Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Obesity Ads (Read 1741 times)


A Saucy Wench

    Quaker = oatmeal = food so healthy it cancels out all bad foods. 

    I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

     

    "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

    xor


      Plus, there's a picture of a Quaker on the box.  Gentle people who would NEVER steer you wrong.

       

      Their oil kicks ass too.

       

      Jill_B


      I fly.

        Yeah, well. My two youngest kids are typically starving starving, for real, when they get out of school. They are both thin, with limited body fat stores, play and work hard during the day, and often cannot go even another minute without something to eat. So they get something healthy in the car.

         

        My older son eats lunch at 10:30 AM so they get to eat a snack at 2 PM (and I pack him a second peanut butter sandwich and milk-box).  He can survive until dinner.

         

        My younger son eats ALL day long.  Seriously, I think the preschool just keeps handing the kids food all day.  At least it's usually healthy (fruit, cheese, crackers, cheerios).

        Bring it on.

           

          ...when I was younger, every summer I used to volunteer a couple weeks at a camp for sick and formerly sick kids (Camp Esperanza in Texas for those who care).   

           

           

          My dad spent a few summers after retirement volunteering at Camp Alphie up here--sounds like a similar camp.

            All 3 of my kids are in the ideal weight range. Yet we are constantly told that we should "fatten" them up a bit.  They look skinny compared to the majority of their friends. 

             

            It's not just kids, by the way.  I'm a 5' 10" male.  I weighed about 200 lbs and dropped my weight down to 150 lbs.  Which, if you believe the BMI charts, is almost smack dab in the middle of the range.

             

            I was constantly being bombarded by DW, kids, friends, in-laws, telling me I was too skinny and unhealthy.  Mind you, I was not 130 pounds, which is at the lower end of normal for my height, I was 150.  In the middle of the "normal" range.

             

            Since then I had gone back up to 210 lbs, but over the last few months, I've worked really hard and am now 170.  I am bracing for the onslaught of "advice" again.

             

            Thankfully, I am an adult and know how to ignore the do-gooders, especially when they are mis-guided.

             

            Having said that, though...when I was 150 lbs, I really did look thin.  My ribs were very obvious, my face was gaunt.  My iliac crest stuck out.  But I had never felt better, and, at least for running, I could glide along with no issues.  Even now at 170, I clomp along, man boobs flopping.  And I'm still in the normal range.  I can't wait to lose that extra 15 pounds (permanently this time, I hope).

             

            It makes me wonder if the BMI (which yes, I know, is just a tool, a marker to indicate further analysis) is skewed.  Or, maybe the ranges are too broad.  Those ranges, though, aren't that different from the old Met Life charts that were used when we were young.

            Jeff

              It makes me wonder if the BMI (which yes, I know, is just a tool, a marker to indicate further analysis) is skewed.  Or, maybe the ranges are too broad. 

               

              of course the ranges are too broad when applied to an individual.  I don't think they are in any way meant to apply to determining the "normal" range for an individual.  we could all cut the ranges in half if properly centered on where we should be. 

               

              BMI called me overweight when I was 194 pounds and ran a 4:55 mile.  I think I was kind of fit then.  But it also calls me the same classification of overweight when I'm at 234 pounds.  The ranges are simply too broad and not centered on reality to be applied to an individual.  And that's not the intent of BMI anyway. 

               

               

               

               

                of course the ranges are too broad when applied to an individual.  I don't think they are in any way meant to apply to determining the "normal" range for an individual. 

                 

                You would think, though, that someone, any individual, who was almost exactly in the middle of their range for "normal" wouldn't be skinny though.

                Jeff

                  You would think, though, that someone, any individual, who was almost exactly in the middle of their range for "normal" wouldn't be skinny though.

                   

                   

                  Indeed.

                   

                  And also there was some study recently where they examined people for excess body fat using other methods and compared these results with BMIs. The conclusion was that many people at the top of end what is usually given as "normal" by the BMI (under 25)  are actually significantly heavier than is good for their health.

