OMG anyone watching Dr. Phil?
 

I DO NOT want to offend anyone here, but the Dr. Phil show today is breaking my heart. I understand there are certain hereditary issues that cause obesity but this show is about obese children and their families, who feed their children ridiculous foods!! This 5yr old is 113lbs!! There is a 3yr old who is 90lbs, and they feed her sausage and grits every morning for breakfast!!

How can you do this to a child? It is absolutely heartbreaking :(

isn't it crazy? I think it is a form of child abuse (personal opinion)- your child is going to eat what you feed them- they don't know right from wrong when it comes to food when they are 3- and these people are doing something that could cause their death... i just shake my head....

I agree. Parents are responsible for their own children's health. When they are purposely harming their health, shortening their life span, hindering normal growth, it should be classified as abuse!

I agree that it should be classified as abuse. These parents have so much junk food in the house, the one mom padlocked the cupboards, but why should you padlock something if there is healthy food in there, ya know??

You can't expect a 3yr old to just *know* they only want sausage and grits? Please. That is purely from the parents. The one grandmother kept feeding the little girl SO MUCH JUNK "so she knows I still love her" :eek:

It's sooooo sad :(

that is terrible...i think its a form of abuse also...some may be heriditary but there is a point that the parents need to step in take control

Hereditary issues aside, this is the responsibility of the parents!
Until children are old enough to drive and make their own way to stores and restaurants, they are eating what you provide in the house for meals and snacks. There is no reason for this! It's so sad!

Actually my neice is like these children she is 5 yrs old and 110 lbs. Her Mom is also overweight and wont put her on a diet we believe because she wont go on a diet herselve. Her grandma is very worried she is going to have health problems because the mother does. She can only walk a short distance then needs to rest. It is a very sad situation

thats so sad! a five year old weighs me than me and im 19!thats real sad,im sure her grandmother is very concerned...

I used to work with a lady, she used to bring her son to work with her all the time, and he was overweight. I think he was 4 or 5 at the time. They would always come in with a bag from Mcdonalds. He ate big mac meals all the time. His mom said she would try to talk him into having happy meals, he wouldn't have it. Soooo......of course she gave in. It is very sad!!:(

Here is what I think about people feeding their kids to death. If they "know" they are responsible for putting their kids lives at stake by overfeeding, then they should be arrested for child endagerment and abuse. They should be made to go to parenting and nutrition class as well as counselling.

I so agree with the abuse charges. I think it is abuse. Its abuse to the child and it's abuse to the system. Obesity is an epidemic and is being paid out for those who do not work or can not work due to their size. Why do taxpayers have to pay for those who feed themselves into unemployment or disability? (obviously this is heredity or genetics aside)

My bfs sister is VERY obese. Both of her children are VERY obese. One is 9 and one is 15. It saddens me to see these 2 children eat chinese food leftovers at 11pm at night because they are 'hungry'. On one hand if your child is hungry you don't want to not feed them being a parent, on the other hand don't you know, as the adult, that chinese food leftovers at 11pm is not what you SHOULD feed your child? Her and her husband also smoke in the car with the kids. They are just setting up their children for a lifetime of health problems, its sooooo sad to me. I told BF that he should not let them drive his kids anywhere and then I told him if we EVER had a child together my child would not be allowed to ride in a car with them. I'd pick up and drop off if I had to every time. I am not putting any child (esp my own) around second hand smoke. I smoke.. but NEVER around children. I don't smoke in the car, the house at all and I won't even smoke outside if a child is near me. I do not want to jeapordize any child's health. Hell, I don't smoke around my dogs either! They have lungs too!

People are so lucky to be blessed with children... why do they destroy it? :(

When I was younger, I used to be so picky and would only eat until I was full. My mom (single parent) had to work so that resulted in me having to go to the babysitter. My babysitters were always so strict and would MAKE me eat all the food they prepared on my plate and then some. My mom would get so mad and would eventually take me to another babysitter and it would be the same. She said after that, I always ate sooo much, which I believe, is what led me to being the way I am today (or how I used to be before I started WW.)

I've always been overweight quite a bit but I'm now on Weight Watchers and am losing weight and it feels great.

I have a very good friend , her daughter is extremely overweight and in school with my daughter, she is obese for lack of a better word. She always and I mean always has some sort of food in her hand, chips, cookies, dounuts, ice cream all summer long its actually gross, she even eats like a pig, its all over her face, she almost inhales food!! My daughter said kids dont even like to sit near her at lunch because she chomps and gets her food everywhere. I cant even watch her at cookouts because it really is sickening to watch her eat, almost like she has to eat it before someone steals it, she is not 5 but 13 years old... Here is the kicker the mom had gastro by pass surgery because she hated being over weight, she hated the way it made her look ,feel etc.. what I dont understand is why she would let her daughter eat the way she does and the food she eats... I really do believe its child abuse and what you teach your child now sets them up for the future!!

