Pisa Sh*t is mad.In case you’re new to these parts, Pisa is my 11-year-old daughter. She’s a pretty normal kid, but she’s been fuming ever since I filled her in on some troubling facts about childhood obesity.
“Lemme get this straight,” she said the other day at the dinner table. “If one parent is obese, there is a 50% chance that the child will also be obese?”
“That’s correct,” I said, dishing some salad on my plate. “But that’s not the worst…”
“There’s more?” she frowned.
“If both parents are obese,” I informed her. “The children have an 80% chance of being obese."
“That’s not fair to the kids.”
“I’ll say,” I shrugged. “Please pass the mashed potatoes.”
“I don’t think so,” she growled. “You eat a big pile of mashed potatoes, and I’m the one who winds up shopping in the Plus Size section.”
“Well, it’s not exactly like that…”
“How’s it not exactly like that?” she sneered.
“Okay, it’s exactly like that,” I admitted. “But I’d still like some mashed potatoes.”
“How many kids are we talking about?”
“Well, nearly one out of every three American children is clinically overweight or obese,” I told her.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope, actually I have it right here…” I explained, pulling out a copy of a report by researchers from the Stanford University of Medicine. “The factor that most puts children at risk of being overweight is having obese parents.”
“Can I see that?” she said.
“I’ll trade it for the mashed potatoes.”
“Okay, hand it over.”
“Look it’s not as desperate as it sounds…” I smiled, handing over the report.
“This is incredible,” she growled. “We kids are getting hosed.”
“Ummm… you forgot to hand over the spuds.”
“There’s gotta be something we can do about this,” implored Pisa.
“Well, there’s this organization called COAK,” I said.
“Coke?” she asked. “Is that some kind of sick joke?”
“C-O-A-K, the Coalition of Angry Kids,” I explained. “COAK helps parents… well, really all adults…do their part to be healthy role models for the younger gneration.”
“How so?”
“By asking folks to take the COAK pledge.” I said. COAK is making a big push by offering a 30-day Anytime Fitness membership, a free 30-minute personal training session and a no-cost 30-day premium pass to AnytimeHealth.com. There’s no contract and no strings attached.”
“Well, you should blog about it,” Pisa told me.
“Nah, it’s kinda boring,” I told her, straining to reach the potatoes.
“Boring!” she yelled, banging a fist on the table. “It’s my future we’re talking about!”
“I don’t know…”
“DO IT!” she yelled.
“Okay… okay… but I don’t know when I’ll…”
“TODAY!” she demanded.
“Okay… okay…” I said. “But I don’t know what I’ll…”
“A GIVEAWAY!” she boomed. “Have them leave a comment about the importance of this issue and give the best one a special giveaway package.”
“Well,” I said. “I do have some good giveaway loot in my office…”
“Give away a GRUVE activity and calorie-tracker device (value $180) AND a one-year premium pass to http://AnytimeHealth.com (value $50).”
“How do you know the value of those giveaway items?”
“Look, Dad,” said Pisa sternly. “This is a LOT more important than whatever silly list or stupid song you were gonna slap on your blog today.”
“I’m not getting any potatoes, am I?”
Pisa gets her way: leave me a compelling comment about this issue and you could win… ummm… what she said. This is her contest, so she’s picking the winner. Would-be winners should address their comments to her.
Great blog Jack, great cause :)
ReplyDeletePisa sh*t...
ReplyDeleteThe subject is so important. I have 2 sons. One is a bit over weight, he is 10,the other is not, he is 5.
This scares me alot. My husband and I are both overweight. I have lost 47 pounds this year and am continuing on this path. I encourage my children to eat right. Kids just don't want to. I hide veggies in their food now. I encourage the move more eat less, put the video games away for a while. All that but the TV, Computer and video games ...society for kids pulls them back.
my husband is a type 2 diabetic. Caused by being overwieght. it scares me to think that one day my boys may be in his shoes. It scares me to think that I have done it to them. It scares me to die before they grow up.
that is why I feel this is important too!!That is why I have started to improve mine and my kids life.
I have decided that my kids will not be in that 80%.
Thank you for pushing your dad!! You are a great role model for yound kids. Especially little girls.
:)
Thanks for thinking of other young people. your right fix the problem now!!
I'm not entering because, well, there aren't any Anytime's Anywhere near me and I already have my BodyBugg so have no need for the Gruve thingie ... BUT ...
ReplyDeleteThe fat folks = fat kids? I cringe when I look at my family photo albums. Generations upon generations of increasing obesity. I'm working on reversing it for myself and hope to never see it for John.
