Comments on Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit: Fat Parents and Fat Kids

ahhhh topic close to my heart as well. thanks for...

2009-07-01T06:42:20.715-04:00

ahhhh topic close to my heart as well.

thanks for the article.

Miz.

Kids are individuals, and their bodies are differe...

2009-06-30T23:35:18.436-04:00

Kids are individuals, and their bodies are different just like ours. I'm not giving excuses for 'fat kids' but hear me out...

My #2 was 11 lb. when he was born, and in the "95+ percentile". The kid is seriously HUGE. Still. He's 7 and weighs 89 lb. Now, if you heard that sentence alone, you might assume that he was fat. So not the case. He is just as tall as his 9yo. brother, and is rock solid (save a little belly) His doctor is not worried about his weight-and I know because I ask. He has maintained his height and weight percentiles since day one-steady, with no deviations.

This is not to say that we don't watch what he eats. The kid can put away some food, so we balance meals and when he is "still hungry" we give him water or fruit/veggies. Yeah, I could use more of that philosophy, myself.

I debate this with my friends. I think it's a goo...

2009-06-30T17:07:56.973-04:00

I debate this with my friends. I think it's a good reality check, though we all know BMI is an imperfect measure. But most of my book club feels that's the parents' job and not the doctor's. One has even forbidden the school to measure her kids' BMIs. The moms I know seem to be divided-- I see it as a health issue that should be addressed, but a lot of moms have good arguments about avoiding eating disorders/self esteem issues. I so, so wish we could take the "moral weight" out of excess fat. It has NOTHING TO DO with how disciplined or good a person you are. It has everything to do with metabolism, food culture, and eating and exercise habits.

We went to a water park this weekend. I've lost ab...

2009-06-30T12:38:47.050-04:00

We went to a water park this weekend. I've lost about 20lbs in the past two or three months, which is great, but I still have about 50 to 80 to go (since I have no idea what a good weight is for me anymore!). I just felt... yuck. I don't care what I look like as much as how easy it is to get around, carry slippery kids and a tube up the stairs, gracefully get into tubes without needing help... I certainly wasn't the fattest mom in the place, but moments like that really motivate me to keep going. I want to be able to keep up, and while I know I will always embarass my children until my dying day, I don't want to embarass them because of my big, flabby, unhealthy body. Luckily, my husband is eternally fit and the kids live on raw fruits, veggies, grains and protein. (I always thought I was lazy serving up easy things like grapes, cherry tomatoes, pea pods and cheese chunks- but it turns out I was far better serving them than by cooking a turkey with all the trimmings.)

Thanks for the article- it's another reminder for me to keep going strong.