Amanda, I have a confession, I love Grits and butter, with homemade biscuits. But I may eat that once a year. I think the world of nutrition is amazing. As a mother of a swimmer that swims 8000 meters a day I feed her what a grown man would eat. But the key is to exercise and lots of people do not want to get up off their booties and run or walk..

I think it is child abuse too when parents feed their child unhealthy food, which makes them obese. . The parent brings the food in the house, and they do not need to take the child to fast food restaurants everyday. The parent needs to set the rules in the house. Most children want to eat junk food all day. Parents are supposed to teach their child to eat junk food in moderation. Sometimes, I think these parents try to show love to their child by giving them food they enjoy to eat. I think these parents should put their child in activities that help them not focus their life around food. I agree with emilyann that forcing kids to eat all the food on their plate stops them from learning to stop eating when they are full.

I don't know why that show bothered me sooooo much, but I woke up again thinking about it. It was so upsetting to see the horrific tantrums from these kids over wanting more or different food. I hate to think of anyone hungry, and I am sure these kids truly *are*- I mean, if all you do is eat and eat and eat, a normal portion would seem so small and they can't understand that they will get used to it :(

The thought of the health problems these kids are or will be facing just breaks my heart :( All because some mom didn't want to hear them cry or was too lazy to make a decent meal?

Just not fair!

Lisette- you CRACK ME UP GIRL!!! Dh, who is from the south, came home and I was ranting about the show to him and how they feed that kid sausage and grits every morning, and all he could say was "Mmmmmmm, I miss me some grits." :rolleyes: His southern boy comes out whenever there's talk of grits. Me, I can't stand 'em. Yuck!! :p

I think food is only part of the problem. Exercise is pretty much null of most people's life. We are obbessed with TV, internet, and video games.

You know what peeves me so much? That we rally on things like the Wii Fit. Nothing should replace real, actual exercise.

I agree
 

It is abuse. The child is now addicted to carbs and the child can only eat what is given to them. they can't drive to the dtore and buy it themselves. It is also abuse when dogs are obese IMO.

My husband and I went to brunch on Easter Sunday, just the 2 of us. We sat near a large extended family (several generations)-- there were 14 people at their table. All but one of them was obese (not just overweight). Even the teenagers were obese.

I totally lost my appetite. I only ate half of what I ordered.

Did you know that 20% of 4-year olds are now obese in this country?

Did you know we spend 16% of our gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare, and that it is going to go up from there if we don't get this obesity epidemic under control?

This obesity epidemic is going to cost all of us a lot of money, and it will ruin the quality of life for many. It's sad and frustrating.

I don't know if this is in all states, but Mass disability pays people who are too obese to work. Why is that fair? I know the last governor was trying to cut that out of the budget, I don't live in MA anymore so I don't know how it turned out. I wish it did go away though... our money should not pay for those who did that to themselves. Because we pay their healthcare too and they need more healthcare than I do and I pay my own too... it just does not seem fair to me.

The frustrating part of this obesity epidemic is that it is totally preventable.

We have some members right here on YT who have taken responsibility for their health and lost LARGE amounts of weight. One lady I can think of did it recently with gastric bypass surgery, which is by no means the easy way out. Even with the surgery, you have to make a commitment to eating right--for the rest of your life. I really admire her for taking action and doing what she needed to do to improve her health. :thumbup: It CAN be done.

oh no!
 

I dont think that its fair....not at all....being obese is not a disability...especially when it takes years sometime for people who have actual health issues to even qualify...my father has stokes and it took him at least 2 years to qualify for disability.

My daughter isnt obese by any means...but if she gets bored she will ask for food....when she stays with her grand parents...they will feed her all day long...and when she is with me...she gets 3 meals a day....and sometimes a snack....but not most days. On that side of my family....it seems that all the children....even my generation...are over weight...and its because food was used to pacify the kids for whatever reason. I got in to a huge fight with my stepmother when my daughter was 4 months old because she was sneaking my baby fried chicken and mashed potatoes (made with sugar) and telling me i was starving my child. She said, "Well i didnt it with my son." Well her son was overweight his entire life and still is!
Its just really sad that the children are learning how to eat like this and growing up and still eating the same way and will die a early death.

I was always taught to finish your food on your plate...because if you dont you are wasting food...and I've always remembered that and remember getting tummy aches because i ate too much....needless to say....i dont tell my kid that....I'm happy if she eats half of it

Excuse me, but... you SMOKE??? I really don't think you're in a position to be talking about their healthcare problems and medical costs. Obviously you're of age and should know better. Hmmm... If you wouldn't jeapordize your childrens' health - why are you jeapordizing yours? Should the rest of us taxpayers pay for your disabiltiy when you get emphazema or cancer? Why would you smoke when they have found ways for you to stop? I mean after all, the medical society has been doing research on smoking for almost 60 years. They have found methods to aid you to stop smoking. I know - because I used to smoke for over 30 years and stopped 10 years ago! When you first start smoking - it's by CHOICE - it's not inherited. You can choose to not go around cigarettes - unlike food. Food is everywhere you go.