John is 4 and, so far, the perfect specimen of healthy child. Well, aside from the bandaid he came home from school with yesterday ... he won't remove it so I don't know if there's actually a booboo or if it's a fashion statement ... he is a boy, after all.
Pisa.. I wish my kids would have spoken up when they were your age. Then they wouldn't be in their twenties, dealing with the same issues I had said I didn't want them to live with. They are both angry and just recently kicking me from the nest to take care of myself...NOT THEM.. We adults can be really DUMB sometimes. Our actions speak louder than our words, but we think we are SO SMART and we are teaching you...well You kids are our FUTURE..and if we really and truly love you we will learn to do better AND involve you and LISTEN to you...That is what I want to spend the rest of my years doing...
ReplyDeletewhy Jack what a bright daughter you have there!
ReplyDeleteIf only more kids felt this way..and parents! I have struggled with my weight since about the age of 9 or 10. I was never taught good eating habbits as a child..your sad here eat this, you dont feel good here have some..you want to celebrate ohhh have allot..dont forget to clean your plate so you can be in the clean plate club. (have to say i got that last one down quick) Now i have to strugle to remember food is not my comfort go to and make darn sure my daughter does not grow up the same way. I'm still a work in progress but as far as her I feel like im doing pretty good. I made sure she ate and tried lots of healthy things when she was really little learning to eat so now at 9 years old herself she will ask for a salad or go for the fruit cup instead of the pastry allot of the time.Now if i could just listen to my own advice and follow her example!
Diana above me...thanks for clarifying type 2 diabetes not just diabetes in your comment! Far to many lump them all together and while you still need to live a healthy lifestyle with both there is a difference. (my daughter and I both are type 1 and wear insulin pumps)
Pisa -
ReplyDeleteWill you be my friend? Or at least my daughter's friend? Her dad and I are both obese, but at least one of us is trying to undo that damage and better her odds.
Being obese is easy to accomplish but it's difficult to live with the consequences. I talk to her a lot about making good choices in every thing she does, including nutrition and exercise. I am proud to say that so far she is NOT following in my footsteps and we are developing good habits together.
Have a great day, and be sure to hide the taters before you leave for school, cuz you know Big Daddy's headin' straight for them as soon as you're out the door!
Hi Pisa,
ReplyDeleteI'm not entering because I already have a gym membership as well as a fitness center at my apt complex that I use. I did want to tell you though that I'm glad you've got your dad as a role model. He's done an amazing job of losing his weight and getting healthy and fit. We all love that he cares enough about the rest of us reaching our goals that he keeps on bloggin'. His blog is like a beacon in a world of fatty darkness.
I don't have any kids of my own, but I do have 5 nieces and nephews all age 5 and under. One of my goals is to finish losing this weight, and get healthier and more fit with exercise...and teach my nieces and nephews by example. I want to be a positive influence on them where their health is concerned. I wish I would have had that from my parents growing up...but the fact that I didn't inspires me to want to do better for the little ones in my family.
P.S.
Do you know what your dad was doing with your prize chicken last week? :)
Hi Jack and Pisa
ReplyDeleteI'm not entering because I live in the UK, but I just wanted to say how much I loved the post, and how you should be proud that you're channelling that anger into postive action!
Dear Pisa (and Jack)
ReplyDeleteGood for you! My daughter's getting much better role models now! I hope she doesn't remember, she was only three when her dad and I were both severely obese. But a couple of years back, we both started going to weight watchers and lost 80 and 90 pounds (there's enough of us that went missing to make a whole new person!).
My daughter's going to be seven soon, she likes broccoli, carrots and yogurt. She runs really fast and goes for walks with me and her dad a few times a week (2-3 miles most of the time).
She is not a member of the clean plate club; it's an issue I still have problems with. I've compensated for it by filling my plate with less food, but I generally still feel compelled to eat ALL of it. I don't make my daughter, tho. When she's full, she can stop eating.
Hey Pisa,
ReplyDeleteI understand completely. Both my parents are overweight and so are all three of their biological children. I am trying to do my part now so that when I do have children they won't follow my bad habits as I will have developed new ones for them to follow. I wish I'd had your courage to challenge my parents on their eating habits and maybe my whole family wouldn't be this way. Good Job telling your dad how it is!! And I would love a Gruve!!
Thanks. Lindsay
Dear Pisa Sh*t,
ReplyDeleteThis post is exactly the reason why I am working to lose weight now. Before I even have kids. I don't want my kids to be obese, so to give them the best possible life before they are even a glimmer in their daddy's eye, I am working on my health. Mind you, it's not an easy battle, but I refuse to give up.
