Having a child that to my shock falls in the category of overweight, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. So some random thoughts.
Thought 1:
Statistics say that 30% of American kids are overweight or obese. We were at the splash pad yesterday and I thought about that number. "Nah," says me, "There aren't that many fat kids here." So, I counted all the kids, no easy task when they are all running and screaming. There were about 20 kids there. Then I counted the ones that, based on my observation of my own fat child, appeared to be overweight. 6 kids. Well hell, that is 30% of the kids overweight. And three of those kids were clearly in the obese category, including one little girl who was about 8 or 10 who had such a belly on her that she looked pregnant. Eek. So, even in my mostly middle class community, there is a weight problem among kids, at least according to my unscientific survey.
Thought 2:
I was talking to my neighbor, who is a nurse, about the fact that Sam is overweight, according t his doctor. She was completely incredulous, and said "If that child is overweight, than we are all obese."
I looked at her a bit funny but didn't say anything. I mean, she isn't blind. I am 5'2, and weigh 200 lbs. That puts me so far over the line into obese it isn't even funny.
She is taller than I, but probably weighs pretty close to what I do. I betcha she is obese, too, and doesn't realize it. The manwhore, who was standing there, is also obese, and I betcha that her husband is, too. Two of her kids are at least overweight, and might be obese.
Are we so immune to fat that even a nurse with 20 yrs experience doesn't recognize overweight and obese when she sees it?
I suppose she thinks of obese people as weighing 300+ lbs or something, but the truth is, I would have to drop down to 160 just to get my fat ass in the overweight category. 135 is what it would take to get me to healthy.
At least I am aware of this fact and working on it, although it is slow going. If she doesn't recognize her own weight problem and that of her kids, and she is a medical professional, then how is the average person supposed to recognize their family's problems?
We are addressing our fat problem by cutting out sugar as much as we can, so we shall see where it gets us.
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2 comments:
I'm having good luck with Weight Watchers myself. But I do miss real Cokes and salty snack food!
Jody W.
Perhaps the problem isn't that we are all obese but that the definition of obese that has been shoved down our throats for the last 20 years or so needs adjusting? There are some serious issues with the whole BMI listing. It doesn't take into account muscle mass or size of bone structure. It doesn't take into account the fitness level of the person.
I think we should be looking more at helping people be fit rather than concentrating solely on weight. A lot of studies are showing that fitness level has much more to do with overall health than weight alone.
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