Take obese children from parent's custody?

[CluckyJay]

"They" can stay the you-know-what away from my kids. They're not fat but if they were ...I do NOT need the government interfering in my life more than they already do. They need to go after all the child molesters and other real abusers. I cannot count the methheads around here that keep getting their kids back to abuse! It is a money racket and people are making a fortune off the suffering of the innocent.

First its fat, then its type 1 diabetes, cancer or a cold. It will not stop and the more people are okay with governmental parenting, the more rights (and perfectly fine children) we lose to them.

Jay, who has seen too much.

 

[Dunkopf]

Quote:
That's kind of contradictory. If the nutritionist and personal trainer were able to help you it would indicate you weren't getting enough exercise or the right diet. Fortunately they did intervene. I wish my parents could have afforded a nutritionist and a personal trainer for me. I wish I could afford one for myself. The nutritionist and trainer taught you the right way to eat and take care of yourself. You were also at the right age. Hard to get a date when you're 150 lbs overweight. Congratulations though. You are one in 20 people that keeps the weight off for more than a couple years. Keep it going.

Ever notice how most well off people aren't fat? The highest percentage of fat people is in the lower classes. They can't afford healthy food.

 

[Dunkopf]

It would be nice if the gov would stay out of it. I guess if hospitals weren't required to treat uninsured people it would work. Then if you had a heart attack from blocked arteries you could just lay there and die if you didn't have insurance. People could pay their own policies and the insurance companies could charge 10-20x as much for overweight people because they spend a heck of a lot more on health care. After enough people tipped over and died people would start watching their food intake and some of the junk food would go out of business. You would have to be rich to be fat if you wanted to live past 40.

Might just work.

My elementary and ms kids have PE every day. Fifth grade and below get 2 recess breaks every day. 45 minutes for lunch. Health class is mandatory for 6-8 grade. They teach them nutrition and about their bodies. Sex ed is covered in 8th grade. I live in a very conservative county. The county is also broke right now because of lost revenues on property. They have 1 principle for all 3 schools and a lot of volunteers.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
This is true. I was looking for a gallon of orange juice a few weeks back and thought "Wow - that's not bad, only $1.99!" Then I looked closer and it was some kind of orange DRINK, but not oj. The oj was about $4, while that sweet, high calorie orange drink was half that. For folks with limited funds, I figure most would grab the orange drink. Grabbed a bag of grapes - cost $10 (I thought the sign said $4 a bag, but it was $4 a pound). For snacking, a bag of chips is MUCH cheaper, especially the off brand ones. Sad that the convenience and high calorie foods seem to be the cheapest.

This is another reason that I was against attempts to allow welfare/foodstamp usage in fast food restaurants...

 

[debilorrah]

Ok people. There is a new reality show on TLC called "My child weighs 500 lbs" and they show a kid about 3 years old. Is someone seriously going to tell me this is not the parents fault?

 

[KenK]

Quote:
I disagree. I think you would be hard pressed to find an obese person; whose income was below the poverty line, that could not afford to eat a healthy diet on what they are spending on food.

I think there are likely several causes of this effect but not being able to afford to eat healthy is not one of them.

 

[Dunkopf]

Quote:
This is true. I was looking for a gallon of orange juice a few weeks back and thought "Wow - that's not bad, only $1.99!" Then I looked closer and it was some kind of orange DRINK, but not oj. The oj was about $4, while that sweet, high calorie orange drink was half that. For folks with limited funds, I figure most would grab the orange drink. Grabbed a bag of grapes - cost $10 (I thought the sign said $4 a bag, but it was $4 a pound). For snacking, a bag of chips is MUCH cheaper, especially the off brand ones. Sad that the convenience and high calorie foods seem to be the cheapest.

This is another reason that I was against attempts to allow welfare/foodstamp usage in fast food restaurants...

I think food stamps should be used for food that has some nutritional value. Not because I'm worried about how they spend the money. It's because it forces them to eat a little healthier. That in turn saves their health and cuts Medicaid cost as well as makes them more able to get a job that they might qualify for.

Wallmart actually sells chips for 1.00 for a bag that would cost around 3.00 in a name brand. They sell Oreo and Chips Ahoy knock offs for 1.29 a bag compared to 3.00 or more for the brand name. They actually taste good. I have forbidden DW to buy any of it. I have my own control issues and it's better if it's not in the house.

 

[Dunkopf]

Quote:
I disagree. I think you would be hard pressed to find an obese person; whose income was below the poverty line, that could not afford to eat a healthy diet on what they are spending on food.

I think there are likely several causes of this effect but not being able to afford to eat healthy is not one of them.

Crap food is a lot less expensive than nutritious food. Agreed they could eat a lot of rice and beans and eggs. Not many people want to eat that all the time. They are human too even if they don't have money. Try buying fresh produce for a family of 5 on what poverty level people get.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
I disagree. I think you would be hard pressed to find an obese person; whose income was below the poverty line, that could not afford to eat a healthy diet on what they are spending on food.

I think there are likely several causes of this effect but not being able to afford to eat healthy is not one of them.

Can it be done??? Of course! But it takes a lot more work than someone who isn't counting pennies. Take milk even - pop, especially store brand, is MUCH cheaper than a gallon of milk or a gallon of orange juice. Same could be said for healthy snacks vs. fatty snacks. So I agree that it comes down to choices, but the poor ARE disadvantaged when it comes to grocery shopping. We're middle class income wise, but as we've tried to tighten our belts a bit, I've paid a LOT of attention to this while grocery shopping. Fruits and veggies are especially expensive - enough that I've not bought certain ones. And I cry a little (on the inside

) each time I buy orange juice.

 

[CluckyJay]

Barring some weird medical thing---yeah, it is child abuse to let your babies weigh 500 pounds.

I was thinking about normal, not gonna kill you fat.