Pisa, you keep knocking some sense into that Daddy of yours you little pistol!
Thank goodness I came to my senses. I spent a decade being obese, but at 31 began turning it around. At 32 I am stronger than ever and teachng my kids way healthier habits. I have watched my 12 yr. old go from a meat n' potatoes kind of guy to a fruit n' meat n' potatoes kind of guy. He now asks the kinds of questions you credited Pisa with. It's been great!
ReplyDeletePisa,
ReplyDeleteMy 9 year old daughter is so with you on this! We've tried really hard to be more healthy in the past few years, my husband and I lost a bunch of weight and there was much less unhealthy food in our home. We unfortunately regained some and are back to working on that. I've eliminated ALL junk food from our home and she's loving it, she's eating real, healthy foods and feeling great. And I feel much better setting a good example for her and encouraging healthy eating and exercise. But I'll tell you a secret... The biggest downfall in helping her to eat healthy is SCHOOL! Almost every day she comes home eating some sort of reward junk food that they bribe the kids with. Do they do this at your school, too? They give out candy for 100's on tests, ice cream sundaes for learning multiplication tables, pizza for getting enough accelerated reader points... plus just random candy almost daily to bribe them into being good. I can't stand it, and neither can my daughter, because it takes away her choices. When there's candy everywhere it's nearly impossible to say no to it. Kids should be allowed to have some treats in their diet here and there. Because of what the school system does, most of those treats can't happen at home since she's already been treated at school. So that's what we've pledged to do at home, to keep things healthy here most of the time. And also to find fun ways to exercise. We go to yoga class as a family. My daughter takes karate (she's a blue belt) and swimming also. And we run as a family, too. Getting the whole household involved in both the eating and the exercise makes it all more fun and so worth it.
Dear Pisa, I'm an obese mom (295lbs - down from 350 last year!) and am working hard to transform my family. My husband is overweight, and my daughter struggles with making good choices, but she's getting the hang of it. My son is an eating machine, but he's active all the time. I've completely switched to a Paleo-style diet and am almost there with my family. It's a constant struggle with all of the processed and fast food everywhere you turn, but we are making progress. I had 2 obese parents and my siblings and I all struggle with obesity ourselves. I am ready for this to stop. It's not going to happen in my family.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Pisa! Keep on giving your daddy sh*t about the potatoes. Nobody needs them.
Pisa,
ReplyDeleteAs an obese parent I am scared when I see my kids exhibiting the same eating habits that made me the way I am. My wife and I are just starting out on a weight loss journey and one of the main reasons is so that our kids never have to go through what we currently are.
I knew that being obese puts my child at a higher rate of being obese, but 80%??? Scares the sh*i out of me!!!
Pisa,
ReplyDeleteHi from the MidWest! I hope you threw away the mashed potatoes :)
What a great post. When I was young, both of my parents were smokers (hey, it was a while ago, I'm showing my age a bit) and I used to beg them to quit. They finally did. I think food is the new smoking. It's time to wake up and get mad about obesity, especially in childen.
I really want the giveaway :) I promise to use it wisely!
Oh my goodness, I want that GRUVE and I'm SO NERVOUS to be addressing the all important PISA (which by the way I hope your Dad has taught you is a beautifully historic building in Italy and NOT in fact, a precursor to a swear word!)
ReplyDeleteOk, let's see what I can do to win this $h.t, er, stuff.
Childhood obesity is mad wack!
What’s with these parents? Can’t stay on track!
Don’t they know what they eat matters?
They should put down those crispy chicken platters
No one wants to be overweight
Shopping for huge pants to hold your freight
So listen up parents, it’s up to ya’ll
The importance of your job is not small
Shop smart, eat smart, cook smart too
For your little ones will follow you
Get outside and jump around
Your healthy lifestyle will abound
Lead the way with smart choices
Sing vegetables praises with loud voices
Drink lots of water, soda is for saps
Then set off running around in laps
Set the example for your rug rats
Before they end up surrounded by fats
Teach them young so when they grow
They will already be up in the know
You’ll look better, feel better, live longer too
And all that fiber leads to healthy poo (this will become more important as you get older, PISA)
But perhaps the biggest gift of all
Is watching your kids grow strong and tall
So listen to PISA and her dad Jack
Cuz childhood obesity is mad wack
Pisa-
ReplyDeleteAlong with informing parents and adults about healthy eating habits, I think it is equally important to inform them about the importance of exercise. Get up and get moving!
