# You seriously have to be kidding me.



## Shimmer (Aug 24, 2006)

Are parents this lazy now? Really? 

I'm sorry y'all.
I'm vain, shallow, self centered, egomaniacal, and any other word you can think of that  goes along with this general vein of thinking but I will NOT allow my children to become little fatbodies.
WHY is it so much to ask that parents make sure their kids grow up healthily?

what started the rant

Granted, I'm not perfect as a parent....but my kids are REQUIRED to have a physical extracurricular activity.
They are required to do something besides sit in front of that GD tv and video game and veg out.
WHY is this so difficult for others to grasp????


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## Juneplum (Aug 24, 2006)

:huh2: this must be a joke... this is taking it WAY too far


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## YvetteJeannine (Aug 24, 2006)

I remember my mother always HATED when she saw overwieght children.  She always said that it's really a form of abuse.  

I have relatives that "made" all their kids fat so they'd always have a buddy to hang around with..we're talking seriously obese people here.

I tend to agree w/ my mother..


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## Shimmer (Aug 24, 2006)

The health issues that being overweight brings about ... and to allow it as a parent? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Not parent of the year worth IMO. :/


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## sewpunk (Aug 24, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *YvetteJeannine* 
_I have relatives that "made" all their kids fat so they'd always have a buddy to hang around with..we're talking seriously obese people here._

 
me too!  It's a sickness some people have.  Sad but true.


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## Shimmer (Aug 24, 2006)

my FIL is I think addicted to food.
It's difficult to watch.


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## queenofdisaster (Aug 24, 2006)

i guess i'm lucky b/c i HATE junk food and WILL NOT give it to my daughter. the junkiest thing in my cabinet is oreos.


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## Raerae (Aug 24, 2006)

The sad part about all of this, is that it comes completely down to parenting, and it's 100% preventable imho...

My moms and size 2 at 56 years of age, i'm a size 0, i'm 24.  It's not all genetics...  What it does come down too...  Is PARENT SUPERVISION!!!

I saw that article and was floored...  The whole process just smells of parent laziness...

I remember going shopping for food with my Mom...  You want cereal?  Ok, you can get Kix, Plain Cheerios, Plain Rice Crispies, oatmeal, etc.  Oh you want (Insert cereal with sugar or marshmellow, etc here), my mom would always say, "Thats nice, let it stay there.  I'll buy you some Banana's or Strawberries to put in your cereal, you'll like it better, I promise."

And you know what?!?  It is better.  Fresh fruit >>>>>>>> sugar and marshmellows ANY DAY.  But your Mom needs to stop being lazy and cut it up for her kids and put it in the bowl.  Or at the very least, open a can of peaches (the kind in WATER, not sugar), and put a few slices in the bowl.  C'mon people, it's not hard.

Want your kids to stop buying crap for lunch?  PACK THEM A LUNCH.  Stop being lazy and letting your kids eat deep fried tatertots, and pizza, and frenchfries, and SODA every day.  You all know what they are eating, you saw it when you were in highschool.  It's crap.  Why?  Because cheap crappy food thats BAD FOR YOU, is inexpensive.  Why do you thing fast food stores have DOLLAR menu's.

Is is THAT hard to buy a loaf of Sheepherder's bread, put a little mayo and mustard, some slices of TURKEY (not all that bologna or other processed meat crap with slices of KRAFT processed cheese), some lettuce, a slice of tomatoe, and wrap it in tin foil and put it in your kids lunchbox with an icepack?  Do you have to throw artificial fruit snacks in the bag?  How about some trail mix or a 1/2 of an apple (cut into slices) and a granola bar (stop putting poptarts into kids lunches), and maybe a juce box with REAL Juice, or a THERMIS with some OJ or some other healthy juice in it.  STOP LETTING THEM DRINK SODA EVERYDAY!

If you feed your kids a proper breakfast, they wont be hungry until lunch, and if you pack them a proper lunch, they wont eat bad food...  It's totally the parents fault, and it drives me absoluteley nuts when i see obese kids.


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## mzcelaneous (Aug 24, 2006)

That's exactly why I refuse to have a TV in my daughter's room and why her TV time is limited to 1 hour a day.

