You are so right. It's so sad. It would take a long time to turn around public health consensus. It makes me feel sick thinking that LC is still being vilified by health figures such as Dr. Oz*

*brought to you by General Mills

One of the things that got me about the fat dancers at the recital wasn't just their size, it was their flab. One girl had bat wings. She had the same fat deposits on her arms that I have at age 36, after 12 years of obesity. Can you imagine that as a teen? That's not a chubby body that put on a few too extra during puberty, that's a lifetime (albeit a short one) of fat accumulation and obesity.

The worst part is that we have this entire generation of children brought up being told they are personal failures for not putting the fork down and living on the treadmill. How is that going to affect our future society? I see a "Yep, I'm fat - get over it - oh well!" kind of attitude out of my niece. It makes me wonder, will she pick up other bad health habits with that same attitude? "Yep. I smoke. Get over it. Oh Well." or "Yep. I drink 3 energy drinks before noon. Get over it. Oh well." or "Yep. I drink a six-pack every night to unwind. Get over it. Oh well."

I've reached this point in my own journey to obesity, and it only got worse after putting so much effort in diet and exercise. It's HARD to walk 5 miles when you weigh 250 pounds, but I did it everyday for 4 months and lost a grand total of 4 pounds. The feeling of personal failure was overwhelming. I can't imagine how it would have shaped my life to feel that way at age 16... it was tough enough at 35.

I totally agree with everything you said. I might get blasted for saying this, but I do not think that having a accepting attitude about obesity is a good thing at all. We have gotten more and more accepting of obesity and now we see how that attitude has impacted the next generation: they are fat and unhealthy and they do not see to care. Naturally, I always advocate treating each person with respect and dignity. What I am talking about is this trend of normalizing an unhealthy life.

Here is the way I see the logic: it is normal to eat the SAD, including lots of fast food and sodas. If you get fat eating that way, oh well. It happens. Who cares?

I was listening to Jimmy Moore this morning and his guest was talking about how diabetics feel like they should be ENTITLED to continue eating the SAD, and that medication should be used to control their diabetes. That word really stuck with me: entitled. I think that is the key word here. We have so normalized awful "food," that people feel entitled to eat it no matter what the consequences.

I know it was a huge milestone for me when I realized that nothing was wrong with me because those foods made me fat. Something was wrong with the food.

Going to the environmental point:




"For example, the study found concentrations of a chemical called TDCPP in baby products that were on par with concentrations often found in upholstered furniture. And infant exposure to TCDPP from furniture is already five times higher than acceptable safe limits, estimated a 2006 report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "

"Of the numerous chemicals identified in the study, some are classified as probable carcinogens. Some are known to disrupt hormonal systems. And some have been linked to brain damage. The researchers were particularly surprised to detect one chemical that they thought had been phased out years ago. "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4307860..._and_parenting/

Well I was given an allowance as a kid, but I never spent a penny on sugar. Money was too precious to waste on that! I spent every single penny I had on BOOKS! Annoyed my mom no end as she wanted me to spent it on clothes and makeup. But at 5'7" and 165 pounds I was still one of the "fat girls" in school. I suppose in many schools today I'd just blend in with the crowd.

But I currently still live in the town I grew up in, and happened to be driving down the main street of town a couple months ago when school had just let out. We don't have school buses in town and 90% of the kids walk to and from school, so I got to see all the kids walking home from school. Must have seen at least 500 kids from upper elementary age through high school age. And of that 500+ there was only *one girl* I saw who could have been called "heavy" - and she was not obese, just more like I was at the weight listed above. Didn't see any heavy boys. All the other 500+ were either slender or perfectly normal in weight. Is my town that much of anomaly? On the other hand I rarely see heavy adults in town either, though there are more of then than there are kids - clearly myself included!

This is interesting, Merpig. It could very well be a regional thing. It could also be a poverty thing.

I live in the midwest, in a smaller town wrought with poverty. The school my daughter takes dance class is partially funded by charities to extend the fine arts to all students in the community with a fee based on their family income. There are also dance studios in town where the fees are much, much higher, so presumably, the kids I saw on stage represent a bias toward the poorer families of my town. Maybe that's why it was so concentrated?

This mindshift is significant for this lifestyle, I think. Nicely worded!

After I turned 30 I've had this same experience of exercising my heart out for years and not making much of a dent. it does make you feel like a failure.

Poor families also have trouble purchasing food for their families. Are you going to eat or have a place to live?

I've been there. go check out what is avaliable in a local food pantry. pasta, processed stuff. Most do not have any meat avaliable. If they do its enough for MAYBE one meal. It's a hard way to live and yes it does make you fat.

well meaning food pantry workers would give me extra doughnuts and cakes because I had a cute chubby little girl.

I want to add that my girls went to a cheer competition several years abo and they were in awe of a featured cheerleader on one of the competing squads. She, not only was fluffy, but she was also tall. She did a flip that, in itself, was amazing but it did not compare to the fact that you could hear a pin drop when she landed on the concrete floor.

This past weekend, the post office sponsors a day where they pick up food for food pantries. Hubby forgot to get groceries for this and raided my low carb stash. He gave away my coconut milk, canned pumpkin, and green beans. Now, what ma I going to do?

I'm shocked at how many kids are allowed to drink soda at a young age. My almost 4 year old knows he has 2 choices for drink, milk or water. I hate that when we go out to eat all the other kids order sodas, even the waiters ask him if he wants sprite or chocolate milk. I dread the day that he starts to realize I'm treating him differently. . . .

My parents allowed me to drink soda all the time as soon as I was able to hold a glass. Seriously, I literally went straight from baby formula to Coke. I'm really angry at my parents for that.

So, good for you. I cannot praise you enough.

<raises hands and votes> Absolutely true for me! Totally the worst. My mom used to tell me all the time, "Enjoy these years. High school is the best time of your life. You'll never be as happy again as you are in high school."

And I was *miserable* in high school. I remember sitting on the stage for high school graduation and thinking, "damn, if this is as good as it ever gets I might as well get a gun and put a bullet through my head as soon as I walk off the stage."

Luckily I had no gun, no bullet. And also, luckily, my mom was totally wrong.

Second the motion. If I had seriously believed the idiot adults who told me that, I'd have killed myself too. But I didn't, and they were wrong.

Interesting. I just had a conversation with my friend's 11 year old daughter telling her that the school years might be miserable but that all the cool kids end up losers and all the nerds end up successful. At least that's how it was in my school. I wonder if your mom was a cool kid?