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Original poster

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

956 replies

glasgowsfinest · 29/08/2017 18:18

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.

OP posts:
hesterton · 29/08/2017 19:23

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AfunaMbatata · 29/08/2017 19:23

I do think it's sad how many tiny children are obese, some can barely do 15 mins of activity [sad{

hesterton · 29/08/2017 19:24

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cowgirlsareforever · 29/08/2017 19:24

A lot of children consume too much sugar. It's life limiting and a ticking time bomb.

fancysquillium · 29/08/2017 19:25

I always wonder how people get their children to sit still and eat enough, then go on to eat more than enough. Mine were always making excuses to leave the table, now they are adults and I have a grandchild and he's exactly the same. It's like trying to hit a moving target.

gluteustothemaximus · 29/08/2017 19:25

Songforsal Flowers

Therealslimshady1 · 29/08/2017 19:25

Toad, yes, we ate lots of sweets and chips as kids in the 70s/80s

There was not much in terms of day time telly, I still played catch and it and hide and seek in my early teens Blush

No screens, not much in terms of gadgets

I was out a lot of the time

People are soooo sedentary these days!

sausagesaremyfave · 29/08/2017 19:26

Sadly it's becoming the norm.... however IMO it's not just the kids. DH and I went out for a walk to our local town at the weekend and 90% of the adults around us would be classed as overweight. I feel like the "curve" fit in sizes 16-30 now available in retailers aren't helping- no one wants anyone to feel shit when trying clothes on but surely it's normalising what is essentially unhealthy. Same as the size 4 you are seeing more of nowadays... that's not healthy either!

StaplesCorner · 29/08/2017 19:28

I had to check the date here, thought it might be a zombie thread , we had this last year and probably the year before. As ever with these threads, the OP is only saying, you know, think of the poor kiddies, etc etc OP is to be lauded for being brave and measured in bringing it up.

Or she just wants to have a good ol' gawp at the fat kids. It must make her feel so superior, whilst at the same time, caring. Hmm

Sirzy · 29/08/2017 19:28

The problem is calling it child abuse or blaming the parents isn't necessarily helpful is it. It isn't going to encourage people to stand up and ask for help if they feel they will be judged when they do.

The fact we have a society which relies on food so much for every aspect of normal life certainly doesn't help matters. How many social activities end up revolving around food? And generally fatty and high sugar foods!

The food as a treat culture also doesn't help matters as it makes food linked to behaviour and can easily end up contributing to emotional eating issues.

upperlimit · 29/08/2017 19:28

People blame screens and gadgets but I think it confuses the cause and effect.

I think the problem is that lack of safe spaces for children to play and an intolerant attitude to children playing on their street. I think wealthy parents can mitigate that with organised activities and poor parents are left to manage it with indoor entertainment.

RudeDog · 29/08/2017 19:30

YANBU

there have always been overweight kids - there was a few in my primary (30+ years ago) but they wouldn't be considered that big now I am sure (2 I know are average sized adults) - the problem now is the number and how big they are getting

One of DDs friends is getting enormous, I actually find it distressing to see her. 2 years ago she was tiny (she's 9) and in that time she has been given free reign to eat what she likes, not just grab packs of sweets but HUGE portions of meals.
She will go out for dinner, eat her own adult meal, most of her sisters and most of her mothers (so 2 adult dinners?) followed by dessert.
Her mum just says 'she's having a growth spurt' - she doesn't want to deal with it. Her mum though is on a huge diet and has lost lots of weight and is happy for her DD to eat her meals for her.
I wish children were weighed more often - she was fine when she was weighed in year 1. She can't run anymore, it's abuse.

I keep an eye on DD, I can tell when she is having a growth spurt and it never lasts long. I try to keep her active and interested in why we eat different foods for health. I think many people have blinkers on when it comes to their children's weight.