Seriously.

 I don't care what people say...I am NOT going to place her in front of the TV just so I can "rest" or have some "free time". The TV isn't a babysitter! 

"You won't even let her watch Saturday morning cartoons?" Well, not ALL GD morning! Geez. There are plenty of fun things to do other than become a couch potato.

Sorry for that rant, I just had someone pestering me about that recently.


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## caffn8me (Aug 24, 2006)

There is an interesting article on the BBC news website today about a teenager who weighs about 476 pounds - see here


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## Vicky88 (Aug 24, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *caffn8me* 
_There is an interesting article on the BBC news website today about a teenager who weighs about 476 pounds - see here_

 
Check out BBC Three on Monday at 9. There is a documentary about her.

As you may or may not know by my previous posts, I'm really overweight. 

My mum admits that it started when I was younger because she wanted me to have everything I wanted (I think perhaps because she was 21 and my father wasn't around so possible some kind of guilt factor? Not sure) and although I (and she) knows this wasn't right. I don't blame her for it, I am 18 now and it's up to me to lose weight if I want to.

Perhaps I am a hypocrit for saying this because I am overweight, but I think weight loss surgery is wrong. Overweight people, who turn to surgery, are just too lazy to TRY. If you eat healthily and exercise, you WILL lose weight. But people are too quick to take the easy option and take pills or have surgery and claim that they have tried, or that they can't lose weight. Everyone can lose weight, stop being so ridiculous.

I wish that my mum had encouraged me to be more active as a child, made me join a club or taken me out for more walks but that's over now and she and I have both learned that is how we need to raise children (when/if I ever have them and her for my 2 year old brother, and her baby on the way!).

That article you posted Shimmer, really annoys me. To be eligible for the surgery, you need to prove that you have bee trying to lose weight by losing a certain amount beforehand - so if they do that, why are they still having the surgery? They clearly CAN lose weight. IF. THEY. TRY.

Secondly, I think a lot of people expect to be able to continue eating what they want after the surgery and still live a sedentry lifestyle. Which (I hope) is wrong. I don't want the world to become lazy. We really need to change it!


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## Shimmer (Aug 24, 2006)

Quote:

  so if they do that, why are they still having the surgery? They clearly CAN lose weight. IF. THEY. TRY.  
 
This isn't true.
Many patients who undergo GBS HAVE been fighting the weight for a LONG time, and NOT been able to lose the weight necessary to improve their health.
Yes there are individuals like the ones you mentioned but given the risks of GBS and the fact that most surgeons require psyche eval (at least any of the surgeons I worked with did) as well as counseling before permitting the surgery, those individuals are far fewer than the ones who undergo the surgerybecause it's medically necessary.


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## Raerae (Aug 24, 2006)

i just dont understand it...

if you are religious about your diet, eat healthy, and add a little bit of physical activity into your life, it should be possible for anyone to lose weight.  And the activity doesn't even have to be all that.  Buy a dog, walk a few miles.  If you decrease your portion size your stomache will shrink on it's own, no stapling needed.

  Eat a small healthy breakfast, like a bowl of oatmeal.  A sensibly portioned lunch (eat a 6 inch sub and drink a bottle of water, not 12 inches, chips a cookie, and a large extra large coke), and a healthy dinner, again sensibly portioned.

My expierence with friends who are dieting, is they can stick to the 3 main meals a day part of the diet, but dince there not used to eating reduced calories, they SNACK all the time.  Which basically defeats the purpose of dieting if your eating little things all day ontop of big meals.


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## Shimmer (Aug 24, 2006)

Sorry, it doesn't work for everyone that way.
It's logical to me, or you, who don't weight 468 lbs but unfortunately, not everyone who is morbidly obese is able to shed the weight. 
It doesn't always work.


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## Vicky88 (Aug 24, 2006)

I stand corrected. I didn't realise it was impossible for some people to lose weight so sorry about that!


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## Tyester (Aug 24, 2006)

It's never impossible. Some people just have to work harder than others at what their trying to achieve.

Remember: Whenever there's a will, there's always a way or an excuse.


