Obesity Epidemic

[it_is_the_light]

Used to spend most of my childhood either outside kicking the footy, playing cricket or riding my bike. Used to live near the bush so I'd often go exploring out there with mates. Parents didn't care at all (were probably glad to get rid of me for a few hours haha), but these days it seems parents are scared that the worst thing could happen whenever their kids do anything

This x 1000. Kids these days are so precious, I thank the stars that I was toughened up and kept healthy from a young age. Having an ex special forces martial arts instructor also helped. He used to drill all of us into the ground like we were in the army, but looking back on it now I am very thankful he did. Kept me super fit and taught me how to defend myself, not to mention toughened me up. The kids that complained were told "The door's there lad, you can go and do girl's martial arts if you don't like it here". Never heard another word from them after that. Disrespect towards the instructor was met with having to do x amount of burpees. The funny thing was that it was often the fat kids with the biggest mouths, so after a burpee session they soon shut up for the rest of the term.

 

[IschenkoUBeauty]

Used to spend most of my childhood either outside kicking the footy, playing cricket or riding my bike. Used to live near the bush so I'd often go exploring out there with mates. Parents didn't care at all (were probably glad to get rid of me for a few hours haha), but these days it seems parents are scared that the worst thing could happen whenever their kids do anything

Reckon people are a bit more aware now of things like "stranger danger" and high profile cases like the Morcombe one. There are a lot of nutters out there but you can't shelter your kid from the world...but you also can't neglect their safety. It's a tough one.

 

[it_is_the_light]

Reckon people are a bit more aware now of things like "stranger danger" and high profile cases like the Morcombe one. There are a lot of nutters out there but you can't shelter your kid from the world...but you also can't neglect their safety. It's a tough one.

It's all about finding the right balance

 

[Scotland]

This x 1000. Kids these days are so precious

Kids or parents?

I'd argue both, but it starts with the parents. I have friends who teach primary PE and have kids come to school with notes for pulled muscles and other sporting ailments. These kids are 8, 9, 10 years old. Jesus Christ.

A few couples I know have had their first children recently. Each couple is fit and healthy, and the babies have been passed around like hot potatoes, allowed to crawl on the floor, be sniffed by the dog etc. I'd be very surprised to see these kids grow up to be fatties who are excused from school sport.

 

[it_is_the_light]

Kids or parents?

I'd argue both, but it starts with the parents. I have friends who teach primary PE and have kids come to school with notes for pulled muscles and other sporting ailments. These kids are 8, 9, 10 years old. Jesus Christ.

A few couples I know have had their first children recently. Each couple is fit and healthy, and the babies have been passed around like hot potatoes, allowed to crawl on the floor, be sniffed by the dog etc. I'd be very surprised to see these kids grow up to be fatties who are excused from school sport.

I think you could be right. The kids often mimic the parents, so if the parents are slobs the kids will often follow suit

 

[it_is_the_light]

Check this out

 

[Scotland]

I think you could be right. The kids often mimic the parents, so if the parents are slobs the kids will often follow suit

I don't think I ever saw a kid miss PE at school without a legitimate reason. If you were sick, you stayed/went home. If you had a broken arm or something, you sat and watched or joined another class that wasn't doing PE for that lesson. If you were fat or hated cricket or were s**t at tennis or whatever then stiff s**t, you participated. No doubt there were kids who didn't want to be there doing PE, but letting gets off for pissweak reasons sets a terrible precedent.

 

[IschenkoUBeauty]

I don't think I ever saw a kid miss PE at school without a legitimate reason. If you were sick, you stayed/went home. If you had a broken arm or something, you sat and watched or joined another class that wasn't doing PE for that lesson. If you were fat or hated cricket or were s**t at tennis or whatever then stiff s**t, you participated. No doubt there were kids who didn't want to be there doing PE, but letting gets off for pissweak reasons sets a terrible precedent.

At our school if you weren't in the correct PE uniform, then you didn't participate. It did the trick when we had to do a sport I hated. Had a bit of trouble trying to act disappointed though

 

[it_is_the_light]

The intellectually lazy* like it_is_the_light may find it simple to conclude 12,000,000 Australians are fat losers who've brought it all on themselves but it's well documented the economic, socioeconomic and public health factors behind the worldwide obesity epidemic are massive. Governments and society will have to tackle those issues to change it not hop on a soapbox and culturally vilify fat people pretending that'll do anything.

Cool Story Bro

With what? A harpoon? Poisoned Big Macs? I'm lucky to get my arm around ONE of their legs

 

[Scotland]

At our school if you weren't in the correct PE uniform, then you didn't participate. It did the trick when we had to do a sport I hated. Had a bit of trouble trying to act disappointed though

I think we had a 'if you don't have the correct PE uniform we will provide one for you' which was sufficient motivation to suck it up and participate.

 

[Matera92]

Worlds overpopulated anyway, if the fatties want to kill themselves off earlier, I say more power to them!

 

[Scotland]

Worlds overpopulated anyway, if the fatties want to kill themselves off earlier, I say more power to them!

They don't though. They want to eat all the pies, take up all the room on aeroplanes then have the health system keep them alive.

 

[Matera92]

They don't though. They want to eat all the pies, take up all the room on aeroplanes then have the health system keep them alive.

Being stuck next to an overweight person on the plane is the worst. No room, smells and god they make so much noise just breathing.

 

[it_is_the_light]

Being stuck next to an overweight person on the plane is the worst. No room, smells and god they make so much noise just breathing.

Has that happened to you?

 

[No.19]

Being stuck next to an overweight person on the plane is the worst. No room, smells and god they make so much noise just breathing.

