No More Mr. Fat Guy!

Here’s an interesting article.  It seems people are more likely to eat at fast food places that take plastic, which is pretty obvious, since these days many people don’t have much cash on their person.  But it also claims that the average credit card/debit card order at fast food joints is 30% larger than the average cash order.

What a horrible story. Seventeen years old and so fat he has to carry an oxygen tank wherever he goes to breathe. But he’s trying to make changes, so good for him. But does letting your kid balloon up to three times what he should weigh constitute child abuse? If not, why not?

Yet another side effect of the obesity epidemic in America:  more and more boys and men are having breast reduction surgery.

Says here that one million American kids ages 6-17 used paid fitness trainers last year.  I find that very hard to believe.  Judging by the shape of the kids I see every day, the number is either grossly inflated, or the training’s not having much impact.

When I was a kid the idea of a pop machine at school was unthinkable.  Now, they’re in  schools everywhere, and kids are getting fatter and fatter, and they’re becoming hooked on these drinks for life.  But it’s not just the kids who are hooked on soda pop.  It’s the schools themselves.  Many of them made deals with the devil-taking large sums of money from Coke and Pepsi to allow the placement of the machines.  In many school districts, the money has been a windfall, and now, as pressure mounts to remove soda pop machines from schools, they’re finding that their hands are tied.  Many of them signed long term contracts, and if they remove the machines they’ll have to return hundreds of thousands of dollars to Coke, Pepsi, or one of the smaller companies.

Less than a year after the nation’s largest beverage companies pledged to remove high-calorie drinks and limit sugary beverages in all schools, districts across the country are finding that they may not be able to afford the switch because of contracts they signed several years ago with bottlers for the companies.

When Portland, Ore., recently wanted to remove diet soda and sports drinks from high school vending machines and cafeterias, school officials found that they would have to pay the local Coca-Cola bottling company $600,000 to do so. In Racine, Wis., officials decided not to remove high-calorie drinks from high schools earlier this year after they learned they would have to pay the local Pepsi bottler $200,000.

A majority of schools have exclusive marketing agreements with bottling companies — almost 75 percent of high schools, 65 percent of middle schools, and 30 percent of elementary schools.

A new joint US/UK study finds that increasing kids’ physical activity by as little as 15 minutes a day can cut a kid’s odds of getting fat in half.  Healthy food choices and portion control are big factors, too, but it’s obvious that lack of exercise is a big part of why our kids are getting so fat.  I don’t know about you, but I was required to take a phys ed class every day up until 9th grade.  From what I understand, nowadays many, if not most, elementary and middle schools don’t even offer phys ed, let alone require it.

Researchers in England gave fat kids a supplement containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and encouraged them to modify their diets. They didn’t have much success getting the kids to eat better, and they didn’t lose any weight, but they made three years progress in concentration, reading, memory, and mental agility in only three months, according to this article.

And here’s an article that says that a lot of omega-3 acids are poor quality, and not worth taking, and how to tell if yours are any good.  You should take a pin and drain the contents of the capsule onto a solid (not paper) plate, and then put it in the freezer for around five hours.  If it’s frozen or slushy, it’s probably poor quality oil.  It should either evaporate or stay liquid.

Then keep them away from the television.  The more they watch, the fatter they tend to be.  And childhood development experts say kids shouldn’t watch any TV until they’re at least 2 years old.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic all over America, but in minority neighborhoods in Chicago it’s becoming an outright crisis:

But two out of every three children in Chicago’s minority neighborhoods are overweight or obese - a number that far surpasses already disturbing national averages, according to a 2004 study by the Sinai Urban Health Institute.

A researcher in England is claiming that increased activity has no effect on overweight kids.

Professor Wilkin said children’s activity levels had no bearing on their body mass index - their risk of obesity.

I don’t know if they didn’t monitor food intake levels, or what, but that’s impossible.  If food intake stays the same, and physical exertion increases, excess weight comes off.  It has to.