I know it's sad and a darn shame about these extremely young children - but obviously the parents need help. What do you think charging them with abuse is going to do? :confused: And let me tell you something ladies - it isn't all about sitting on the couch and eating and not exercising! There are plenty of overweight people who exercise - probably more than you.

Overfeeding children to the point that they are obese is absolutely abuse. Not only is it extremely harmful to them physically but it is harmful to them psychologically. First, kids that are fed to stop tantrums etc are taught that food is a comfort item. Second, the torment kids suffer when they are overweight is indescribable. Regardless of whether the parent needs help or not and irrespective of whether or not they struggle with their own weight, it may not be intentional but make no mistake it is abuse. Just like we do not leave neglected children with drug addicts because the drug addict just needs help, we should not leave obese children whose lives are being cut short and made unhappy with parents who fail to provide them with appropriate nutrition because the parent needs help too.

Although I am not a regular poster here on YT lately, I have in the past posted about my own struggles with my weight, and healthy nutrition and teaching children good eating habits are something I am very passionate about . Now I love my parents and I respect them a great deal, but I would be absolutely lying if I said their attitudes toward food and the way I was fed as a child did not play a large part in my own weight struggles. I was a chubby kid due to over and inappropriate feeding; I could easily have become obese as a teen because I was taught to be an obese person by my family. Children learn behavior. Unfortunately I was mercilessly teased, keep in mind I was nowhere near as fat as the obese children today, and it lead to me developing an eating disorder, which I thought at the time was a natural response because I had never been around people with normal eating habits. Eventually there came a point in my life that I was living off 1 bullion cube a day, eating cotton to avoid feeling hungry, taking 10-20 ephedrine pills per day, and having weekly binges during which I would routinely eat $200 worth of groceries in a sitting and promptly purge. I fought desperately against the fact I reached 100 pounds, and I did so brutally. At 20 years old the size 0 at Old Navy was too big. I fit into the large size children’s clothing. At age 22 I had a heart attack! Not only did I have a heart attack, I had several problems. I was malnourished, dehydrated and had a severe electrolyte imbalance which caused the heart attack. I had edema, muscular atrophy, tearing in my esophagus, gastrointestinal bleeding, thrombocytopenia causing me to have suppressed immune system, ketoacidosis, osteopenia (think preosteporosis), I had not had a period in 3 years (I now may be unable to have children), my teeth that were rotting from vomiting (I did not choose my veneers I had to get them), I had a heart arrhythmia, and peptic ulcers. Essentially I had the body of someone 30-40 years older than I was. All to be thin, because I was a chubby kid, teased relentlessly and had just the right psychological make up to develop an eating disorder. Today I still struggle with my problem and it is difficult.

I guess my point is the parents of these children are either condemning them to poor health, shortened life spans and social exclusion due to obesity or they are creating children that will develop eating disorders that are just as harmful. It may not be PC to blame the obese parents but nonetheless it is disgusting and morally repugnant for a parent to subject a child to that all because some mom didn't want to hear them cry or was too lazy to make a decent meal. If the parents don’t fix the problem someone even if it is CPS needs to step in and fix it for them.

I think I've seen some of these kids on t.v. These are pretty extreme cases and it does seem odd to me that most of the parents are also extremely overweight. At times it's mostly the mother being shown and you have no idea if there even is a father. It is so sad and can you imagine what they must go through at school? The teasing and being cast aside instead of being encouraged to play with the other kids getting some exercize. I have 4 kids. Out of the 4 I have one (he'll be 22 in june) that is overweight. He had allot of issues as a child with skin problems and was put on steroids to help controll it. It was a desperate attempt to help him because it was so miserable for him. His appetite seemed to increase and he started to put on weight. We've always been an active family too. I've always made the efforts for him to eat healthy but the person who talked about once they start driving and moving towards adult hood it's difficult to have much say over it is right. He's pretty heavy now and it doesn't seem to bother him. But it does bother me and I can hear him breathing heavy when he's moving about. I feel at times like my hands are tied because he's an adult. I am worried about his health. He has an adorable gf that is crazy about him. He's like a big sweet teddy bear. As a parent I know how difficult it can be to get them to do the right things sometimes.

I'm for more education and less profit and teaching our whole society about good nutrition. We should be allowed to join groups to learn from rather then have to pay huge fees to participate.

Good posts!!! :thumbup::thumbup: