothing can be done about it due to medical conditions, and sometimes the cause is poverty rather than self-indulgence. But being obese regardless of cause is more unhealthy than being within normal weight range.

[Regret My New Name]

153. I have hypothyroidism

I take synthroid to keep me in balanced. I do gain weight if I don't watch what I eat and become very sedentary though.

Why would people with hypothyroidism not be taking meds? Even without insurance it's relatively inexpensive.


*edit* Just clicked on your link after posting... reading now.

[Connonym]

126. Awful lot of high horses in here

Fat people wear their problems on their body for everyone to see and judge because, fuck, do some of you judge harshly. How about in an effort to be fair all of you make up a sandwich board and write all of your negatives on it and walk around with that for a while so that the rest of us may judge you as well. Don't even pretend it's about health because you know fucking well it isn't. Do you go up to bicyclists not wearing helmets and tell them to mind their health and put on a helmet? What about people who drive too fast or don't wear a seatbelt? How about the normal-appearing person who drinks 1 L of booze every night? No, you don't care about health you care about the physical aesthetic. Don't deny your self-righteous contempt under the guise of concerns about health.

If you were really concerned about health you'd be raising holy hell about the growth hormones they feed our cattle (did you know that they can now fully fatten up a calf in half the time it used to take to get them fat enough to slaughter? But don't worry, I'm sure none of those hormones are residual in the meat or affect humans IN ANY WAY :eyes: ) Don't worry about the genetic modification of our foods and the chemicals used to grow them (and hey, did you know that it's only because of the invention of man-made nitrogen -- from petrochemicals-- that we can continue to grow the same crop in the same field without ever having to rotate? And the resultant boom in agriculture and advancement in corn genetics that we now eat a diet unlike anything our ancestors ever ate with processed grains being the primary ingredients in many of our foods. Surely there's no health repercussion there. If you're really worried about health (liars) tackle some of the greater issues that are killing the planet AND the people who live on it. I guarantee you that changing that will make everyone more healthy. But who are we kidding, it's not about health it's about you being repulsed by fat people.

I hate these threads and I hate that they piss me off so much I feel compelled to post but because I'm such a fucking ray of sunshine I'm going to make a wish for all of you fat haters -- this is my wish, that you eat well, exercise, maintain a size 4 and die young anyway. Or that you live to be very, very old and find that as you age the weight doesn't want to budge and you become fat and have people mock you. Let me introduce you some time to my 91 year old grandmother who's FAT and the only medication she takes is for her thyroid. No diabetes, no heart disease, no high blood pressure. Oh and what about her mother, my great-grandmother who was also FAT and died at 97 after having lived a similarly healthy life (oh wait, couldn't have possibly been healthy because she was fat but she lived to 97, wait, oh this does not compute). Or I could tell you about my other grandmother who was slim and pretty and died a rough painful death of cancer in her early 50s. She was so slim and healthy!

In other words, not that I think anything I say will change your disgusting preconceptions about fat people, your attitude about fat people says something way more ugly about you than gaining 100 lb would do. And you might want to ask your mental health professional if it's healthy to loathe fat people so much because I'm not sure that's very healthy.

[distantearlywarning]

131. Exactly!

Thyroid problems run in my family too. Along with living to a very old age. (For instance, my hypothyroid and slightly pudgy grandmother is age 88 this year and still healthy enough to be doing most stuff on her own - her biggest problem is macular degeneration and if it wasn't for that she'd be entirely independent.)

Thanks for saying this. I myself wish the anti-fat people would all get my thyroid disease and then be forced to come crawling back and apologize to the rest of us after living with it a few years.

[Oeditpus Rex]

144. Bravissima!

:applause: :yourock:

[Hekate]

145. Brilliant. Thank you. I hate these threads too. With a passion. nt

[Hekate]

129. So the schools are all concerned. Does that mean they're removing soda/snack machines from schools?

They're removing all soda and candy vending machines that schools need to supplement their budgets? Does that mean school boards are re-instituting meaningful physical education classes? Does that mean school boards are budgeting for nutritious hot lunches that provide 1/3 of a growing child's daily needs? Does that mean that schools are teaching children about cooking and nutrition?