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## Shimmer (Aug 24, 2006)

If you feed your kids a proper breakfast, they wont be hungry until lunch, and if you pack them a proper lunch, they wont eat bad food... It's totally the parents fault, and it drives me absoluteley nuts when i see obese kids



I have to disagree here as well. My six year old has a metabolism like a  crack addicted tazmanian devil. Regardless of what he eats at 630 a.m...but 9:30 he is shaky and HUNGRY. 
It's better to eat several small meals a day than three large ones, numerous studies have shown this.


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## Shimmer (Aug 24, 2006)

Additionally:
There is NOTHING easy about gastric bypass. 
The recovery is hard.
The post surgery surgeries are hard.
The maintenance is hard.
NONE of that is the 'easy way'.


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## Vicky88 (Aug 25, 2006)

What I meant was  that people perceive it as an easy way out. Not all people, of course not. But some!

I have watched several doumentaries on TV about weight loss and people say they are considering surgery. Some people seem to think that just because the option of surgery is there, they don't have to try in the first place.

Obviously there are people out there who need the surgery and it's great that they can have it! But I think a lot of obese people have psychological problems with food even addiction as mentioned above.

I'm not a doctor, and I don't claim to know everything (or even anything!) about the surgery and procedures. Perhaps I am talking bull, but this is just based of everything I gather from tv and the news etc. etc.


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## mzcelaneous (Aug 25, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Shimmer* 
_I have to disagree here as well. My six year old has a metabolism like a  crack addicted tazmanian devil. Regardless of what he eats at 630 a.m...but 9:30 he is shaky and HUNGRY. 
It's better to eat several small meals a day than three large ones, numerous studies have shown this._

 





 My daughter is always hungry, but is skinny-bone-jones. She takes after her father who is the same exact way. I, on the other hand, have tried almost everything short of surgery to lose weight. Even though I have a thyroid problem, it's still possible to loose weight -- but it's so freakin' hard!!!! I'm not obese and some people will think I'm crazy for trying to shed some pounds but I'm not at my personal weight goal at this moment.

Anyway....back to the topic. Parents need to enforce good eating habits from the start. Don't give that 2 year old a "small" cheeseburger. Don't use food as a reward or bribe. Don't go to the drive-thru because you're lazy. Just don't. Bottom line.


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## Raerae (Aug 25, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Shimmer* 
_It's better to eat several small meals a day than three large ones, numerous studies have shown this._

 
I eat 3 small meals a day =P


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## Shimmer (Aug 25, 2006)

you're also underweight. And I'm not saying that to be mean.


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## Raerae (Aug 25, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Shimmer* 
_This isn't true.
Many patients who undergo GBS HAVE been fighting the weight for a LONG time, and NOT been able to lose the weight necessary to improve their health.
Yes there are individuals like the ones you mentioned but given the risks of GBS and the fact that most surgeons require psyche eval (at least any of the surgeons I worked with did) as well as counseling before permitting the surgery, those individuals are far fewer than the ones who undergo the surgerybecause it's medically necessary._

 
Is it really medically necessary though?  For anyone?  All having a smaller stomache does is make you feel full faster, and prevent you from eating too much in a single sitting.

You could get the EXACT same results by just eating a smaller portion.  And having a little bit of willpower.

Just cuz it's on your plate doesn't mean you have to eat it.  Just cuz your stomache is the size of a football, doesn't mean you have to fill it.  Learn a little restraint.

I woulnd't be surprised if the majority of the people who get gastric bypss surgery, eventually gain back all the weight.  Since it's a self control thing, more than anything.

A guy friend I have known since forever had a serious weight problem when he was 18.  he was the type of guy to order a Wendy's burger with 4 patties, supersize the order, and get a large frosty on top of the large coke.  And eat every last bit.  He used to eat all sorts of high fat foods.  Lots of red meats, processed foods, ice cream, not to mention alcohol.

Some point he decided he was over it, and started strickly regulating his diet.  A specific amount of $ per week to spend on a specific type of food, portioned out for 7 days, for a total of about 1600 calories a day.  Red meat got replaced with turkey breast, fries got replaced with salads, etc.

He was pushing 300 a few years back, beer gut and all.  All of thats gone now. He's back in the 100's, attractive, ACTIVE (plays sports and goes hiking now, he didn't b4), and a lot healthier than he was in the past.  Results not typical?  No, he just had the restraint to watch what he eats.


