Sensitive Subject: Overweight Kids at Disney and in USA in General

[barbeml]

We live in a big beautiful development (1500 homes), and DH and I walk every day--usually twice a day (we both struggle to keep our weight down and try to be as active as our desk jobs will allow). There are walking paths and bike trails, and beautiful play areas. Most homes have expensive swingsets in the back.

However, we rarely ever see any kids outside playing. When I was a kid, my Mom had to drag us inside.

NJ no longer has mandatory gym, recess or health ed, apparently. When do these kids get any exercise? The school bus stops at every corner (I've been stuck behind it several times), and no one walks to school here.

Some parents are setting a terrible example: every day I see people drive their cars a few hundred feet to the mail boxes (my street is townhomes and we have cluster boxes). We see very few adults out walking or taking advantage of the tennis courts.

Even if you are a stickler for good nutrition, your body has to move to be healthy.

Every time we see large groups of kids (especially at WDW), we are astonished at how big so many of them are. And it is not just the American kids, either.

I am actually working on a childhood obesity prevention project for a client, and the challenges are great. People just do not want to change their habits, and it has to be a family commitment. Now we have epidemic diabetes, and that will take an enormous financial toll in years to come.

No easy answers in a society where food is relatively cheap, very fatty & sugary, and readily available.

 

[jacksonsmom]

Originally posted by ckmommy
They are not the most active, but come on by 5 your healthy kids are too tired and they have to ride in a stroller??? Like I said my 3 yo did not even ride in a stroller! They did not complain or whine about walking. I am very surprised by the # of people thinking that a healthy 5 yo needs a stroller. I must be odd or something to expect my kids to be active and enjoy the exercise....

Flame away...my opinion WILL NOT change!!

I am not flaming but what may APPEAR to be healthy, may not be. Just remember that.

My 4.5 year old son, is not overweight by any means (tall & lean) but most likely he WILL be in a stroller at times when we are at WDW in late May/early June.
Although he looks healthy & because of his height passes for a 6 or even 7 year old at times, he has asthma so the humidity & all the walking may not be good for him.
He may need a rest & if that is the case we WILL get a stroller for him.
I am SURE I will get "looks" with him being in a stroller, but I don't care....I know WHY my son is in the stroller & that is ALL that matters!!!!

BTW--we were in WDW last December, the only park where he had trouble was Epcot. All the other parks he did not use a stroller, but the weather was much cooler then.

 

[robsmom]

I try to get my kid to eat healthy food and to limit his portions but end up letting him eat too much junk. I see him heading in the wrong direction and worry about it. We have enrolled him in Karate two nights a week and swim lessons on Saturday and this seems to be helping, but he is still in the higher bracket of weight. getting ready to go for his 5 yr well visit and know the doctor is going to tell me to have him loss weight (at 4 she wanted him to lose 5 of his 45 lbs. Turning 5 he is about 43/44 inches and 53/54 pounds!! We just got him a new "big boy" bike and have been out on it as much as possible so maybe that will help!

 

[Christine]

Originally posted by robsmom
I try to get my kid to eat healthy food and to limit his portions but end up letting him eat too much junk. I see him heading in the wrong direction and worry about it. We have enrolled him in Karate two nights a week and swim lessons on Saturday and this seems to be helping, but he is still in the higher bracket of weight. getting ready to go for his 5 yr well visit and know the doctor is going to tell me to have him loss weight (at 4 she wanted him to lose 5 of his 45 lbs. Turning 5 he is about 43/44 inches and 53/54 pounds!! We just got him a new "big boy" bike and have been out on it as much as possible so maybe that will help!

robsmom,
The fact that you even recognize it and are concerned is a step in the right direction. I can't believe that there are so many overweight kids whose parents don't seem to notice or they think that they look normal--maybe being chunky is normal nowadays.

For what it's worth, my boss' son was very overweight when he was in elementary and middle school. In fact, I feared that he was going to be HUGE. He had a steady diet of soda pop, TV, video games, with some baseball mixed in. Well, when he entered high school he got VERY interested in girls and took it upon himself to give up the soda (despite his parents continuing it) and eat better and lift weights. I saw him after he had lost his weight and I couldn't believe it. So, there's hope!! Also, I've heard that many boys go through a chunky stage pre-puberty and they do thin out. But, I think it's good to keep on top of it and aware like you are being.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by jacksonsmom
I am not flaming but what may APPEAR to be healthy, may not be. Just remember that.

