"Fat Kid Laws"

[Sum1sgruj]

So the U.S. is currently bringing up a certain issue that pertains to child obesity.
It is no secret that there is more obesity in the U.S. then practically any other, and now many people are pushing towards what has been dubbed 'fat kid laws'. There are a lot of places in it that are pushing, or have already succeeded, in doing things such as banning the esteemed McDonalds toy and taxing soda. There has also been instances where some schools are taking dessert-like food out of the menu and removing snack machines.
Wth?

Now I as a person am against over-feeding children, but that should be left to the parent. If a child becomes overweight, the chances are that they will remain that way into adolescence and eventually adulthood.
But making ordinances on the matter? Ridiculous, I think.
This is obviously a political stunt to pipeline money in a certain direction. But hey, who cares what a cynic thinks, right?

Anyways, thought I should bring it up if anyone has some thoughts they want to share.

 

[Ness]

I feel like this issue is indicative of a larger problem in the US: our desire to legislate away our problems.

Obesity is an issue in the US because families don't make good dietary/exercise choices anymore. Public schools have always had semi-balanced lunches and physical education...so the only real variable is on the home front.

Alternately, is it acceptable to force people to adhere to ANY dietary restrictions? If I may be so bold, there are far more pressing issues in the nation than obese people. We should maintain the right to eat whatever we want...even if some choose to make that a whole box of Girl Scout cookies. Let's spend our legislative energy something more important.

 

[Channizard]

Speaking as a former fat kid, I'm pro-this.

Unless you were once a fat kid, you don't know the hardships and ridicule that we have to face growing up. Kids especially can be cruel before having a conscious sets in, with little to no remorse because they simply don't understand what they're doing wrong. It's different than the level of high school where people are purposefully vindictive, because you can learn to avoid them and not take in their words. But children will say something about you one day, and play with you the next expecting you to forgive them.

That said, I'm aware that it goes beyond what's being sold in cafeterias and McDonalds and such. It ultimately does come down on the parent to try and instate their healthy teachings on their child.

However, if there are limitations surrounding impressionable children, then who does it hurt? By simply not making junk food available to them, they'll learn to cope with it. They won't really have a choice. Sure they may snack off at home, but by getting rid of sodas and junk vending machines at school, it at least takes away one bag of chips from a fatty who certainly doesn't need it.

 

[Hayate]

Well, I was a chubby kid once and I understand how some feel on this issue. I think that there SHOULD be fat kid laws because of how America is today. I mean over half the population is probably Obese, which is very sad.

Ultimatly I do think that most of it is on the parents to teach the child how to eat better and not feed them just because they say their hungry or to shut them up. This is how they grow to become so big and cannot even get up out the nor use the restroom by themselves.

I think that taking snack machines out of schools is....a bit extreme. I think they should at least keep soda machines and snack machines just have a better choice of healthier snacks and better juices and soft drinks. (vitimin water, Fruit Juice, gummies, etc...). I think that'd be better than taking them out completely.

 

[Squid]

I have never been a fat kid, but I was an unhealthy one! (I guess I had a good metabolism) I loved sugar and fatty foods and my mum would always give it to me.
when I got older I would tell my mum "don't buy me fatty foods or sugary foods, I want to try and be healthy!" but she would always buy them because take away and sweets are cheaper than good food and fruit (some of the time)

So I am happy they are making bad foods cost more or taking it away all together. If parents aren't going to help their kids maintain their weight and health then someone has to? For once the gov are doing something good

 

[Æon Flux]

