BS: Obesity out of control

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 06:54 PM

I took a course called "social studies" when I lived in the USA. It was mostly political propaganda, as I recall.

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: LilyFestre
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 07:22 PM

Kids need nutrient packed meals at school as well, not the high fat, sugary crap that they get most of the time...thanks to the adults who plan and cook those breakfasts and lunches. Let's not forget the daily availability of ice cream, juice/soda machines and vending machines full of candy and chips.

With that said, please note that an overweight child may not be overweight due to those factors but may have medical issues that you (and thanks to HIPPA) the school faculty may not be aware of.

Bottom line? Don't assume and don't judge.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: katlaughing
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 08:30 PM

A very interesting article on Green Schools.

LH, my social studies class was not political. The teacher was dynamic and we had a healthy mix of kids...two of the things I thought were the most fun were debating current social issues and, one semester, we each "played" the stock market, learning how to read the reports in the daily newspaper and make good choices on how to invest our imaginary capital. One thing, for sure, we were not a "me" generation...we learned a lot abou our responsibility for ourselves and our society.

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 09:25 PM

Remember that guy who said that giraffes had long necks cause they strained up to get nice leaves, so their offspring had taller necks? The Darwinians, especially when genetics came along, laughed at that.

But... studies have now found that may not be total nonsense.

For males - it is during puberty, and females at conception - the diet of the parents can affect the metabolic rate of the offspring - and things like rates of diabetees. When the 'germ cells' are formed - the eggs for the female and the sperm for the male - there now seems to be some evidence that environmental factors CAN feed into the genetic material...

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 09:53 PM

Nope, MMario---it just doesn't work that way. My body has 'settled' into a range, and it doesn't like change. Like the kids I mentioned, it sends hunger signals at certain intervals and I can barely stand it until I eat something...and that is often sweets and/or carbohydrates. It is just my luck that I would have to work as hard to get ^up to 180 as _down to 160.
   Sure...I 'could' lose a few lbs., but with such a minor problem, there's little incentive to suffer! I am hoping that with 'some' extra exercise, and NOT buying that extra pack of cookies (if I don't have it I can't eat it) I may make some progress. I have spent 50 years not needing will power...*grin*....I barely know where it's kept!

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 07:54 AM

hey - this is a big problem.

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: LilyFestre
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 08:21 AM

A big problem because it relates to being unhealthy, yes. A big problem because some people have preconceived ideas about how overweight people behave or because of how they look? Absolutely not.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: Jeri
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 08:38 AM

The latter may be a bigger problem for some than the former. Kids probably don't notice the 'unhealthy' aspect, but will surely suffer from how others treat them.

My mom was a chubby kid and told me she did everything within her power to protect me from having to go through what she did. As it turned out, I was a really skinny kid whom she had to coax to eat anything. Then, something changed near puberty, and I've had a constant battle with fat ever since. Most of my life, this has been fat related to body image, but now that I'm older, it's easier to gain more and it has affected my health.

That said, I don't think there's anything that could have been done differently when I was a kid. I don't feel that education will help kids that likely know what healthy food is anyway. I think making the convenience foods less convenient will. Yank the junk food and soda machines out. Speaking as a former kid, if I could get it, I'd eat it.

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: LilyFestre
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 10:19 AM

"Speaking as a former kid" LOL!

Subject: RE: BS: Obesity out of control
From: Mr Red
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 08:00 AM

there are those that race motorbikes for a hobby, or horses, and that is dangerous - obesity is a life choice too -

If the person is getting a lot of exercise there should be little worry. Obesity is a threshold of bady/mass index which seems to shift around over the years. May I draw an analogy with water tanks. If you use a lot of water - you need a big tank to even out the delivery. Body fat is no different.

Having said that I don't like being over-weight let alone fat. I eat frugally, dance a lot and still the clothes don't fit - HAVE YOU TRIED finding red trousers?