America Is Getting Fat!?

Question

You realize alot of things after sitting at a public pool for a few hours. I was at a public pool on Friday and I just could not believe how many obese children there are! I saw 10 year old girls in women's swimming suits. There were 7 or 8 year old boys with 'breasts' bigger than mine! There was one girl I saw that stood out the most, she was probably 8 years old and her gut was hanging down lower than her crotch. Then she went to the consession stand and got a funnel cake. I watched her eat it. She ate the cake and then licked her fingers and literally ran the paper place across her tongue to get the powdered sugar off! I just can't believe how many children were that big. I mean they weren't just chubby or fat---they were obese! It's almost a form of child abuse. I mean you don't just get skinny when you're that big. It's so sad that probably half of those kids I saw are going to die before they're 50 just because their parents are too lazy to make them exercise. What do you think?

I'm not saying do you agree with me, I'm asking what and how you feel about it.

Answer 1

Some parents just don't know any better, or they can't afford the time or money to prepare healthy meals for or excersize with their children. I think a good solution would be to have schools take the lead in teaching kids about nutrition and health. That way they would be able to inform children that there are healthier options.

There also needs to be public information campaigns about how to live healthier lives... The government needs to step forward and give money to the schools, and educate the rest of the public about preventative health care, and physical maintenance.. A healthy population benefits all aspects of society: industry, crime, the economy... etc.

Answer 2

Yes there are some kids that are obese from there lack of exercise and there eating habits and then there are kids that can't help it and have conditions that cause them to be obese. I know because my cousin has a condition like that and she has had surgery's been on medications and has finally come to grips that she is going to be a big girl. She eats healthy and exercises and is accepted and come to love herself. It has been no easy task because of how judgmental society is. They just assume because she was obese that she was lazy and didn't eat right. So as you said about the little girl at the pool how do you know that she wasn't given that special; treat as a once in a blue moon thing. I am just asking because as my cousin became a teenager she was ashamed to have a treat in public because the way people watched her. Even though it was a once in a blue moon thing. I think people need to stop being so judgmental and get to know people before judging. I also agree with you that kids today are getting more lazy and the parents need to take responsibility for that. Also there are kids that know they are getting chunky and because they know people look and watch THEM GET MORE DEPRESSED AND JUST END UP HIDING AND EATING AND EATING!! I know because I have worked with these kids in programs and society is terrible to them.

Answer 3

Because of Gameboys, & TV as a babysitter & so many fattening snacks that they all have to eat & sodas that they all have to drink instead of milk & water, & don't go outside because someone might steal them, or they may miss an episode of YuGiOh.

I was never inside unless it was pouring rain when I was a kid. We had none of this but TV & our parents wouldn't let us sit & watch for hours anyway, they knew it wasn't good for us! I was out & riding my bike, climbing trees, building forts, playing with the dog.
I make my son go outside...I mostly don't care what he does as long as he is out there doing something. He has a game boy & a TV, but he has very limited time on them. He is a boy scout. If he gets a soda, it is 1 at the most a day, & no caffeine.
He has to have milk before he can have soda too. I try to keep the junk to a minimum. I do not know how these kids get that fat. Baby fat of one thing, more like a small amount of padding everywhere, but fat that hangs isn't baby fat...
wise up America, these will be your short lived future leaders!

Answer 4

The red state insults are really getting tired. It's a symptom of poverty, not a red/blue state thing. Healthy food is more expensive than junk food, so states with lower average income (primarily the south) have higher rates of obesity. But the gap between the fattest and healthiest state is just 12% (so the fattest state has about 1 more fat person out of ten compared to the healthiest state). The middle 30 states rank within 5% of each other, so in most states you're talking about 3 or 4 people out of 100.

Answer 5

Unfortunately people have a hard time telling their kids "No" when they whine for certain foods, or they are single parents and cannot be there every second of the day to make sure their kids are eating healthy. People also depend on TV and video games to entertain their children instead of making sure that they get proper exercise. Children also learn from example. If they see a parent eat junk all the time, the child doesn't know any better. During the summer more kids play outside, but still, more kids spend time alone at home watching TV instead of getting the recommened 1-2 hours of physical activity. My son is not quite 2 yet and he rarely gets candy, or sugary snacks, but he is not deprived....that is when kids start to try to sneak food. There has to be a balance. Also stores need to realize that they need to make raw, fresh foods cheaper in order for people in or near poverty level to afford them. There are more kids that have parents on welfare that are overweight than kids in upper or middle class families.

Answer 6

I recently moved from the midwest to the south, and I notice this too. Sure, there are overweight kids in Michigan, but every time I've been to the pool here, I feel so bad for a lot of the kids I see because there seem to be MORE overweight kids in the south. It seems that about 95% of them are overweight to some degree. Of course the babies are chunky...Honestly, I feel sorry for infants who AREN'T...but when I see little 2 and 3 year old toddlers who actually have flab around their midsection, I worry.

I grew up with a weight problem, and really...I WAS one of those kids who went to the snack bar for funnelcake. I refuse to make the same mistakes with my kids that my mom made with me (food mistakes, that is). Some of it is genetic...we're big on both sides of my family...but good eatings habits should be taught from an early age.

Answer 7

Yes, america is obese. It has been for a while, and it's disgusting.
It's not even because americans eat alot that they're fat. It's because the food they eat is poisonous. Fast food, and all food in general in this country is made with so many chemicals which harm your body and causes your body to retain water giving you an overall fat appearance.
The food in this country is all processed and disgusting. If you go to europe, people are eating twice as much as the people in america, and they stay skinny.
It's because in europe, and other places except for america, the food is natural. Even if, for example, they eat really fatening things in europe like pasta, pizza, burgers, etc, they won't get fat as easily as eating the same things here in america because their food is natural, healthy, and pure despite being greasy and high in calories. The food is naturally grown, contains no harmful chemicals, and is easy to digest therefore they illiminate it out of their bodies very fast so it does not transer itself into fat on your body.

Answer 8

Well as long as we have the TV and media glorifying anorexic-ly thin models and stars, unhealthy food costing less than healthier options, portion sizes at restaurants way out of control, gym memberships costing a fortune, little and/or confusing information on health and fitness... well... as long as all of these things persist, it doesn't surprise me that "America has gotten fatter," and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

Answer 9

I agree with you. Parents need to encourage their children to go out doors and step away from the video games.

Answer 10

yep they are.too much fast food and not enough exercise.all kids want today is stuff like pizza,hamburgers,fries,candy,and junk food like that.what they need to do is sit down to the dinner table and eat a desent meal and exercise.