I honestly dont believe in creating "law's" for parents not teaching their children to eat properly,but hey most of the parents are technically obese as well.
I cant ever remember drinking a soda untill I hit the age of 16,my mom was also a chef and baker so its not like we didnt have all that crap food at home either I just wasnt aloud to gorge myself on it.
I was also made to go outside and play,wich I find nowadays not so many parents make their kids do.
Im sorry folks if you cant show your own kids thet eating fast food is bad because your to lazy to make a meal its your own fault,and id rather not hear how hard times are or how little time one has my mother was a single working parent of two kids and she somehow found time to cook befor I took over so that in no way is an excuse.
Granted my mom was a little extreme so when she even thought I was gaining weight to fast shed start buying nothing but fat free this or low fat that but atleast she cared enough to consider thet my being obese wouldnt be a good thing in life.
It is not our countries fault our youth is obese it is the parents granting their children acces to items of unhealthy nature thet makes it so without proper exercise on a daily basis.
But ive never agreed with vending machines and unhealthy snack items in schools.
I just think its a bad parenting aspect if one notices their 10 yer old weighs 160 pounds I do think forced exercise at home and less candy is probably a good thing.
You cant blame others for feeding a 7 year old burgers and fries everyday with a shake and frankly whos paying for it?
People need to accept responcibility for their own actions and stop blaming others for faults of their own its a drain on the system in my eyes when there are so many more important issues at hand than "What is the neutritional value of this twinkie?!!! ban it"

 

[Ness]

Unless you were once a fat kid, you don't know the hardships and ridicule that we have to face growing up. Kids especially can be cruel before having a conscious sets in, with little to no remorse because they simply don't understand what they're doing wrong. It's different than the level of high school where people are purposefully vindictive, because you can learn to avoid them and not take in their words. But children will say something about you one day, and play with you the next expecting you to forgive them.

I will grant you this about children. They are certainly adept at being cruel and not even realizing it. However, this isn't really limited to obesity. I've watched kids make fun of other kids on a wide variety of issues. It is, as you said, largely innocent.

However, if there are limitations surrounding impressionable children, then who does it hurt? By simply not making junk food available to them, they'll learn to cope with it. They won't really have a choice. Sure they may snack off at home, but by getting rid of sodas and junk vending machines at school, it at least takes away one bag of chips from a fatty who certainly doesn't need it.

I feel like this approach, while like to be affective in the early years, will simply distance children from thinking critically about nutrition which will be more harmful in their later years. If they only eat healthy because that is their only choice, how will they recognize healthy foods once they are adults?

So I am happy they are making bad foods cost more or taking it away all together. If parents aren't going to help their kids maintain their weight and health then someone has to? For once the gov are doing something good

What happens when the government decides that video games are detrimental to the health of children? After all, they don't exactly promote exercise and healthy living.

I'm not trying to sound paranoid or anything...I just think that any government has a certain set of specific responsibilities...choosing my food is not one of them.

 

[Gingerbread Lesbian]

I don't understand in the slightest how you begin to legislate childrens' eating habits. We've had the whole Jamie Oliver school meals thing over here and removing vending machines but at the end of the day, chances are there's a shop, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pizza shop etc., 5/10 minutes down the road that children WILL go to if it's an option. The government don't like it when there's a problem and there's no one to point the finger at, so the schools were to blame when in reality, a "fat kid" will probably do far more exercise at school than at home regardless of the lunch/snacks available.

I've never been a "fat kid" so I can't say anything towards how they feel and such like, but at the end of the day, it's useless pointing a finger at any one person or group of people and saying food x, y and z is causing this when it comes down to more than eating habits. No exercise is worse than obesity; it goes to prove you don't need to be "fat" to be unhealthy.

 

[Squid]

What happens when the government decides that video games are detrimental to the health of children? After all, they don't exactly promote exercise and healthy living.

I'm not trying to sound paranoid or anything...I just think that any government has a certain set of specific responsibilities...choosing my food is not one of them.

Well I guess you have a point about the video game thing... (although here in australia they're already banning the gory ones!)

But Videogames are starting to change, Trying to make kids active with the Wii wand, Kinect and move.

food on the other hand is hardly changing (in fast food joints that is) its still as fatty as ever, even subway is fatty with those dressings on their sandwiches. I think either the parents need to step up their game and really control what their kids eat or drill into them at a young age what eating healthy is all about.

Or the gov might just have to step in and help.

