To be shocked at how many overweight kids there are here?

[glasgowsfinest]

Have got my fireproof hat in place, here goes...! I'm currently at a Butlin's-type holiday park on the south coast. As you can imagine, it's jammed full of kids of all ages. I'm genuinely shocked at how many of them, from pre-schoolers to older teens, are significantly overweight. I don't think puppy fat can be used as an excuse for all of them. Thinking back to my childhood, overweight kids were the exception, not the rule, but now it seems the opposite. I have two children who by no means have a perfect diet, and eat more chocolate and watch more TV than I thought I'd allow, but they're active too and don't seen to have any fat on them at all! Maybe they're just "lucky", I don't know. But the sheer numbers of chunky kids made me feel quite sad.

To say we shouldn't talk about a major health crisis involving children is not helpful or realistic.

A sustainable, modern publicly funded healthcare system needs to be about prevention, not treating end stage disabling disease with expensive high tech interventions.

Throwing blame around is also unhelpful. The vast majority of parents and overweight people do not want to harm themselves or their children; they have got where they are in tiny increments and are faced with many obstacles trying to reverse this.

As a society we are being sold sugar on an industrial scale and the people making the real money are probably mainly slim and rich.

If obesity was seen as a jigsaw, we have less than half the pieces, some are from the wrong box (put there by the food companies) and the rest are very hard to put together.

You only have to read the weight loss threads on here to see how hard people find it to 'eat less and move more'. It's clearly not that simple.

And I say all that as an annoyingly thin person with normal weight children who some people will think is smug and fat shaming just for joining in a mainly well informed discussion.

14000 calories in one meal awe
Bit of an exaggeration maybe.

I don't believe in genetics deciding whether you are fat or thin, unless you've inherited a thyroid condition or something which would affect your BMR. Even then, you can overcome it and become a healthy weight, I know people who have.

I think one of the main reasons that we have an obesity crisis is that people don't want to take responsibility for themselves and their children. There is always an excuse. "I'm fat because I don't have time / money / the right genetics" etc. In order to address this problem people need to educate themselves about the nutritional value of different foods (including calories) so that they can make informed decisions. If you don't know how much food you or your child need per day, it's easy to use an online calculator to get a rough estimate. You just have to want to do it.

U2HasTheEdge, it is so frustrating too when it is the other way around. Not least because people are often not believed that they are eating loads. Everyone who meets me assumes I don't eat. Then they see what I eat and don't understand how I am not bigger either.

Re. child obesity though, I do agree with others in that I think the reduced amount of time children play out (and if you do let your kids play out or trampoline you are vilified on here) and the fact that parents are now expected to work long hours (so reduced time to take kids out, plan meals, cook healthy stuff) has an impact.

My brother was overweight as a child and my parents really tried but it was only when he was an adult and really wanted to lose the weight that he did it. Even now even with lots of exercise he has to be super careful about what he eats. I have to be super careful to eat or I lose weight. I do fidget though. Same upbringing.

I do think schools could do more - yes kids are not at school a large part of the year but why not make the most of the time they are there? So for example:
Daily mile in every school
Outdoor whatever the weather - outdoor clothing provided by school where parents don't
No junk food on sale
Proper cooking back on the curriculum
School uniform that is practical for physical play - why not trousers or shorts for everyone?

I agree with the no junk food on sale. I don't think many children would choose a healthy option if there is junk on offer.
Sometimes it's really confusing for them. They may be used to having a snack of a small cupcake or biscuit at home and not realise that the giant processed muffin or cookie isn't the same.

I meant on sale at school

I guess it cones down to time to fit everything in.

Some schools manage it though and the curriculum is the same so would be interesting to find out how they do it.

Yes uniform is restrictive.

We also need to look at why so many girls are turned off sport when they get older. The selection is often crap for girls. The school specified or kits are a problem imo so unflattering. No scope for kids who may need a tshirt/vest with extra breast supoort for instance. I hated trying to squeeze my thighs into cycling shorts.

Surprising how there is so much focus on skirt length yet girls are made to wear teeny tight shorts.

If we want people to run around and get giid exercise we need to make sure they cab do so in comfortable clothing and unrestrictive clothing.

We also need to let everyone try everything not the classic girls-netball boys-rugby

I am holiday in Europe at a campsite and I have noticed how very, very skinny nearly all the European children are. Lots of Dutch, French and Germans here and the English children, even the slimmer ones are noticably fleshier. My own kids look quite chunky here, yet at home they'd be considered slim.

In fairness, it plays out looking at the parents too, lots of very slender parents too. I am overweight and have had a lifelong battle with self image (far too greedy), was over fed as a child and parked in far too many pub gardens with multiple bottles of Pepsi and crisps to keep me quiet. At home I don't notice it as I am not remarkably big, (compared to others) but here I feel a bit like Nellie the elephant. Is eye opening as have never been anywhere with so few British to other Europeans.

Have you also noticed how much better the service stations are? Picnic benches and play areas not just junk food and one armed bandits.

Hi everyone.

Thanks for all the reports.

We just wanted to hop on to explain that we've removed a derogatory term from the thread, and also removed the subsequent posts that mention the same word - we think it's just not nice to see, and we really don't want anyone to be upset by it.

Please do report anything else that concerns you, and we will always take a closer look.

Yes there's a much bigger culture of picnics, etc but then they do have the weather.

If you want to feel tiny on holiday try French Polynesia 😉

Speaking of service stations...
You reminded me of where we stopped on holiday on the way.

