America's fat little kids become our dysfunctional adults. It's a topic that I tend to reflect on when things around me are quiet. I have been working my whole life to fit into society, my friends jeans, hell those crappy chairs at restaurants. We like to blame obesity on so many things, yet as far as I can discern, there is no one reason for being fat. There may be a start, but never will you find an end. The other day I made a list of things, a recipe of sorts, that has helped children evolve into the oversized adults we are today. Feel free to add your own thoughts to this piece.
Truly it starts with our parents right. Shit, we could almost blame them entirely. They chose our nutrition for our formative years. Most of the attentive ones dish up your plates, monitor vegetable intake, portions. Things dieticians say are so important to a healthy childs metabolism.
So what happens when both parents are forced to work to meet the demands of inflation. I'll tell you. Hamburger helper, boxed meals. Shake it into the pan, add water, simmer, and serve your family a large serving of sodium laced with fat and empty carbohydrates. We've all eaten it. A lot of us like it. Thew working mothers answer to a family meal.
Next in my recipe are after school activities. My family included four kids, all of us playing sports, some of us music too. One year I had softball, volleyball, and track and field going at the same time. And I'm only 25% of the evening running. So a quick stop at the drive thru. We've all done it. Even those of you that have never eaten crap out of a box. Well read the nutrition information that ISN'T handed out with your greasy brown bag(you have to ask for it which makes the 16 year old cashier sighs).
Those are influences from your parents. Yeah you can try and blame them but I haven't listed all the ingredients. Next, and mind these are in no particular order, is the media. They incourage image destroying components like the E Channel. Parents if you let your children or teenagers watch celebrity gossip you are inadvertantly destroying their self image.
Teenagers, if you choose to watch that crap realize that celebrities are not the heroes of our day. We should be looking up to poets, scientists, doctors, teachers. Those that make a difference in our lives and our worlds. Just because Paris Hilton loves taco bell and wears a size zero doesn't mean that she's doing it in a healthy way. Anna Nicole Smith may have shrank by half due to trim spa, but be the doctor and look at her overall health. She just reduced her life span kids. So yeah, I feel the media has a large portion to the recipe for shildhood obesity.
Along with the media comes society in large. A major portion of our post consumer products come from asian companies and designers. Ever tried fitting on a rollercoaster with a large ass or wide shoulders. It doesn't work. I was actually told one time I couldn't ride because my breasts were too large. Where most women would love to hear that, for me I turned red and teared up in public, as I was walking down the exit ramp.
When I say society, I include schools,where our children hopefully spend the majority of their waking hours. Meant to educate and gift our citizens with better lifes, it has become a place of failure and criticism. In the cafeteria you can bring your own luch, except both your parents owrk, or you can buy a lunch. Parents have you ever sat down and really looked at the lunch menu. French fries everyday, condogs, pizza, hotdogs. And where's the nutritional guide. Sure highschools have started including salad and sandwiche bars. Nestled right in next to Taco Bell and Burger King stands. What school board ok'd adding fast food to our childrens daily dining variety. And what were they thinking.
Last but not leastis your genetic makeup. Thanks to the movie Jurassic Park and the tv show CSI we all know what human DNA is. WE don't understand it for the most part, but we know it exists. Talk to your doctor and they'll pull out that handy weight chart, find your height and weight, tell you how much fat your child needs to lose. They'll ask you about your family history, how are your grandparents shaped? Even your good doctor will try to pinpoint the one reason your baby boy has round cheeks. Well I know that muscle weighs more than fat. Does that little chart say how in shape you are? Does the doctor ask if there are any athletes in your family. They just want the bad history. Ask them to do a body fat evaluation on your child. They do this to adults when you join a fitness gym to give you a reasonable goal.
Many of you probably think I'm rambling by now or have stopped reading altogether. I have lived life as a fatty. Tried to blame everything from my parents, to Britney Spears. I'm not a scientist, a doctor. Shit, I never even went to college. But if you improve on every point I've touched on here, then you will have learned something. You don't have to perfect each and every thing, just minor improvements. Baby steps they say. You'll give your child and possibly yourself a fighting chance at a long happy lealthy life. Good luck.

If you [Log In] as a member you can discuss this work with others