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## Raerae (Aug 25, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Shimmer* 
_you're also underweight. And I'm not saying that to be mean._

 
On some days =P  I was 111 on the scale today! =P


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## Shimmer (Aug 25, 2006)

Have you thought about talking with your physician? You may be exhibiting signs of an eating disorder that could do serious damage to your health.


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## Raerae (Aug 25, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Shimmer* 
_Have you thought about talking with your physician? You may be exhibiting signs of an eating disorder that could do serious damage to your health._

 
Nope 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 I've been at my current weight for as long as I can remember.  I have no interest in losing weight, and would be happy with gaining a few here and there.  So no, it's not ED related.  Thanks for caring!


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## Shimmer (Aug 25, 2006)

Perhaps a visit with a dietician or a physician regarding eating habits or a diet created for the purpose of adding a bit of weight to your frame would help.


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## Raerae (Aug 25, 2006)

Probably, but that would involve spending more money on food than i want too per month =P


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## Shimmer (Aug 25, 2006)

*shrug*
sometimes we do what we must.


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## Raerae (Aug 25, 2006)

Besides, i'm the anti-binge eater, I dont eat, when i feel depressed, instead of pigging out =P  So if i have a bad day, i just wont feel hungry and i'll lose like 3-5 lbs in one day 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 So gaining weight probably isn't gonna happen


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## Shimmer (Aug 25, 2006)

I'd probably go to the dr anyway. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Make sure your heart is okay.


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## Raerae (Aug 25, 2006)

I get regular checkups every 3 months.  Not to mention I had that heart test where the put the little sticky cups on you and measure your heart rate for cardiovascular disease, EKG or something done last year and was fine 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I'm not really underweight as much as I have a really small frame, so while i may not weigh a lot, I'm also not unhealthy.  Everyone's body is different


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## Kim. (Aug 25, 2006)

This is sort of off topic but regarding people on this post talking about foods people should eat and excersise it's not all black and white. I suffer from chronic migranes (they can last 2 weeks plus) and it's really hard for me to excersise when I have the migrane (I know excersise helps them), when I have the migrane I usually get depressed and sad because I'm in so much pain about that and other things. I'm also taking other medications that have side effects such as weight gain and other things that make things that would be easy for most people, difficult. It's so simple to say someone who is overweight to excersise and eat right but some people are experiencing side effects to a lot of medications that are out there, being overweight for ME and many other people in America and Canada is epidemic. It's not even about the food, food for many people is just used to self medicate, to take away pain, sadness just like excessive alcohol, drugs etc. I totally understand about parents like you guys watching what your children eat and limiting tv time but a lot of families work hard hours and are just scraping by, trying to do their best. I'm definitly not saying that that's an excuse but it does make things harder. When your children get to a certain age you can't be watching over them 24/7 and they are bound to be exposed to junk food, pop etc.  I totally respect you guys and your opinions but some things are not all black and white. I think people should work on educating parents about healthy food choices instead of  criticizing.

Ps. Sorry I went off topic but I had to get some of that out.


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## Wattage (Aug 25, 2006)

^ Thank you for that, Kim. I completely agree that the problem is not as black and white as "Don't feed your kids crap". It delves much deeper into sociological and psychological issues that our society and its members face. It is a very, very complex problem that many highly educated epidemiologists study.


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## mzcelaneous (Aug 25, 2006)

Thank you so much Kim. I have hypothyroidism which greatly affects my metabolism. It's not as simple to just exercise and eating right (which I do) but I can never loose more than 5 lbs. It's tough 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




And although I agree that you can't watch your children 24/7 when they reach a certain age, parents can try to enforce good eating/media habits early so when they DO reach that age, they'll choose an apple instead of the candy or arts & crafts instead of a certain TV show. Of course they'll be exposed sooner or later, but teaching your kids will help them immensely. Can you believe that the other day, while were running late for dinner,  we asked our daughter to choose between Baked Salmon or Chicken McNuggets? Guess what she choose? The salmon! I'm so proud of her!