On one side costa where you can get reasonable sandwiches the usual.potted up salad and small cartons of juice and bottles of water.

On the other ..macdonalds. for the price of one sandwich u get a happy meal complete with drink.

Who's going to.spend best part of 20 quid feeding 2 kids a so called healthier option in costa when.the whole family can get a full.meal for less.

Giles we bring sandwiches for the kids generally to avoid this situation on long journeys. It's actually not a hassle at all. Roll from the freezer, quick defrost and slice of ham and cheese shoved in. Not the best lunch in the world but can't be doing McDonald's for more than a rare treat.

We took a picnic too. However It wasn't easy to prepare a picnic for the journey back when having to pack up everything the night before and there was little space to prepare and the awning where the coolbox stayed plugged in had been taken down.

Can definately see how it could be one thing tat after a week camping with the kids and a morning spent packing up everything while trying to get up said kids, a picnic would be a step to far...

I was doing a long journey alone last weekend and got myself a rare Burger King at a petrol stop place, I'm pregnant and was really craving it (and no kids with me to see). Ended up sharing my table with a lady with a big salad who started chatting to me. I was actually embarrassed to be gleefully shoving my burger and chips into my mouth as it feels like a children's treat junk food to me and said some excuse like 'couldn't resist a sneaky burger'. She jumped on me saying 'oh god, eat what you like. Never let anyone make you feel like you cant'. And I was a bit speachless as I wasn't embarrassed to be eating it because people might criticise me, I was embarrassed to be eating it because it's total junk and actually isn't good for you!

Made me realise that things have now gone beyond good food and bad food and are about not shaming about food. For me it was never about shame, just simply fact about good good or bad food.

Completely agree re: service stations - love the aires and even in the campsites, lots of healthy options in the menus as well as a pizza kiosk as a nod to fast food. A lot less drinking too and hardly any children sucking down fizzy drinks -has been very eye opening!

When I was at secondary school too there wasn't even a canteen to start with.

Everyone took packed lunches . Eventually a kiosk came about. Chips pizza jacket potatoes crisps cans etc but a fair few still took packed lunches.

Going by MN it's social suicide to take a packed lunch now yet no ones going to be ordering salad are they.. ..

If we want people to run around and get giid exercise we need to make sure they cab do so in comfortable clothing and unrestrictive clothing

Yup. I was lucky in my secondary school that we were allowed to wear trackie bottoms in PE. DD's school (and all schools here) has no uniform, children are encouraged to wear comfy clothing they can play in, there's no such thing as a wet playtime (there is a frozen playtime so they don't go out when it's colder than -15 but they instead do indoor exercise) and for PE it just says bring comfortable clothing like trackie bottoms or leggings and a t-shirt and there's no boy-sports or girl-sports (and in the winter they do fun things like sledging and ice skating and skiing)

This is partly why I hate school uniform.

Girls school shoes. I went into John Lewis just a few days ago

I asked for :maximum foot coverage
: good support
:sturdy sole with good grip.

He brought out 3 pairs. 2 of which were ankle boots. Which they can't have. And one pIr of geox thatbwwre jive except dd is 6 and cant do laces.

50 pounds for a 6 yr olds shoes just to enable her to be able to play the way boys can. Last terms pair were a fluke too a last remaining set hidden in the store room that I bought but await telling off for them being trainers any day now. They still fit so I shall be using them.

Both my Dds struggle to find trousers that fit so are already stuck in skirts which thankfully don't hold them back yet. But of they could wear own clothes they'd be in leggings and t shirts with a hoody. Far more conducive to playing.

Secondary also go as far as to make you buy joggers from the shop at school so more expense and again one style does not fit everyone so contributes to the body consciousness of students. Dd hates joggers she wears sports leggings. Leggings are easier to get to fit. Joggers are nearly always to baggy on her and by the time they do fit the legs are too short.

Who gives a shit what they are wearing let them be comfy and just get on with it

One of the things I love about the DC's primary school is that they can wear what they want for PE. Which is cheaper for us as we can use hand me downs and means I can send them in in comfy clothes they will wear.

Although imo uniform also seems to he made for the chunkier child

Alot if the Slimmer kids I see look ridiculous. It is literally hanging off them.

Probably why so many girls wear the skirts these days the worst that can happen is it's a bit short. Unlike trousers where they drag along the floor or slip down or they look like a clown where they come out so much at the sides.

Someone was being horrible earlier about fat becoming the new normal.

Now I don't agree with the vile post. However the manufacturers of these uniforms do appear to be expecting kids to be bigger. I don't consider my chikd to he particularly small or skinny. However she's very nearly 11. And in school skirts for 7-8 yr olds and the 6-7 still fit but are just a bit short.

So kids who are normal size are instantly restricted as you can't move around so freely when your uniform is adjusted and bunched up and dragging across the floor etc

That's fab which

I mean who even sees the pe kit. Why is something not even seen by anybody still specified. Not so bad I'm primary where asda do the shorts for like 3.00 for a 2 pack but that's still a waste when I have a perfectly good pair of leggins and t shirts here

@Gileswithachainsaw

Clarks make good shoes for children and will measure their feet to ensure they get the right fit both length and width.

Clark's haven't measured by kids feet right in years and not once has a pair fired in that shop.

I prefer kickers or dms or sturdy equivalents Clark's have only ever brought out crappy girly shoes I gave up a long time ago with clarks