                   

                  The usual disclaimer with the BMI is that is doesn't distinguish between fat and muscle. You can be very muscular and still have a high BMI - many Olympic rowers, for example, would be "obese" according to the BMI definition - but they are not - they just have a lot of muscle.

                    It's not just kids, by the way.  I'm a 5' 10" male.  I weighed about 200 lbs and dropped my weight down to 150 lbs.  Which, if you believe the BMI charts, is almost smack dab in the middle of the range.

                     

                    I was constantly being bombarded by DW, kids, friends, in-laws, telling me I was too skinny and unhealthy.  Mind you, I was not 130 pounds, which is at the lower end of normal for my height, I was 150.  In the middle of the "normal" range.

                     

                    Since then I had gone back up to 210 lbs, but over the last few months, I've worked really hard and am now 170.  I am bracing for the onslaught of "advice" again.

                     

                    Thankfully, I am an adult and know how to ignore the do-gooders, especially when they are mis-guided.

                     

                    Having said that, though...when I was 150 lbs, I really did look thin.  My ribs were very obvious, my face was gaunt.  My iliac crest stuck out.  But I had never felt better, and, at least for running, I could glide along with no issues.  Even now at 170, I clomp along, man boobs flopping.  And I'm still in the normal range.  I can't wait to lose that extra 15 pounds (permanently this time, I hope).

                     

                    It makes me wonder if the BMI (which yes, I know, is just a tool, a marker to indicate further analysis) is skewed.  Or, maybe the ranges are too broad.  Those ranges, though, aren't that different from the old Met Life charts that were used when we were young.

                     Those probably were BMI charts, BMI has been around for a while.

                     

                    I'm 6' , 155ish lbs. I've never been heavier than 165, which happened the first time I started running 400m repeats. (I was also eating cafeteria style at the time, so hungrier=more food with no more work) 150lbs at 5'10" is fine in my opinion, if it wasn't I'd be trying to gain. In fact, I'd be happy to drop a couple pounds this week leading up to my marathon.  This is not normal society. You are on an internet website full of distance runners who from hobby and pre-selection, are much lighter than the average.

                     

                    People saying you were 'skinny' and needed to fatten back up just have their perception of normal skewed to heavy.

                    qwerty85


                      You would think, though, that someone, any individual, who was almost exactly in the middle of their range for "normal" wouldn't be skinny though.

                       

                      I can say I was at the very top end of mine with a very low body fat percentage.   (Skinny is debatable, I think of that as meaning low muscle mass)  

                       

                       

                      BMI is meant for populations more than individuals - and faulty even then with certain populations.  (In the US, there are people who have a high BMI and are not obese, and there are a lot of skinny fat people too!)

                       

                      for individuals, body fat testing is the best way to go.

                      Or, you know, look in the mirror. Wink  I can say I'm fat as hell right now with no help!

                      Slice


                        http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/boarding-school-for-overweight-kids-29445501.html

                         

                        This is great! And my dream job would be to work at a place like this.

                        I don't half-ass anything

                         

                        "I have several close friends who have run marathons, a word that is actually derived from two Swahili words: mara, which means 'to die a horrible death' and thon, which means 'for a stupid T-shirt.' Look it up." - Celia Rivenbark, You Can't Drink All Day if You Don't Start in the Morning

                         


                        Why is it sideways?

                          Being Mean to Fat People Is Pointless: A Good Old-Fashioned Plea for Civility

                           

                          A good reminder for us runners, who sometimes tend to self-righteousness.

                           

                          Here's my point. People, right now, are actively campaigning against kindness, and treating it like a legitimate and productive political stance. But that's insane. Even if shaming and hurting people was the "solution" to the obesity "problem"—which it isn't—it still wouldn't be worth it to me. Because humanity is more important. Maybe being kind to fat people (and, really, I mean all people) isn't a perfect system—maybe you're going to be uncomfortable on a plane once in a while, and it's possible that some fat weirdo somewhere is going to, uh, game the system and get hella free open-heart surgeries ON UNCLE SAM'S DIME (or whatever stupid con you think we're running in the name of cake). But, being a compassionate human being, I can absorb that margin of error and I am proud to do so.

