It's not baby fat: Among 4-year-olds, nearly 1 in 5 is obese

"Connie" wrote in message
...

Does the study say what the criteria are for judging
whether a child is considered obese? Percentages are all very well,
but they have to be based on something.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention,
adults fare no better. Approximately 45 percent of blacks, 36.8
percent of
Mexican Americans and 30 percent of whites are obese.

Are the same criteria used for all the above groups?

Diseases commonly seen in 40- or 50-year-olds are presenting in 6-
and
7-year-olds. Obese children are developing type 2 diabetes, fatty
liver
disease and musculoskeletal problems, which occur because their
bodies
can't carry that much weight, doctors said.

Notice how they gloss over the fact that the criteria for
determining whether someone has type 2 diabetes have gotten a lot
stricter over the years.

Calculate your child's body
mass index.

The BMI has always been a crock o' crap - if it is useful at
all, it's for whole populations, not individuals. It does not take
into account eating habits, exercise habits, muscularity vs.
adiposity, or genes.

"The heavier you are as a child, the likelier that extra weight will
follow
you through life," Robinson said. "That's why we see adolescents who
need
weight-loss surgery, because they have life-threatening
complications from
obesity."

Anorexics have life-threatening complications, but do they
have weight-gain surgery?

Why does any adolescent need weight-loss surgery? It is more
likely to shorten one's life than the mere fact of being fat. It can
have horrendous side effects, and the weight has a good likelihood of
being regained.


If you have an obese child...

The first step is for the parents to acknowledge that the child is
overweight, instead of making excuses or comparing him or her to
heavier
children. Many of the parents of obese children are overweight
themselves,
which makes that acknowledgment difficult, said Rich, who is also
director
of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital in
Boston.

Well duh. Have these doctors never heard of genetics? Are
they really unaware that children's weight is more strongly correlated
with that of their biological patents than even height is? The weight
of adopted children is not related to that of their adoptive parents.

"While it's important to focus on it and take it seriously, it's
also
important not to give up or feel hopeless," he said. "Then you won't
try.
You want to look at it for what it is and not be defeated by it."

When you're trying to help your child achieve a healthy weight,
remove the
stigma attached to obesity.

"It should always be about health, not about losing weight," Rich
said.
"You're trying to build the positive."

Ah, at last something I can agree with.

He recommended the 5-2-1-0 plan. Eat at least five servings of
fruits and
vegetables, cut screen time down to two hours or less, exercise at
least
one hour, and have zero soda and sugary drinks.

Such changes, which are not seismic shifts to lifestyles, can help
the
child get into a health weight.

Or it may not. But aren't healthy habits more important? You
betcha.

Here's an idea - why not fight the stigma against fat people?
Then fat people, including those who only think they're fat, will be
less stressed out and thus become healthier. It's something we can
all work on.

Robin

On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:59:44 GMT, "Robin King"
wrote:

The BMI has always been a crock o' crap - if it is useful at
all, it's for whole populations, not individuals. It does not take
into account eating habits, exercise habits, muscularity vs.
adiposity, or genes.

What self-serving nonsense. It takes all of those into account. That's
why there is a range. The only recognized outliers are those who have
developed a lot of muscle mass through weight training.

I'd like to see the science behind your claim that BMI has always
bgeen a crock of crap.

"The heavier you are as a child, the likelier that extra weight will
follow
you through life," Robinson said. "That's why we see adolescents who
need
weight-loss surgery, because they have life-threatening
complications from
obesity."

Anorexics have life-threatening complications, but do they
have weight-gain surgery?

Bzzzzzt. What percentage of the population is anorexic? What
percentage of the population is obese or morbidly obese? Which
condition is increasing at a greater rate?

Why does any adolescent need weight-loss surgery? It is more
likely to shorten one's life than the mere fact of being fat. It can
have horrendous side effects, and the weight has a good likelihood of
being regained.

Could I please see your medical credentials? Your opinion about this
is probably about as valid as your opinion about BMI.

If you have an obese child...

The first step is for the parents to acknowledge that the child is
overweight, instead of making excuses or comparing him or her to heavier
children. Many of the parents of obese children are overweight themselves,
which makes that acknowledgment difficult, said Rich, who is also director
of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital in Boston.

Well duh. Have these doctors never heard of genetics? Are
they really unaware that children's weight is more strongly correlated
with that of their biological patents than even height is? The weight
of adopted children is not related to that of their adoptive parents.

If that correlation was so strong, why the epidemic of obesity in the
past 15-20 years? Wouldn't the percentage of obesity in the population
remain steady over time?