 

[der Astronom]

Obese children are a sight for sore eyes, I won't disagree, but on the other hand, you have people who are genetically predispositioned to look fat, or have diabetes genetically, and can't do anything about it. However, such people are specific cases of being overweight, and not everyone is genetically predispositioned to look fat--everyone else should probably get a good enough amount of exercise, whether it's through school or encouragement from parents, and if you still look fat even if you do enough exercise, there's not much that can be done, and people shouldn't be worried about it.

But what I find seems to be one of the problems is that there seems to be a shortage of good PE teachers who are good at encouraging students to exercise, so most students won't be in the interest of exercising if they think it's uninteresting or they dread it because their PE teacher makes it look horrible. And it doesn't help that you're just basically playing the same few sports in PE classes, and because of that, you might never end up finding a sport you'd be happy to play (which leads to exercise).

So basically, I agree with encouraging students and children to live healthier lives without them having to give up their hobbies for it; you can still play video games and be healthy, and you can still eat a lot and be healthy too (just make up for it by exercising more). The government doesn't need to put a ban on the things that make people fat; they should just encourage moderation, and encourage children to find sports or exercise activities they might enjoy.

 

[bearsfwd]

I don't mind encouragement to eat healthy. But if one chooses to not eat healthy that is their problem. Don't force the majority to do something because one dumbass ate too much (on their own volition, mind you), got fat, and complained about it.

I'm sorry, but this is not something the government should have their hands in, whatsoever. Now, if something is truly unhealthy, that's one thing, but the FDA already handles that stuff. The government has more to worry about fat people. Family, friends, doctors, etc are the ones that should be dealing with fat people.

Just like video games. I have a real problem when government steps in on issues because some parents just can't control their kids. You want to require game stores to show id when buying a game that is rated "M", then fine. But don't go making regulations about what can and cannot be made. Just like movies and TV. As soon as something that isn't kid friendly shows up on TV, there are always parents to complain about how they don't want their kids to watch it. Well, you know what, they are YOUR kids, you chose to reproduce, you fucking deal with them. Don't make your kids screw it up for the rest of us.

Back to the topic at hand though...if a kid is hungry, and a parent buys their kid like 7 quarter pounders (seriously, this happened here, I don't remember the amount, or the burgers, but it was McDonalds), that is the parent's fault. Not mine, not the governments, not McDonalds (sure, they may not be very healthy, but they didn't FORCE you to buy those burgers...besides, haven't they tried to get a bit healthier?).

Parents just need to accept mistakes they make with kids. I don't have kids, but when I do, I'm not going to blame others for mistakes I may make. If I let my kids watch stuff recommended for older kids, that's my problem. I'm not going to run to the government screaming and hollering because I can't deal with my own kids.

 

[Valvalis]

Personally I've never been a supporter of the idea of laws to "protect people from themselves" like this

I mean yes, it's awful that children, teens, adults, and old people are all seeing higher rates of obesity; but if they're targeting children here, the parents absolutely need to start exercising some responsibility. A child should be raised by parents and not by society, I know not everyone in the world agrees with that, but IMO that's just the most logical answer.

And so, they shouldn't take access to "treats" away from people who understand how to regulate and/or restrict them on the home front when necessary. It's not fair to punish everyone just because a few people in the group do something bad, after all. Kids should be able to have a treat every once in a while, and sit on their ass and play video games, as long as both they and their parents make sure they're healthy.

However, I will also say this: from the perspective of someone who was a "fat kid" until a few years ago, if you already have bad eating habits ingrained into you, it is also pretty hard to get out of it.

One problem I've always suspected is the addictive nature of certain foods, such as chocolate. People can joke that they're "chocololics" or whatever, but cocoa contains phenethylamine, which is a chemical that acts as a stimulant. Now from what I've read, studies seem to show that orally-ingested phenethylamine is absorbed too quickly to have much of a drug effect. However, I'll admit I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist at times, and so I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone at the top has paid off researchers to claim that chocolate isn't addictive. Or at the very least, that there's something else in chocolate that makes it addictive whose properties they haven't discovered yet.