Nailed it. It's so irritating

 

[No.19]

It might even start at an earlier age where parents think it's easier and safer to entertain kids using an iPad than letting them go outside

 

[blueboy25]

Kids or parents?

I'd argue both, but it starts with the parents. I have friends who teach primary PE and have kids come to school with notes for pulled muscles and other sporting ailments. These kids are 8, 9, 10 years old. Jesus Christ.

A few couples I know have had their first children recently. Each couple is fit and healthy, and the babies have been passed around like hot potatoes, allowed to crawl on the floor, be sniffed by the dog etc. I'd be very surprised to see these kids grow up to be fatties who are excused from school sport.

I was at my son's pre pimary parent teacher information night last week and the first thing the teachers spoke about was letting kids be kids.

They are going to let the kids climb trees, play sports, run around in the mud, play in the dirt and let them enjoy themselves so if they come home with dirty clothes or a scratch or bump its all part of being a kid.

I found it really refreshing.

 

[Nothing]

I was at my son's pre pimary parent teacher information night last week and the first thing the teachers spoke about was letting kids be kids.

They are going to let the kids climb trees, play sports, run around in the mud, play in the dirt and let them enjoy themselves so if they come home with dirty clothes or a scratch or bump its all part of being a kid.

I found it really refreshing.

Which school?

John Marsden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Marsden_(writer)) was on ABC the other day talking about this. He gave the example of a private school that provided bikes for it's boarders to use. Progressively, through each semester they removed the ability of the kids to use them, until eventually they took them away. The issue is that the schools are s**t-scared of being sued, because little Johnny does something stupid and hurts himself or someoneelse.

 

[blueboy25]

Which school?

John Marsden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Marsden_(writer)) was on ABC the other day talking about this. He gave the example of a private school that provided bikes for it's boarders to use. Progressively, through each semester they removed the ability of the kids to use them, until eventually they took them away. The issue is that the schools are s**t-scared of being sued, because little Johnny does something stupid and hurts himself or someoneelse.

Private school in the northern suburbs

 

[Tulip]

The only thing worse than an apologist is an absolutist, and OP is acting like a dickhead.

When you're not talking about yourself and how great your exercise habits are, you're bullying overweight people and asking why people can't be like you. Never mind the cryptic 'younger than 20, older than 17' rubbish.

Here's a hint pal, and I know because I'm 20, people our age don't have a ******* clue. I have no idea whether you're even studying nutrition, but if you are, you're too young to even have a degree in it yet. Maybe you got a 42 in VCE Health and Human Development, and that's terrific, but it's a bit rich to do what you're doing right now.

I agree that people like Chrissie Swan are con artists and should be criticised, but you over simplify your argument about the health system and somehow believe that everyone is born equal and it's the better people who stay in shape. That's not how it works.

And no, I'm not some fat bastard coming in to defend the tribe. I could stand to lose a few kgs, but who couldn't? I spent years being body conscious, so I lost the weight and the gained it back and lost the weight and gained it back and lost the weight etc. For reference: I eat home cooked, healthy meals 5-6 nights a week; I don't indulge at breakfast; I don't have a coke with my lunch etc.

Where my issues come in is that I suffer from an anxiety disorder and have a depressive history, so as good as my intentions may be 29 days a month - it's that one day that things are becoming too much that comfort eating becomes an option. In the cold light of day, it's so easy to resist, but until you've been to that place you have no right to comment.

Maybe you've spent your whole life suffering from mental illness and act like this because you overcame it without resorting to a vice (or maybe your vice is something else all together), but here's a bit of advice that my someone gave me:

"Everyone has a vice, and if you don't then you're lying".

You're 18 or 19 years old, you haven't seen half of what the world is going to throw at you. Maybe when you move out, and are living on $15 a day, the golden arches and an $8 feed will seems lightly more appealing than the astronomical costs of fresh food (and I know, considering I worked with it for most of the past two years).

Don't be so quick to judge other people, or to call them names, because you're going to end up with egg on your face.

 

[Tulip]

No one ever seems to mention the main reason people are fat. Liquid calories. Whether its daily alcohol intake, living off energy drinks/soda or flavoured milk. All the fat people I know do it. Their solid diets aren't actually too bad.

Good point. The bottled water debate has a big role to play here. People look at the drinks fridge and see everything priced at $4, including water. Nobody really wants to pay that, so they'll get something else. By the same token, people are being warned off drinking coke, so they take something else and feel good about it. Little do they know that the Lipton Iced Tea they're smashing down has the exact same amount of sugar.

 

[Tulip]

I'm in two minds about this. Good quality fresh meat and fish can be pricey, but if you avoid woolies and coles and go to a small grocer you can get vegetables, fruit, bread, eggs fairly cheap. It takes discipline but I think you can eat well on a reasonably low budget.

These smaller grocers don't exist anymore, and the ones that do live off either a loyal base willing to pay or being so far out that the big two haven't yet expanded. DOWN DOWN, PRICES ARE DOWN was their ploy to get people shopping at the supermarket, and it's worked masterfully. Your fruit, veg, bread and eggs cost the same/more at green grocers - and once they're all closed, the supermarkets will be able to price them at whatever the hell they want.

 

[kickazz]

Your fruit, veg, bread and eggs cost the same/more at green grocers -

Other people's might, mine certainly don't.

Might be harder to find in some areas, but there still are plenty around for sure.

 

[Matera92]

Has that happened to you?

Yus and it was on a long haul flight.

 

[Fuzzy Wuzzy Bear]

Worlds overpopulated anyway, if the fatties want to kill themselves off earlier, I say more power to them!

I guess if there's ever a zombie apocalypse they will provide a good decoy. And then when they themselves reanimate as a zombie, they won't be able to catch us.