"While it's important to focus on it and take it seriously, it's also
important not to give up or feel hopeless," he said. "Then you won't try.
You want to look at it for what it is and not be defeated by it."

When you're trying to help your child achieve a healthy weight, remove the
stigma attached to obesity.

"It should always be about health, not about losing weight," Rich said.
"You're trying to build the positive."

Ah, at last something I can agree with.

He recommended the 5-2-1-0 plan. Eat at least five servings of fruits and
vegetables, cut screen time down to two hours or less, exercise at least
one hour, and have zero soda and sugary drinks.

Such changes, which are not seismic shifts to lifestyles, can help the
child get into a health weight.

Or it may not. But aren't healthy habits more important? You
betcha.

Here's an idea - why not fight the stigma against fat people?
Then fat people, including those who only think they're fat, will be
less stressed out and thus become healthier. It's something we can
all work on.

Not with the overwhelming amount of self-serving denial you are
operating under.

"Lois Butler" wrote in message
...

Well Robin, how do you account for the much larger percentages of
obese children today than for 35 years ago or even more so 50 years
ago.

I know that for adults, the definitions of overweight and
obese are about 3-5 BMI points too low. The definitions get changed
every so often, so it's hard to tell how much of this percentage is a
statistical artifact. I have not looked at similar charts for
children.
I am speculating here, but I'd bet that some of the increase
in obesity is due to the ever-increasing popularity of dieting.
Frequent dieting tends to make you fatter in the long run. (Of course
there are exceptions.)

Take a look at school class photos taken in those era and compare
them
with class photosof recent vintage. Not that class photos can make
the case but they certainly do raise some questions.

I've not looked at class photos for decades, so I can't do a
fair comparison.

If it was just a matter of genetics we would see the great
differences
shown in the different eras.

What are some of the differences that you see?

Calories in versus calories out have to have a role in this type of
discussion.

Within a limited weight range (called a setpoint by some
researchers), it does. This weight range differs from person to
person. However calories in and out don't explain everything.


Lois Butler

Robin

"THE ERADICATOR" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:59:44 GMT, "Robin King"
wrote:

The BMI has always been a crock o' crap - if it is useful
at
all, it's for whole populations, not individuals. It does not take
into account eating habits, exercise habits, muscularity vs.
adiposity, or genes.

What self-serving nonsense. It takes all of those into account.

No, just height and weight.

That's
why there is a range. The only recognized outliers are those who
have
developed a lot of muscle mass through weight training.

The so-called "overweight" (BMI 25-30) category is at least as
healthy as the 20-24.9 category. Check out Katherine Flegal's
refutation of the hysterical claims made by the CDC in regard to
fatness and death.

I'd like to see the science behind your claim that BMI has always
bgeen a crock of crap.

Read up on the history of Adolphe Quetelet, the Belgian who
came up with it.

Anorexics have life-threatening complications, but do they
have weight-gain surgery?

Bzzzzzt. What percentage of the population is anorexic? What
percentage of the population is obese or morbidly obese? Which
condition is increasing at a greater rate?

All right, I was being sarcastic about the weight-gain
surgery.
I know very well that there are plenty of anorexics who are
not skinny. Trouble is, you only see the very thin ones in the news,
because that's what draws in the viewers or readers.
Rates of obesity have leveled off in the last few years.

Why does any adolescent need weight-loss surgery? It is
more
likely to shorten one's life than the mere fact of being fat. It
can
have horrendous side effects, and the weight has a good likelihood
of
being regained.

Could I please see your medical credentials?

Do you need medical credentials to know how to read?

Your opinion about this
is probably about as valid as your opinion about BMI.

Thanks. Weight loss surgery is said to be a medically induced
anorexia. How healthy can that be?

Well duh. Have these doctors never heard of genetics? Are
they really unaware that children's weight is more strongly
correlated
with that of their biological patents than even height is? The
weight
of adopted children is not related to that of their adoptive
parents.

If that correlation was so strong, why the epidemic of obesity in
the
past 15-20 years? Wouldn't the percentage of obesity in the
population
remain steady over time?

Height has changed also. We're taller, on average.

Such changes, which are not seismic shifts to lifestyles, can
help the
child get into a health weight.

Or it may not. But aren't healthy habits more important?
You
betcha.

Here's an idea - why not fight the stigma against fat
people?
Then fat people, including those who only think they're fat, will
be
less stressed out and thus become healthier. It's something we can
all work on.

Not with the overwhelming amount of self-serving denial you are
operating under.

I can certainly understand why you feel this way - going along
with the status quo is just so much easier.

Robin