My 4.5 year old son, is not overweight by any means (tall & lean) but most likely he WILL be in a stroller at times when we are at WDW in late May/early June.
Although he looks healthy & because of his height passes for a 6 or even 7 year old at times, he has asthma so the humidity & all the walking may not be good for him.
He may need a rest & if that is the case we WILL get a stroller for him.
I am SURE I will get "looks" with him being in a stroller, but I don't care....I know WHY my son is in the stroller & that is ALL that matters!!!!

I agree! My godson was so loaded up with Steroids that he looked like one of those Chinese dogs that have the wrinkly skin!
He was 7 and we still got him a stroller since he had cancer and looked healthy enough but couldn't walk much. To anyone else he would just look like a fat kid that was to fat to walk!
As far as riding in a stroller at Disney...my daughter is 4 1/2 and no way would I NOT get her a stroller, for her and for MY piece of mind. I don't have to wrooy about holding her hand the whole time and we can get from one place to the other faster if she rides in the stroller. Disney is a big place and it would be downright cruel to drag her around there from 8am until 10pm. It takes 4 of her little steps to equal one of mine so she is doing 4 times the work I am getting from one place to the other! BW.....my daughter is 4 1/2 and 29 pounds so she is more underweight than anything!! She does Karate 3 times a week, swims once a week in the winter and daily in the summer, plays soccer and rides her bike up and down the bolock all the time so she is getting enough exercise, I don't feel the need to torture her at Disney with the walking.

 

[legs22]

Most of the time, whenever I see an overweight child, the parents are the exact same way. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. This may be due to their diets and activity levels, or genetics, or both.

When we eat out at restaurants, all the kids meals came with a side of fries. Now I ask them to substitute broccoli (dd's favorite).

 

[Piglet]

I totally agree with jacksonsmom - just because you see a kid in a stroller that looks healthy doesn't mean that they are.

I have a 7 yo DD that is a bit overweight, looks normal, but because she was born with medical issues she has some minor muscle weakness that makes it difficult for her to be able to walk all day at WDW. She also is on a restricted diet and takes supplements that cause her to gain more.

So don't assume just because you see an overweight child in a stroller that their parents are feeding them junk food and sitting them in front of the TV.

Sorry to rant and don't mean to step on toes here - just a pet peeve of mine - I have had so called "friends" of mine that knows us call my DD lazy and comment that she doesn't have much energy just because she can't keep up with their kids when playing and needing to rest.

Melinda

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I totally agree with jacksonsmom - just because you see a kid in a stroller that looks healthy doesn't mean that they are.

true. But there is also no question that childhood obesity is approaching epidemic propertions in our nation.

Being unable to walk 10 miles a day for 5 or 6 days straight at WDW is one thing. But I can also honestly say that it is not uncommon to chaperone a group of 9 yo kids and out of your 10 kids, 3 of them will have to sit down to rest every 10 minutes.

Our school doesn't do the mile field tests anymore. Very few of the kids could work up to even attempting the majority of it at a run. During the track and field portion of PE, they walk a 1/2 mile. They mostly stick to bowling and light activity.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I am surprised that I don't usually hear the reason I think of as the problem. I think a big cause of childhood obesity is that so many moms have to work. If you want younger kids to play outside somebody has to supervise. And with young teens you won't usually let them go outside if you don't know where they are and make sure they get where they are going. During summers if mom is working the same thing. Kids don't get time to just hang out and run around, bike to their friends' etc.

 

[pnelson]

I think the biggest cause of childhood obesity is that adults are also overweight. Isn't it a fact now, that 50-60% of adults are overweight?? These are the same adults that blame their problems on metabolism (accounts for maybe 5-10 lbs.) or thyroid disease (accounts for maybe 5-10% of overweight people). When a survey came on at the DIS not too long ago about what people would do with an extra hour a day, not many said "Exercise"! I was shocked when I was at Disney World at the number of fat (yes, I said "FAT") adults walked by me. How can they stand to look at themselves in the mirror? Our country has talked themselves into "It's okay to be overweight" and "A size 12 is average". I think it's pathetic really. These adults are teaching the same bad, nasty habits to their children.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't think that Moms working is necessarily to blame. My son's daycare took the kids out to the playground and basketball courts regularly. My son was always racing around outside when I picked him up.