It obviously has something in it that makes you happy, because I used to stuff my face with literally half a bag or more of chocolates every night, compulsively, even though I would sometimes get up halfway through, weigh myself, and then spit out whichever pieces I had in my mouth into the garbage, because I knew I was too heavy. O_O Honestly, I may be a little crazy, but I hate wasting food. I'm sorry but, there is something in that shit that makes you keep eating it, no matter what researchers say.

And another problem is the disproportionate expense of many healthy foods. Some of the cheapest things I've had in my pantry/fridge at times are: instant mashed potatoes, fattening pasta dishes, microwave dinners, mac and cheese, and pastries from the market bakery. However, a small box of fruit, like strawberries or blueberries, costs 4 bucks, which is a lot.

And a lot of the microwaveable vegetarian entrees I like are pretty expensive too. And who's going to want to eat a $4 veggie lasagna when they can get a 99 cent hamburger at a fast food place sometimes? Candy is often expensive if you buy the bags, but there are plenty of other fattening things kids can get for cheap. One candy bar isn't too expensive for example, and I just had one today that was like 400 calories -_____________- (hey, I was on vacation!).

And so, the food industry in our society is not always set up in a way that fosters healthy eating habits; rather, a lot of people are unfortunately profiting from the obesity of others, and so it may be a difficult problem for our society to resolve. There's sort of a chain reaction in place: people overeat and get obese ($ to the fatty food industry), then seek medical help for their obesity ($ to doctors, insurance companies, and weight loss companies), and then try to eat healthier yet more expensive foods ($ to healthy food industry). It's really quite a profitable scenario for many people, sadly, and so it's inevitably up to the consumers themselves to control their own fate.

Eating healthy without taking too much time or spending too much money still can be done sometimes, it's just tricky. So, while there are a lot of temptations and a lot of issues with food that make it difficult to eat healthy sometimes, the majority of the resolution lies with individuals and their children taking it upon themselves to make their own healthy choices, not relying upon the government to mandate what is right for them. The government are nothing more than a group of fellow humans, after all.

 

[coffeecup]

"Fat kid laws." Whoever coined that term was pretty insensitive, but it's a bit funny anyhow. Never really heard much about it, but i'll give a couple of comments anyhow.

1) This law probably isn't aimed at the kids NOW but attacking a problem that such kids create when they become adults in the FUTURE. A lot of the medical costs that's crippling the USA at the moment stem from poor health habits (like eating habits and poor exercise). It's likely that the drafters are simply thinking about ways that they can try to preempt (well a bit too late but for the next generation) this crippling habit for when these kids become the next generation and become more prone to needing medical assistance (in the form of diabetes, plain old obesity, etc...). To me, this has nothing to do with the image of America being obese or for the health of fat kids but $$$ that the state is trying to prevent from draining in the future.

2) I'm just going to be blunt and say that I think Americans are the fat guys of the world. Now I haven't been to all the countries of the world but I have been to parts of Eastern/Western Europe and a few countries in East Asia and no one takes the cake (literally) like the USA when it comes to obesity. I can always tell when I'm back in America when you see your fellow overweight citizens walking the street. This is a problem and it's good that there's recognition of this problem, but I agree with most the people here that a simple ban on McDonald toys or snacks in schools isn't going to but a dent in the problem. I think there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to fixing the obesity problem, but that's a rant for another day.

 

[Bambi]

obesity does need tackling, but taking toys out of happy meals an shit and gunna do shit. And what of the people that dont fill their faces on that all the time and let their kids have it as a treat? Its like banning chcolate because a few fat cunts dont know how to hold back

Like doing it is gunna make any odds

Parents of fat kids should know better. Oh but s/he kicks up a fuss and makes life hard so i just give them what they want? That's their problem for being weak

Ive got a 6 year old and from a young age Ive always made sure she knows who lays the law down. If she won't eat all her tea, or leaves more than Im willing to over look, she doesnt get no dessert. Liekwise if she kicks up a fuss about wanting summat after ive said no Il let her scream. I wont back down. And because of that she never does it any more. there was one incident she wanted a biscuit, i said no, mum was gunna give her one because she was kicking off. I told my mother not a fucking chance, if i back down now, she will think she can get away with it again and cause a bigger fuss She pushes her luck with other people, sure all kids do - but at least I know its not constant, and thats the main thing

