to think that this 'epidemic' of overweight children is bullshit

[EssenceOfJack]

For example, article here about a child who is 'overweight'
According to this children's BMI calculator my DD1 is on the 93rd percentile and is overweight when if you look on my profile you can clearly see that she is nothing of the sort.

Are they just measuring these small children when BMI means feck all (the calculator reckons it can tell you results for children from 2 to 20) and declaring them overweight based on arbitrary measurements and then the NHS using these figures to tell us all our children are fat?

I ask in all seriousness as at DD1's primary school I can genuinely say I haven't noticed one overweight child, and we live in a mildly deprived area so are supposed to be rife with 'fat kids'. yes, some have baby fat still, but they aren't fat

So AIBU?

oh don't say dc are mostly lazy - thats mean

totally agree cravingcroissants. we're low income too, no fags/booze, oodles of fruit and veg etc. Having said that i'm lucky my parents always cooked from scratch (i remember my friend being amazed when we were 12 that i'd never had a frozen pizza!) and my DH is qualified as a chef although he now works in retail.

DH's ex is on low income too, although i think as she gets more benefit she may end up better off. but his DDs have no end of rubbish in the house and ready meals most nights. DH is very upset about this but there's not much he can do about it apart from giving them healthy food when they visit!

the interesting thing is, when they stay here, they don't miss the junk. they hardly ever complain of being hungry and if they are they just grab fruit - but at home they get through crisps, chocolate, cake, sweets... etc.

3m

Aww i'm sorry Ivykaty44 - i spose what i really mean is that they get tired a lot more quickly as they aren't used to walking.

3m

I was at primary around 35 years ago, and remember various fat/chubby kids. However, when I found an old school photo a little while ago, from when I was about 10, none of the kids looked fat, or even chubby really, by today's standards. The ones I remember as being overweight (by the standards of the day) would just be regarded as normal these days. Obviously our perceptions of thin/normal/fat have changed somewhat...

I have noticed a drop in our fitness/health levels since being pregnant and being lazy with it.

So more bus/less walking, more convenience food, rather than fresh cooking etc, it shows and it shows especially quickly on DS.

Def not a myth - at the swimming pool you can see how many overweight children there are.

I was just thinking about this.

Passed a mother and her two kids - about 10 & 13, I'd say - on my way into town.

Both kids were overweight; no doubt about it. Round faces, filling out their clothes. Not rolls of fat-type overweight, but carrying too much weight spread over their bodies. They looked dumpy, despite both being quite tall.

I only clocked them because both kids were also drinking Shakeaway milkshakes - and I was momentarily possessed by a desire for a chocolate milkshake.

What went through my mind was: I bet that mum is a great mum, a kind mum, and likes to "treat" her kids.

Trouble is, it is so much easier to "treat" your kids now than when I was little. We had sweets once a week; and even then it was a Milky-Way, or a few Rolos, or something. We just weren't exposed to them so often. Now you can't move in most towns for passing cafes with cakes, or little shops with sweets, or whatever. There's been a food-explosion since the 1980s. It is very difficult to avoid eating, I reckon. And if you need to run errands and the kids are with you, how much easier is it to say, "Look, after I've done this, we'll go for a shake".

But it's cruel, in the long run. If those kids don't drop the weight as they grow - which they might yet - they'll be miserable. It's wretched to be overweight, if you're not comfortable with it. Kids are so self-conscious. And it can be so hard to lose weight but still eat enough & the right kinds of things, if you're a teen.

Oh, but to answer the OP - yes, YABU. There just are more overweight children. I see them around me all the time - and I notice it more and more year on year, so it's not just a "when I was young no-one was fat" type thing.

The group who really stand out, though, are teenage girls - it's the legging-wearing/skinny jeans/low-cut tops fashion that's making it so evident, I think. I notice a lot of overweight teenage girls. Must be tough, for them, I think.

kreecher I don't agree about chocolate really.

I bought DD a caramel bar t'other day as special treat and was shocked that it was 50p! An apple costs a lot less than that. (so why didn't I buy her an apple I hear you cry! oh behave! )

Anyway walking to school is so cheap it's free. I try now to walk everywhere we realistically can. ivykaty you are so right re walking - people just seem to think it's not OK to walk for 10 mins, it never ceases to amaze me the tiny distances some people drive.

It seems to vary

very few overweight kids at our school- maybe 1-2 a year in fact- but clearly there are many around asyou seethem about.