Timefortea99 · 29/08/2017 19:30

Sausages - retailers are also mucking around with clothing sizes. I have bought a few size 10s recently - I am a big size 12. So there is a bit of normalising going on there too. Trying to pretend we are all smaller than we actually are.

Dentistlakes · 29/08/2017 19:30

I also don't think it's particularly linked to money either. Most of the kids DS1 swims with are privately educated and some have what I would call significant weight problems. I absolutely think it's down to sugar and the reliance we have on convenience foods. I try very hard to keep my children's sugar intake within the limits but it's not easy. So many every day foods contain sugar; even bread! Unless you make everything from scratch, including snacks, it's very difficult.

SOUTHerner84 · 29/08/2017 19:30

You'll have to go somewhere a bit more upmarket on holiday next time, OP

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 29/08/2017 19:30

I feel like the "curve" fit in sizes 16-30 now available in retailers aren't helping- no one wants anyone to feel shit when trying clothes on but surely it's normalising what is essentially unhealthy

What do you suggest then? People who are overweight walk around in bin bags? How dare people want to wear clothes no matter what their size.

2littlemoos · 29/08/2017 19:31

I think being bigger is now the average in some places. My DDs are tall and skinny and some people, including my mum think I don't feed her enough - even though I was a slim jim.

Being "chunkier" is often seen as well fed I think.

I remember seeing a comment on a picture of a baby with lots of rolls (not that a baby could be overweight of course!) which said "I love seeing chunky babies, it shows how well fed they are". It pissed me off a bit because mine have been skinny since birth. Am I not feeding them properly?! Confused

StaplesCorner · 29/08/2017 19:31

I was at the swimming pool recently and there was a fairly large girl standing in her dripping swimming costume in front of her open locker furtively eating a bar of chocolate. I assumed her parents thought she was swimming and getting fit/losing weight etc when she was actually stuffing her face - pity you didn't get any pictures. Bet you really despised her.

redcaryellowcar · 29/08/2017 19:31

I've been out with a friend today whose little boy is very overweight. His mum and dad are well educated (university degrees) and in sensible jobs, but seem to lack basic knowledge on nutrition (despite one of them being on a well known diet brand) he was tucking into snacks all afternoon as apparently didn't eat his lunch. I think if it were me, snacks would be out!

becotide · 29/08/2017 19:31

The size 4 you are seeing now is roughly the same size as an 8 or 10 in 1995

cowgirlsareforever · 29/08/2017 19:31

Takeaways on every street and being able to pick up the phone and have a pizza delivered doesn't help. There was once a time when you needed a quick meal you'd have beans or egg on toast, or soup. Now, it's a stuffed crust Hawaiian. Little wonder do many of us are fat.

chirpyburbycheapsheep · 29/08/2017 19:31

Same as the size 4 you are seeing more of nowadays... that's not healthy either!

I wonder if that is really a size 4 - sizes are getting bigger. I have a vintage skirt from the 90s which is a size 10 and it is the same as a modern one in a size 6. The size 6 is actually bigger than an 80s vintage size 10 skirt I have. So slowly people are getting bigger but think they're still the same size they were 10 years ago so no need to worry right?

Mysteriouscurle · 29/08/2017 19:32

Its all very well judging the parents but I know someone like a pp who has 2 children, one who can eat what they want,and the other who tends to put on weight. So who is at fault there? Mother is slim as well and eats healthily. Maybe someone isnt always to blame.

There are some pretty judgemental people on here. Thank goodness I havent got young dc now.

chirpyburbycheapsheep · 29/08/2017 19:32

becotide you beat me to it!

Dishevelled09 · 29/08/2017 19:33

Another one here with a child who has a chronic condition and has to be careful how much they exercise.. previously she was a beanpole and small for her age. Possibly outing saying this but she got the condition just as she started puberty. She is conscious about her size and tries to eat healthily like she did before but being housebound means the weight does go on, hoping we are coming out the other side now and she can get active like before. Not every child's weight is attributed to their lifestyle.