To be shocked at the level of obesity of British children?

The conversation is literally about how normal it is to see children who appear bigger than children in our youth. It's not normalising it to keep your mouth shut, because it IS already statistically and anecdotally normal. To think that your judgement will change anything for any child on a day to day level other than making them feel terrible, is very deluded of you. Unless you are aiming to give children mental health problems? Is that what you are hoping to do?

Really think about it. We can never know what's going on in a family's life. I've worked with children who have to take medication for some very serious conditions and significant weight gain is a side-effect. Those judgemental side-glances from adults obviously thinking that all the kid needs is some carrots, are absolutely devastating at what is already a very difficult time. Perhaps there could be scope for education and healthier eating in some families but I promise you that rude judgements about the children in the family is not the way to support and encourage healthy eating.

The conversation is literally about how normal it is to see children who appear bigger than children in our youth. It's not normalising it to keep your mouth shut, because it IS already statistically and anecdotally normal. To think that your judgement will change anything for any child on a day to day level other than making them feel terrible, is very deluded of you. Unless you are aiming to give children mental health problems? Is that what you are hoping to do?

Really think about it. We can never know what's going on in a family's life. I've worked with children who have to take medication for some very serious conditions and significant weight gain is a side-effect. Those judgemental side-glances from adults obviously thinking that all the kid needs is some carrots, are absolutely devastating at what is already a very difficult time. Perhaps there could be scope for education and healthier eating in some families but I promise you that rude judgements about the children in the family is not the way to support and encourage healthy eating.

Within the last 8? years we've seen a return to greengrocers around here. There are 3 or 4 on the high street. In my local area we have a baker and butcher but unfortunately, the greengrocer closed about 15 years years ago and has never been replaced.

Most Private schools do so much more sport than state.
Not only 2 full afternoons a week ( if boarding ) but after school sports clubs as well. They are constantly on the go.
But also. Was it a boarding school you were invigilating because there meals are excellent.
If a kids boarding there’s not much in the way of crisps etc. ( except from their own tuck )

Perhaps because letting a young child become obese is tantamount to child abuse?

Yes the NHS funds lots of anti obesity treatment. I mean whether they work and people are crying out for them is another thing! We fund them all the same.

But there are health coaches and online programmes. There are certain programmes for people with particular illnesses. There are drugs that are prescribed. The injections you could get here but the programme has been paused due to demand exceeding the amount of the drug that is available.

So you prefer to normalise being fat. Hopefully it's made mums think about feeding their child a proper nutritional diet and to take responsibility for their own weight and health rather than blaming it on Tesco, the Government, the school, society etc . . .

Do we fund anti obesity treatments?

What can you get on the NHS that actually works and people are crying out for? Because you cant get the weight loss injections unless you're prescribed them for type 2 diabetes.

I don’t think it’s easy.
It requires an awful lot of willpower.

@BrownTroutBluesAgain boarding school food has declined in quality (a lot) & older kids send out for takeout more than parents would like. Across the 3-4 schools I know well. It’s a bone of contention.

It's not half but in secondary school, we are seeing far more. Generally bigger but we are having students now where their weight is actually stopping them doing things like having lessons on the 3rd floor etc never seen that before. Our school uniform stockist has now had to expand sizes significantly.
I'd say 30-35% of our kids are overweight at a noticeably obese level

I just think it is not as simple as some make it out to be. Why would anybody want to be hugely overweight if it was so easy to not get like that in the first place?

I know that tackling obesity is complex and not as simple as ‘eat less and move more’….but is it especially complex in young children? Those for whom lifelong habits have not been formed, hormones are not at play yet etc.

This is anecdata, my lived experience. I am obese. Was underweight until puberty with a very healthy, fresh food diet. Then by about 15 I was very overweight, despite not eating differently (though more, I fainted when very hungry) and being even more active - had horses, walked half an hour to school, cycled to neighbouring villages to see friends etc.

I was diagnosed with PCOS when TTC at 30. Hormonal chaos with IVF then birth of DDs, but am now at 37 finally on the right meds and losing weight rapidly. Eat the same as DH and DDs, all of whom are healthy weights, can see ribs in the children etc.

I guess what I’m saying is that for me, as an adult with a medical condition, obesity is not a simple fix BUT as my DDs are fine eating less than their peers and moving more could I conclude that it really is simple for many children? And therefore, any focus on addressing obesity in children would be less nuanced as in adults, and so could be something that an incoming government might look at tackling?

I just think it is not as simple as some make it out to be. Why would anybody want to be hugely overweight if it was so easy to not get like that in the first place?

@BrownTroutBluesAgain boarding school food has declined in quality (a lot) & older kids send out for takeout more than parents would like. Across the 3-4 schools I know well. It’s a bone of contention.

'A portion controlled dinner'?! They don't get a portion controlled dinner - they can choose to buy what they want. A waffle in the morning, a couple of doughnuts at break and a couple of cakes at lunch! That's the equivalent of your 5 jam doughnuts! And they can buy as many soft drinks as they like too. It's exactly the same!

Honestly, no wonder the parents are your problem if you think the current fare in school is ok.

Lots of parents are teachers or ex teachers too. Doesn't mean we agree with junk for lunch. We know that what the DC eat affects their learning and so are actually concerned about it!

Sorry but I'm calling bullshit on this. No where near half of kids are obese. There's a handful of fat kids at my kids primary school (out of 200 kids) oh and no I do not live in a rich area where everyone pays for expensive exercise clubs.

I don't dispute that there's people out there who give their kids way too much junk food and they shouldn't but the exaggeration on this thread is insane 😂
Oh haven't been to France but I've been to Germany and saw roughly the same amount of chubby German kids as I see chubby English kids in England. Typical Mumsnet thread where the rest of the continent apparently does everything better

That’s why I said ‘not everyone needs’.
I do however believe almost everyone is capable of realising and taking personal responsibility to make their situation and health better, if they want to.

They have got a 50% chance of obesity because that is the statistics!!!! Statistics apply to all of us if we are the demographic that the statistics are measuring.

Because my DC eat much healthier than the average DC. Hence why I'm not happy with junk for lunch at school. Their dad has put on weight due to medication - obviously it doesn't help that he eats unhealthily.

But no it is not my job to get their dad to understand about nutrition. I spent the whole time we were married doing that. It's not on me now. He has to take responsibility for himself. I mitigate the effect on my DC by him literally only having one meal with them. Even with that they eat much healthier than most of their friends.

I said why I didn't think it would be them. Because they don't live with him or eat like him except one meal a week. They eat very healthily. Which has taken huge effort from me.

I wouldn't do what with passive smoking? Or another health risk? Do my utter best to avoid it for my DC you mean? Or do you mean I'd enable an adult and parent not to have to take any responsibility for themselves or their kids?

Some people do need their hand held though, and there are many reasons why that may be the case. People can continue to castigate overweight people, which is not having the desired results from the look of it, or seriously look, and do something tangible to help. When Jamie Oliver was doing his ministry of food, I remember watching a woman who had no idea how to cut/ dice an onion. Another woman did not seem to know how to recognize when water was boiling, and had never boiled an egg. These women were mothers, raising children, who, not surprisingly were being fed nothing but real poor quality food. The cycle is likely to continue without some form of intervention, which thankfully Jamie was willing to help with.