Oh, really? They're not?

Then these notes home are shaming bullshit.

Hekate

[pleah]

134. What alot of people don't realize is that most kids go through

a chunky period. My son was one of these children, now he is tall and thin. This is a load of crap.
Yes there are a few who are truly obese, but a lot of them will grow out of it.
The high school my son attends serve high fat foods. He doesn't eat the school food any more.
People need to stay the fuck out of other peoples lives.

[panzerfaust]

139. De Nile is not just a river in Egypt

"... most kids go through a chunky period. There are a few who are truly obese, but a lot of them will grow out of it ..."

Available data just do not support this optimistic view: Obesity is a Sky-Is-Falling modern plague.

It is good, and fortunate, that your son grew out of it, but, statistically, the Big get Bigger.

"...People need to stay the fuck out of other peoples lives..."

The thing is, we are a society, we cannot simply "stay ... out of other peoples lives" - whatever that might mean.

I see the deleterious effects of fat every day. I also have to hump 500, 600, even (my personal record) an 850 pounder on and off operating tables in the middle of the night with only the help of the on-call OR crew. I have seen ambulance gurneys collapse under the massively obese, I have struggled to safely take care of these overly large people - many of whom are in need of medical care as a direct result of a complication stemming from their obesity.

One might want to read a few of the articles here (Cochrane Collaboration), or here (CDC).

Edit: Grammer (well, actually, for Grammar)

[Lorien]

142. Thanks for the links

my father is morbidly obese. I just saw him for the first time in three years last week and was shocked by how enormous he's become. He's so huge that he can barely waddle from the dinner table to the sofa, and he becomes exhausted from just sitting upright for half an hour. I'm at a loss for how to help him; if anyone suggests that he eat less beef or salty foods, he'll eat three cheeseburgers in one sitting and salt every bite. He HATES it when anyone suggest that he do anything differently, and since his doctors have been on him to lose weight he's been packing on the pounds. The insane part is that he's a psychologist! He's not some idiot who simply doesn't know any better, although he works to convince himself of some pretty stupid things. When I asked him if he had considered even taking on a mild workout routine, he said "Oh no-I can't exercise! Exercise is terrible for me! If I even walk a few feet down the driveway to get the paper I'm so out of breath that I feel like I'll faint, so if I tried to exercise it would probably kill me". He just won't believe that he's feeling like crap because he refuses to exercise at all. Even taking a shower leaves him so exhausted that he needs to sleep for most of the afternoon just to recover from it. I'm at a complete loss on how to get through to him. :cry:

[nadinbrzezinski]

146. Parents are outraged???? In general we do have an obesity problem in

this country

The causes for it are many

But we DO HAVE an obesity epidemic in this country... and we need to not only send report cards but educate folks.

Look folks some may say stay out of my life... fine, but public health is a public concern

And if we finally get national single payer health care... you can bet that this will become even more of a concern.

So tough shit... different day

[frickaline]

147. I see nothing wrong with confronting parents on possible health problems for their child

Its only dialog after all. Maybe they should talk and educate each other. To take offense when the school is only trying to look out for a child's best interest seems like an irrational response to me.

If its not a health issue then great, educate the school on your specific case. If it is a health issue, maybe they can work together to fix it.

[npincus]

149. I have mixed feelings about that.

Some kids are "larger" than others- genetics plays a role.

But, some parents just feed their children crap.... My daughter is 5 and her best friend is the kind of chubby that is borderline "fat" (she has a large belly, she gets tired easily and is not as agile as other kids I see). Her dad doesn't eat anything green, and is always slippping her candy, cookies, snacks... the little girl mentioned her dad gave her "YooHoo" drink before bed, and the other day brought them McDonald's breakfast. When she comes to play here with nmy daughter, she loves to eat fruit, yogurt, plain snacks... healthy stuff that my kid eats. I really think her parents are at fault for feeding her the wrong stuff (her mom was blaming the dad to me for feeding her "too many carbs")... I don't feel I can say anyhting. They seem to know what the problem is but don't seem to be taking action. So... in this case, perhaps intervention in the form of a note by the school might jar them into action. Maybe.