Leave a fat kid with me for a week - it'll soon realise Im no soft touch. too many people molly coddle children. It shouldnt be down to the government or fast food folk to do anything other than highlight the dangers of eating too much shite. As long as everything is clearly labelled/we know what we are eating is massivley unhealthy then the responsibility lies within the person/carer/parent whatever

I eat loads of shite at times, last week i must have eaten out 6 out of 7 days, pub grub, curries etc - i actually got sick of the sight of food, i love eating but fucking hell, eating that much crap makes you feel like shite, I dont know how people do it

 

[Donald Trump]

obesity does need tackling, but taking toys out of happy meals an shit and gunna do shit. And what of the people that dont fill their faces on that all the time and let their kids have it as a treat? Its like banning chcolate because a few fat cunts dont know how to hold back

I think it's a step in the right direction. It's an incredibly cynical marketing ploy to get children to buy their food. It's like how supermarkets always have chocolate and shit near the checkout, so that kiddies pester parents and hopefully buy them something.

I think not showing so many adds for fast foods etc whilst children watch tv would be better. However at least something is being done, if it doesn't work, try something else.

 

[bearsfwd]

I think it's a step in the right direction. It's an incredibly cynical marketing ploy to get children to buy their food. It's like how supermarkets always have chocolate and shit near the checkout, so that kiddies pester parents and hopefully buy them something.

I think not showing so many adds for fast foods etc whilst children watch tv would be better. However at least something is being done, if it doesn't work, try something else.

But see, it's not the kid's decision to buy the candy or whatever. It's the parents who buy it. If they buy the kid candy every time they go to the supermarket, that is on the parents. If parents are going to be like that, don't put restrictions on supermarkets that say where candy can and cannot be placed. I like candy at the checkout because if I'm checking out and realize that I really want a candy bar, I can grab one. But, even then, that is relatively rare. Parents need to learn how to say no. If you are a parent and you don't tell your kids no, EVER, then shame on you for spoiling your kid. Kids won't learn a thing by being spoiled.

Parents need to take responsibility, not the restaurants, supermarkets, etc. Those places only job is to provide a service (and make money doing it). Parents jobs are to take care of their kids. If they can't do that properly, then the rest of us shouldn't be forced change because of it. Mommy Sue and Little Timmy have absolutely nothing to do with me, so their actions should have no affect on me.

This country is so screwed up right now, seriously. People can't do stuff for themselves, they need government to do it for them. Not only that, but if you even LOOK at someone the wrong way, you'll get sued. People wonder why government never seems to get anything done. Well, here is why...they are taking care of way too many issues that should have never gotten to them in the first place.

In short, start taking responsibility for your own actions with your kid(s).

 

[Davey Gaga]

Obese children are a sight for sore eyes, I won't disagree, but on the other hand, you have people who are genetically predispositioned to look fat, or have diabetes genetically, and can't do anything about it.

sergherjkltgarktjg

Genetics plays a role in obesity in < 5% of cases. When it does, that does not mean to say that your body is hardwired to get fat; it means that you are more likely to be obese than someone without those genes. There are no "fat genes" that cause obesity - if your mum and dad are fat, you're not automatically going to get fat, because there's no one single (or group of) gene(s) that induces obesity. You are, indeed, more predisposed to becoming obese but it is by no means a determined fate.

Nobody can say "it's in my genes." It's probably whatever you're reaching for in your bag.

The same risk factors are involved for diabetes and obesity, sure, but again diabetics are not sentenced to being fat.

As for "can't do anything about it" that's absolute pish. If you wanted to, and didn't have a lazy attitude towards life, shifting the weight wouldn't be a problem. That mentality, combined with the misconception that "it's genetic", is what makes it difficult to combat, not the actual DNA itself.

For the actual topic at hand...I kind of support the legislative moves. Particularly, in the UK, obesity is a great weight (pardon the pun) on the NHS and prevention is always better than cure - why not prevent future fatties from becoming a problem? Sure, it's a modern thing to become more sedentary, and to be honest banning these foods from schools isn't going to be the rate-determining step, but it's a step in the right direction I think. It sends out the right message.