OTOH am a loather of allthe advice and all that as it has fed ds1'sAS related concrete thinking,causedeating disorders that arenow clinical anaemia, and frankly I suspect and hear from peoplecause as many problems as they may solve.

penthesileia - it is the drinks though that seem to be forgot calories - milk shakes, squash, juice, all are deemed to be ok to have but are full of calories that are not need to quench thirst. I stopped buying water after I seemed to twig that it is far better and cheaper to give water all the time, it isn't cruel to give and ofer water for drinking.

The ther misconception is giving yogurt as a pudding - there is more sugar in a pot of yogurt than people realise - it would be equal to a fruit sponge pudding portion. Yogurt is a well hidden sugar buster that parents think is a healthy option give an apple or orange instead

Fio i think you're right if you have one near you

I'velived in a fewpalces where the only shop is a SPar or wose, and tbh if you'repoorer and living in that sort iof place,the cost of the bus to get a few apples is prohibitive and you dooptfor whatever they selllocally- ahve done it myself. And of course these palces hoil their prices up and cater for the shopping preferences of elderly peoplehookedon fruit cake and dripping

Our state primary is v middle class and there is not even one fat child.

I don't know many primary age children who are over weight - but once kids hit the teenage years you see more evidence of excess fat. I wonder if this corresponds with their parents having less direct influence over what they eat at this stage?

My two are normal weight - but dd would balloon if I let her eat the vast quantities of junk that she would enjoy gorging on. Instead she is given well balanced home cooked meals with 'other stuff' in moderation. I have educated her with regards to healthy eating but it falls on deaf ears. It does worry me about what she will do when I am able to exercise less 'control' over her - when she is older with more autonomy and independence, she will probably meet friends in town and head straight for MacDonalds

We use the delivery though Iceland is a bit uselessfor us- we'relucky to have a car etc though so not an issue these days.

The spar here is nasty though! A few soggy carrots and squashy apples is about it.There's a better one but if you've anymobility issuesyou're stuffed as its a steep uphilltrek- and the nearest greengrover is another mile upwards! And of course 90% of the residents ehre seem over 80....

I think the secondat things is key:in the villageat lunchtime all you see is queues for the chippy, and it's a pretty MC comp too,rather ahrd to get a place.

Three'sa baguette place and a bakery here as well but they don'tget any custom in comparison.

its a lot easier to treat kids to food now. im really careful with DD (2.8) most of her friends have chocolate, crisps etc but to my DD a really exciting treat is ONE sweet or small piece of chocolate! i let her have some of my crisps but i dont give her a whole pack to herself, i just think she's too small. if we go to MacDs she has fish fingers, milk and apple instead of fries. i dont think it works to totally forbid stuff though.

i was waiting for the bus in town, we stay inside when its cold and there's a stall full to bursting with chocolate. you can't get away from it! and as PP said the 'healthy' options are sometimes just as bad, not just yoghurt but cereal bars etc. its really really hard to keep an eye on all the crap they sneak into food! luckily DD still gets excited about fruit.

3m

I wonder if it's disposable income, as well? When I was young, and even as a teen at school, I was given very little pocket-money: even if I'd wanted to (I did, no doubt! ), I couldn't have afforded to buy all the snacks/coffees/cakes/drinks, etc., which I see teens with these days. Has pocket-money gone up? Are kids just doing more paid work? Admittedly, I was at boarding school, so our access to non school food was limited; but the only money I had was the money my dad gave me, and that wasn't much - and had to go on toiletries, etc. first - so no treats, if you see what I mean.

We rely on things likdecereal bars to keep the boy7s weights up though, it's another pita in itsown way- schools ban nuts, they cant hve cheese (intolerant)- cereal brs are something we can sneak in. Although atm the only thing ds1 will eat before noon is a smoothiesachet anyhow.

Which is why I don't like the riles type approach; kids vary. i only justmanaged to get my ten year old above 3.5 stone, some other kid called him fat andhe;s heading down again.

Indeed I know there areothers at ours chool(juniors) for whome there is concern about anorexia which IMO is just as scary as the wholeobseity thing

I think this is two seperate issues. The BMI calculation for children is indeed bullshit. However, children are becoming more obese, and yes it is a major problem.

what does 3m mean?

the real indicator is the rise in type 2 diabetis and the growing number of younger and younger people that are getting this disease before they are 30. This is the indicator that there will be an epedemic and people will die younger through the food that they eat rather than smoking or drinking being the cause it will be food intake