                           

                          Whether or not you believe that fat people actually cost our nation money, the real problem with this whole shame industrial complex is that it doesn't fucking work. Not only does it hurt people, it's embarrassingly ineffective—a cruel hobby, not a political act. Everyone on earth who is concerned about this issue—whether you're a person who thinks that fatness is irrelevant, or someone who's bullied because of your body, or a concerned citizen who genuinely wants to improve the health of the nation—should be on the same side here. Be fucking nice.

                           


                          #artbydmcbride

                            Being Mean to Fat People Is Pointless: A Good Old-Fashioned Plea for Civility

                             

                            A good reminder for us runners, who sometimes tend to self-righteousness.

                             

                            Here's my point. People, right now, are actively campaigning against kindness, and treating it like a legitimate and productive political stance. But that's insane. Even if shaming and hurting people was the "solution" to the obesity "problem"—which it isn't—it still wouldn't be worth it to me. Because humanity is more important. Maybe being kind to fat people (and, really, I mean all people) isn't a perfect system—maybe you're going to be uncomfortable on a plane once in a while, and it's possible that some fat weirdo somewhere is going to, uh, game the system and get hella free open-heart surgeries ON UNCLE SAM'S DIME (or whatever stupid con you think we're running in the name of cake). But, being a compassionate human being, I can absorb that margin of error and I am proud to do so.

                             

                            Whether or not you believe that fat people actually cost our nation money, the real problem with this whole shame industrial complex is that it doesn't fucking work. Not only does it hurt people, it's embarrassingly ineffective—a cruel hobby, not a political act. Everyone on earth who is concerned about this issue—whether you're a person who thinks that fatness is irrelevant, or someone who's bullied because of your body, or a concerned citizen who genuinely wants to improve the health of the nation—should be on the same side here. Be fucking nice.

                             

                             

                            Amen!  Thank you, Jeff!

                             

                            Runners run

                              I like that article --- I think being mean to people is never a good idea. 

                               

                              I struggle with how to think about obesity stuff though.  I've lately seen a lot of claims that being obese is not bad for your health, which seems to directly contradict the messages I've seen from mainstream, credible-seeming health professionals.  I know that correlation does not imply causation, but from what I've seen, being obese certainly correlates very strongly with diabetes, heart disease and joint problems.  To me, the notion that being obese does not cause these health problems seems like unproductive hairsplitting.  Also, the only data that I have read to support the idea that a high BMI is healthier than a low BMI (one of the claims that I see repeatedly, and yes, I know the purpose and limitations of BMI -- this is a claim I've seen made, not my idea) dealt with senior citizens in nursing homes --- a unique population with atypical health problems where keeping weight on is a big concern (unlike just about every other population). 

                               

                              So... I don't think being mean is the answer.  I also don't think that lying to ourselves and claiming that obesity is not a huge health (and public policy) problem is the way to go.  So, this seems like a really tough thing to even figure out how to talk about.   Also, when I see parents serving kids soda at every meal or really large people buying their obese children huge chocolate covered ice cream cones at dairy queen (when I am at Subway buying a 6" veggie sub), I kind of struggle.  Part of me thinks it's kind of like giving those kids cigarettes -- I don't advocate incivility, but I feel like someone should say something. 

                               

                              I also struggle with the whole "it's not as simple as calories in and calories out" thing.  Yes, metabolism and genetics play a big role in food.  I've never been super obese, so I don't have direct experience with that, but I have lost about 35 pounds (and put it back on and lost it again), and for me personally it is about calories in and calories out.  Yes, it sucks to lose weight.  Personally, I constantly think about food and I have to be careful about what I eat even when I'm running a fair amount.  But I think I have an almost infinite capacity to justify bad decisions and deceive myself about how hard I am trying at things.  I think there is a place for just sucking it up and doing what you have to do.  A lot (most) of the "fat acceptance" stuff that I see seems like an effort to avoid confronting reality, sucking it up and doing what needs to be done.

                                Noticed this today - doesn't really tell us anything we don't already  know, but still an interesting read.

                                 

                                http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18393391