 

[M1ghty Mous3]

If people choose to eat endlessly and not go for a walk once a day or partake in any form of exercise, let them be obese. But also keep in mind Eating and Exercise are not the only things that contribute to weight. Sleep is a major factor, and if you have a sleep rhythm that i disrupted multiple times a night, you won't find it super easy to keep weight off. This coupled with the STRESS that comes from being obese, can be a killer. Stress itself can add quite a few pounds on, especially in women, so if your stressed out, try to unwind in a way that works for you.

It's not always what people eat and not exercising properly. There are many things that can contribute to weight gain. Nothing in life is ever simple and nor are the solutions.

 

[der Astronom]

sergherjkltgarktjg

Genetics plays a role in obesity in < 5% of cases. When it does, that does not mean to say that your body is hardwired to get fat; it means that you are more likely to be obese than someone without those genes. There are no "fat genes" that cause obesity - if your mum and dad are fat, you're not automatically going to get fat, because there's no one single (or group of) gene(s) that induces obesity. You are, indeed, more predisposed to becoming obese but it is by no means a determined fate.

Nobody can say "it's in my genes." It's probably whatever you're reaching for in your bag.

The same risk factors are involved for diabetes and obesity, sure, but again diabetics are not sentenced to being fat.

As for "can't do anything about it" that's absolute pish. If you wanted to, and didn't have a lazy attitude towards life, shifting the weight wouldn't be a problem. That mentality, combined with the misconception that "it's genetic", is what makes it difficult to combat, not the actual DNA itself.

For the actual topic at hand...I kind of support the legislative moves. Particularly, in the UK, obesity is a great weight (pardon the pun) on the NHS and prevention is always better than cure - why not prevent future fatties from becoming a problem? Sure, it's a modern thing to become more sedentary, and to be honest banning these foods from schools isn't going to be the rate-determining step, but it's a step in the right direction I think. It sends out the right message.

Well, I did say not everyone is affected by it, and if it doesn't concern you, you shouldn't be using it as an excuse not to exercise. The problem here is, if you find it harder to lose weight genetically, should you have to work harder than everyone else just to look fit, or can you still be considered healthy if you do the same amount of exercise as everyone else and don't have atrocious eating habits, even if you might still be overweight?

I don't agree with banning the food though, as everyone else has mentioned, you're doing this at the expense of everyone else who is not affected by the problems of people who are fat or don't eat healthy, and that's just not fair. Even if you ban the right foods, that still doesn't encourage fat people to exercise; you've just taken away food that they like to eat without removing the problem itself. They might just eat more of everything else.

 

[Mr. Gorilla]

Fucking Big Brother getting all up in people's personal shit. If there's anyone to blame for unhealthy children, it's the parents. Putting laws in place to allow Big Brother to raise kids because their parents are too lazy and/or too stupid to feed their kids right is not going to fix the problem and is a gross, authoritarian way of handling things. There needs to be better education, but not for the kids; a kid's world revolves around what his or her parents dictate, and if his or her parents don't want to buy their children healthy food, then the whole thing would be pointless. Parents need to be the ones the government should be trying to educate.

Genetics plays a role in obesity in < 5% of cases. When it does, that does not mean to say that your body is hardwired to get fat; it means that you are more likely to be obese than someone without those genes.

Mmm, could we get a source for that? Metabolism plays an incredibly heavy role in how fat people can get, and that is something that is largely influenced by genetics (And metabolism isn't something that's easy to manipulate with our current publicly available medicine, either).

On a side note, "being fat" != unhealthy. Sure, plenty of fat people are unhealthy, but all of society's "fat hate" is, for this very reason, stupid (It is quite possible for a fat guy to have an incredibly healthy heart and a skinny guy to have clogged arteries and poor lifestyle-induced diabetes; this goes back to the metabolism thing I was talking about). Also, check out sumo wrestlers. Very healthy, very fat.

Speaking of fat people, chubby women are smexy and the world needs more of them.