Anyway, education is the key factor here. I tell my BFF all the time. Examples:

"Well, she doesn't like fruit" -- Keep introducing it to them. One day, they're bound to try it. 
"She'd rather watch cartoons anyway." -- Try taking the child out to the zoo on a "kids for free" day, take them to the park, or play dress-up with her.
"He doesn't like to play baseball" -- Well, there's basketball, gymnastics, dancing, soccer, football, etc. Plenty of other FUN physical activities to keep your child healthy.

Just something to keep in mind since I know a lot of parents think that they have very little options


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## JULIA (Aug 25, 2006)

This is a sad time for our world. Shimmer, I am definitely with you on this one. Teens getting their stomach stappled?! WHAT THE EFF. Honestly, kids need more physical activity and have got to be more aware of what they're putting in their mouth. These "obesity surgeries" or whatever the technical name is are simply nonsense. So then, how does one solve this problem without resorting to said drastic measures? _Stop being so lazy._ Oh, you've got the option to take the elevator or the stairs? Hmm, take the stairs, in 10 years you'll be thankful you did. Ignore the craving for fastfoods, and if you give in, get a salad. They're nice to look at, weren't ever alive and help you out when it comes to your health. Go run a few miles, not because it's required for PE, but because you want to take care of yourself. 

UGH, this gets under my skin.


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## Makeupluvr (Aug 26, 2006)

Wow.  I am stunned.  The fact that people would even consider GBS for teenagers . . . the fact that it would even be a thought, a POSSIBLE idea, is sickening to me.  I think it speaks volumes about our society and what our real priorities are at this current point in time.  It is sad, depressing, and surreal to me.  Seriously, how hard is it to instill proper eating and activity in "our" children?  (I don't have any kids yet hence the quotation marks).  Despite all the advertisements for eating/living healthy, in truth, we as a society are saying that health isn't REALLY important but that the appearance of healthy/physical fitness or just looks in general is.  And if someone were to say that's not it, then lets instead say we are teaching that the easier way is best.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that GBS is necessarily easy, as Shimmer pointed out recover is long, there can be complications, etc.  But compared to learning proper eating habits and being active for a teenager that is obese (granted there are challenges involved in any kind of life changing process, especially with weight loss on such a grand scale there are significant physically changes directly related to abilitiy to exercise in most cases, don't get me wrong I realize that), I think the surgery is definitely the easier route as far as self regulation and accountability is concerned and truly persuing health as an ultimate goal.  As it was pointed out, having the surgery will insure weight loss, but does not mean healthier eating and therefore goes back to ones appearance being more important than ones health.  I know a lot of this is reiteration and some of my statements are a bit redundant but I think it bears repeating and it is just so troubling that we as a people would even contemplate such a thing as acceptable.  And when I say we as a people, obviously not the majority, but the fact that ANYONE would even conjure it up as an option!  Ok, I am going to step off my soap box now. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







Thanks for posting this Shimmer.  And thanks to anyone who read my post.


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## Kim. (Aug 26, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *JULIA* 
_This is a sad time for our world. Shimmer, I am definitely with you on this one. Teens getting their stomach stappled?! WHAT THE EFF. Honestly, kids need more physical activity and have got to be more aware of what they're putting in their mouth. These "obesity surgeries" or whatever the technical name is are simply nonsense. So then, how does one solve this problem without resorting to said drastic measures? Stop being so lazy. Oh, you've got the option to take the elevator or the stairs? Hmm, take the stairs, in 10 years you'll be thankful you did. *Ignore the craving for fastfoods, and if you give in, get a salad. They're nice to look at, weren't ever alive and help you out when it comes to your health. Go run a few miles, not because it's required for PE, but because you want to take care of yourself. *

UGH, this gets under my skin._

 

Not everyone is just lazy, I agree many people are but food is often used as a coping method such as eating disorders, most of the time they're a result of feeling lack of control, depression, self hatred etc. Saying to someone who is addicted to food is just like telling a smoker to quit cigarettes. Obesity and being overweight is not usually even about the food, it's SO easy for people who are educated on this topic to go around and say excersise and eat right, take care of yourself. Obviously you should excersise and eat right and take care of yourself but it's not all black and white... People with this fixed mindset really get under _my_ skin.


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