Fat kids... Is it child abuse? /rant on

[MILK]

Actually it's a combination of both. It's very simple. Take in more calories than you expend and you will gain weight, period.

Being active is great but you can still gain weight if you eat like a pig. The other thing is that what most people consider 'active' nowdays is not really active...

[CrazyKell]

I want to cry when I see my nieces. At 8 and 5 they both have big bellies. I mean.....kids that age should NOT have bellies....at all!

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by The Chi

Thats what I said.

The lack of activity combined with the crap food is a bad combo.

My point is that I think waaaaay too much emphasis is being put on diet and waaaay too little is being put on activity level for children.

I see a lot of news stories about how schools are taking out vending machines with snacks and soft drinks and so forth to improve health...but I never see any articles about how school systems are actually devoting a serious amount of time to rigorous physical activity.

I'm not arguing that the food they eat is crap and they could do much better. But when I was a kid my Pops used to make us Koolaid and Tea with insane amounts of sugar in it, we ate junk all day. I could easily eat an entire large pizza, a whole rack of ribs, 5 BBQ chicken breasts and so forth...but we were so active it didn't matter.
________
Wendie 99

[Trip]

It's video games and television!

[Rider]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

I see a lot of news stories about how schools are taking out vending machines with snacks and soft drinks and so forth to improve health...but I never see any articles about how school systems are actually devoting a serious amount of time to rigorous physical activity.

Some schools are phasing out PE classes. It's sad because kids need physical activity. Plenty of kids sure as fuck aren't getting it at home.

[Avatard]

Originally Posted by Kaneman

My wife and I took our son to the zoo last week and as is the case when I go into public with large groups of people I was amazed at how fat many of the kids walking around were.

I'm not talking about chubby kids who's height has yet to catch up with their weight. I'm talking about really obese kids with no apparent sense of appearance or health. Kids who's very large buttcracks were showing out of their amazingly large jeans, kids with stains on their faces and their shirts. Kids wolfing down ice cream and cotton candy like they just spent a week doing Survivorman. Not just fat, but sloppy, you know what I mean? The way they walked, they way they interacted, the way their clothes hung off of them...ugh.

There were just so many of them, it seems like more and more everytime I go out. I want to know why letting your children get themselves into that state isn't child abuse? I love HoHos and Little Debbie as much as anyone, but come on man, these kids would have to be eating them at breakfast lunch and dinner to get as fat as they are. At about the half way point we sat and watched what looked like a 12 year old girl in excess of 200lbs eat an entire giant cotton candy. She had fat rolls on her ankles. WHAT THE FUCK?!? Is a child to be responsible for their own nutrition and exercise? No, that's what parents are for, and I would be in favor of hers being punished in a way that motivates them to get their daughter outdoors and doing something.

I want to know when someone in charge decided that PE and recess were no longer necessary. My step-son gets 15 minutes a day for recess. 15 minutes....that's it. They don't even have P.E. every day so some days the school system honestly expects them to sit still and learn without any exercise whatsoever. We're talking about rambunctious boys here, come the fuck on...COMMON SENSE GODDAMNIT!!! What is wrong with these lazy fucking administrators that think its ok to not run the shit out of kids before they sit down to learn. Oh wait, we don't need exercise cause we can just get our kids all doped up....that'll shut 'em up.

My problem isn't politically correct. I don't care about their health, their well being, the nation's "swelling" healthcare problem or a myriad of other reasons to do something about this...I just get fucking grossed out watching extremely fat people eat. I'd rather be in the smoking section at a restaurant (which I actually hate) than to have to sit next to a fat family wolfing down all you can eat beef ribs at Riscky's BBQ (that was yesterday BTW).

So we're not supposed to make fun of them because its a condition, its a disease. Well I say fuck that, every other facet of society condones and coddles them providing absolutely no motivation to turn Jon and Kate off and get off the fucking couch. Now, I'm no tin-foil hat kinda guy...but at some point you have to wonder if there is a conspiracy afoot to dumb us down and fatten us up so that we're easy to control. Or maybe the media and so forth are only catering to an already dumbed and fattened society. I guess its a question of which came first. But if you're really, really fat...and your wife is really really fat, and your kids are really really fat and you're next to me in a restaurant, or at the amusement park or wherever you can expect me to have a disgusted look on my face and you may even overhear me say something to my wife about your condition and what a shame it is. Hey, tell you what, if you think you can take me in a fist fight then get your fat ass up and do something about it. Otherwise, consider a lifestyle change.

/rant off

Outstanding.

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by Trip

It's video games and television!

Nah, video games and television are awesome...but if that's all you do then yea, that's a problem.

Originally Posted by Rider

Some schools are phasing out PE classes. It's sad because kids need physical activity. Plenty of kids sure as fuck aren't getting it at home.

Fucking sickening. That's what makes something in the back of my mind go, "There's got to be a goddamned conspiracy going on." How could administrators be so fucking stupid without actually trying? This is common sense at the most basic level you know...

Have you guys seen Wall E? Maybe Disney is trying to tell us something...

________
Kitchen Measures

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by Rider

Some schools are phasing out PE classes. It's sad because kids need physical activity. Plenty of kids sure as fuck aren't getting it at home.

It's sad because a lot of teachers love PE and still want to teach it, but it's being phased out. Plus, even if it's a requirement kids and parents can still find a way to get out of it. You can't fight that.

I used to do something called 5 minute aerobics with my class every morning. It was a 5 minute fun video that we could do in the classroom and it actually got them moving.

Or on those days when things were getting hairy and we all needed a break....we'd go out to the playground and literally just run around like chickens with our heads cut off (me included) for 5 minutes. Kids tried to stretch it out to longer and they always thought they were pulling the wool over my eyes.....little did they know I was having the time of my life and trying to stay out there as long as possible!

[Rider]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

It's sad because a lot of teachers love PE and still want to teach it, but it's being phased out. Plus, even if it's a requirement kids and parents can still find a way to get out of it. You can't fight that.

I used to do something called 5 minute aerobics with my class every morning. It was a 5 minute fun video that we could do in the classroom and it actually got them moving.

Or on those days when things were getting hairy and we all needed a break....we'd go out to the playground and literally just run around like chickens with our heads cut off (me included) for 5 minutes. Kids tried to stretch it out to longer and they always thought they were pulling the wool over my eyes.....little did they know I was having the time of my life and trying to stay out there as long as possible!

Cutting back on the time allowed for physical activity is bad enough but doing away with it all together? That's just insane. That's what schools are doing. They say that education is more important than being in shape and the kids need more time to devote to learning. Well, it is but you have to have a balance.

[the chi]

Remember the days when it was considered awesome to hold the record for most pull ups, or push ups, or be the fastest runner on the playground?

THATS what kids are missing!