It's actually become more difficult now that he's older. Luckily he's in perpetual motion naturally and on the thin side but it's hard to find things to do outside nowadays.

 

[Tea Please]

.

 

[caitycaity]

pnelson -- on some people a size 12 is average. for me, for example, a 12 is what i am at when i am at the recommended weight for my height. maybe you should be a little less judgemental.

but then again, since i am overweight right now, i guess i don't know "how i stand to look at myself in the mirror."

 

[Kimberle]

Originally posted by pnelson
I was shocked when I was at Disney World at the number of fat (yes, I said "FAT") adults walked by me. How can they stand to look at themselves in the mirror? Our country has talked themselves into "It's okay to be overweight" and "A size 12 is average". I think it's pathetic really.

Yes, I can assure you that "fat" people do look into mirrors.

Funny how your comment reminds me of a "friend" who got married a few years ago..... She refused to invite anyone "fat" to her wedding because she didn't want her pictures "spoiled" in case they got in the way................ Though why she invited her size 16, 5'3" Mother is beyound me......

PS: her marriage lasted less than 2 years so she really needn't have worried.....................

 

[Tea Please]

I totally agree with obesitiy being in epidemic proprtions in this country. But honestly, it is not the fault of the kids. Children learn what they live. Unfortunately we live in society that is not condusive to our kids roaming free like we once did. Add to that the amount of moms that work and the kids that are placed in an after school program there are very few kids home in the late afternoon. I was home when my kids were younger, but there were many times they had no one to play with because of work schedules, etc. My street right now is chock full of kids, but on any given afternoon you would swear it was a retirement community. It is not the fault of any child, the we live in world where it is not safe to walk around the block.

Originally posted by pnelson
II was shocked when I was at Disney World at the number of fat (yes, I said "FAT") adults walked by me. How can they stand to look at themselves in the mirror? Our country has talked themselves into "It's okay to be overweight" and "A size 12 is average". I think it's pathetic really. .

I take offense to this statement. My mother is a prime example.
She had always mainted her weight and was a perfect size 7 most of her adult life. Then at age 56 she was hit with a debilitating disease. She cannont even walk 10 steps let alone exercise. ANd no, she did not eat her way to the weight she is now. She is there thru no fault of her own. And you know what, she can't stand to look at herself in the mirror. So the next time you see some "FAT" pathetic person, maybe say a little thank-you prayer that it is not you or your mother. Looks can sometimes be decieving.

 

[RitaZ.]

I was shocked when I was at Disney World at the number of fat (yes, I said "FAT") adults walked by me. How can they stand to look at themselves in the mirror?

 

[floridafam]

These are the same adults that blame their problems on metabolism (accounts for maybe 5-10 lbs.) or thyroid disease

Well, I do have thyroid disease and will have it for the rest of my life.

I don't let it stop me from being active, though.

I once lost 35 pounds in 3 months because I was hyperthyroid due to a growth on the gland. I was about a 6 when this happened so I actually looked ill afterward. I thought it was just because I was exercising regularly and eating right.

I do wish they served more fruit at WDW. They have whole fruit in the parks and OJ, etc. but we often have to go looking for fresh fruit there.

 

[pnelson]

These are the exact responses I was expecting, to tell the truth. The minute someone says "Health Problems" to justify extra weight...Well, in Canada, Japan, and France, the people have health problems without being obese. And yes, I can be judgemental...I exercise, don't eat everything in sight, and work hard to stay a size 4-6. And I stand by what I said, and I've had others agree with me, the number of overweight people in this country is embarrasing. Oprah Winfrey went to France, and the people there were actually laughing at us. We use many things to justify our weight-Health problems being just one of them. And I notice it in my age group inparticular-late 30's, early 40's...Seems to be a prime time for people to let themselves "go" and use many exuses to gain weight. It's no wonder our kids are overweight...Like follows like, in my opinion.

 

[ripleysmom]

"How can they stand to look at themselves in the mirror? "

Some of us have no problem with it. I'd rather be fat on the outside than ugly on the inside.

 

[02bBarbie]

How can they stand to look at themselves in the mirror?

What a disgusting statement