-Megan
You know how I feel about this. You read my blog. Of course, one of my girls would be saying "Why are there no potatoes on the table?" and and the other would be saying "Why ARE there potatoes on the table"... and they're twins. I guess that just goes toward the 50% thing, huh?
ReplyDeleteOh, and if I win, I'd like to send this to my OTHER daughter (my eldest) who is really struggling with her weight. It's weird, because when she left the house she was healthy, and then over time on her own gained weight. She's been really struggling to lose it, and I figure this would be a great tool for her.
Hi Pisa!
ReplyDeleteI was the product of fat parents, so I'm with you on that. My dad has always been fat, my mom just recently. SO I guess I fall in the 50% category. Funny how that works out. My younger brother is fine (not fat and quite attractive the ladies say [yuck]) and I am the fat one. Go figure. Well, my husband is thin and I am determined to get thin because I don't want my kids to be fat. NONE of them. Not 80%, not 50%, not any percent of them. It is a craptacular life. I should have told my dad to put down the potatoes (and beer and burgers and the entire grocery store that he could eat in a day!) Live and Learn I guess. Hope you love your dad and all the sh*t he gives you! No potatoes for me tonight. =)
<3 Katie
Great post. If they advertised exercise as much as they do McDonalds... then things might be a little different.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't afraid to start teaching my kids early what was good food and what was 'FAT' food. At 3 years old my little girl yelled at me from across the isle in the grocery store and said "MOM.. NO, THATS FAT FOOD!!!" Her fav snack is a big juicy peach... and her momma is trying very hard to follow in HER footsteps.
I grew up in a morbidly obese household and I was 100% effected by that. Not only was I a morbidly obese child, but I never "grew out of it"...I'm a morbidly obese adult as well. My father died 4 years ago at 62 and my mom is now 63 and barely mobile. Since I've been on my own and insured, I've done everything I can to correct it, which eventually led me to the Lap Band. This is a serious issue and my parents had no idea what they were bringing to the table of life for me and my brother...
ReplyDeleteI only hope that what I am doing can now encourage my remaining parent to make a change in her life.
Pisa way to go getting your dad to post this today! It is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. You are a bright young lady to be able to see the importance of getting the word out there to other adults and kids. I have 3 sons that have obese parents and our habits have certainly become theirs. It is a battle now to try to reteach them healthy habits and my youngest son is 10 with a weight problem we are working on helping him with.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to look into COAK and thanks so much for bringing all of this to our attention!
whew! I thought this was going to be all about me and my chicken eating ways. lol :)
ReplyDeletePisa? You are well on your way to influencing your peers at school. You have the strength to take on school lunch! And the lack of gym class. Your voice WILL get heard because I just heard it sing strongly here. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteHi Pisa
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a young lady who knows what she wants! I love it. Keep your strong mind. Keep an eye on your dad, I know it has to be a hard job :)
BTW..I was wondering about your name...
I am an echocardiogram tech (ultrasound of the heart) and PISA is a way we can measure mitral regurgitation :) http://www.wikiecho.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mitral_regurgitation#How_to_measure_PISA
Just curious :)
Dont pass the mashed potatoes :)
Lauren
I married into a family where the Mom has long been overweight, and all 6 kids use food as entertainment, medication, form of celebration...the list goes on and on. Dinner time around here has long been like survival of the fastest - if you don't fill your plate fast, you aren't getting any. Now, as the years have gone on, all those kids are adults and are struggling with weight. And most of us have kids of our own, watching. My daughter is 11, and is tall and a very healthy weight, but when I hear phrases like "I shouldn't eat anymore - I need to lose a little weight" I want to cry. Even having the kids watch you try to lose weight and struggle with it can cause a lifetime problem of overeating and crash dieting. A world where healthy living is the norm would just be amazing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I belong to an Anytime Fitness, and I LOVE it. The Gruve would be the perfect addition to my weight loss effort.
Pisa- you go girl! Way to stand up for yourself and bully your ole dad (Jack, don't hate me.)
ReplyDeleteAs a child of an obese mom, I completely understand where you're coming from. Growing up, watching my mom eat an entire container of donuts at a time- well, it didn't exactly teach me a healthy lifestyle. And I gained a lot of negative habits I shouldn't have. I would see her sitting there on the couch eating baggie after baggie of fruit snacks, or cookies, or cake, and think that I could be just like that and eat that, too. Also, because she was so fat, she never had any self esteem... never thought she was pretty, or attractive, or worth anything. As a young girl, I NEEDED a model for self esteem, I needed someone to show me how to feel beautiful about myself... she wasn't able to be that model.
It wasn't until very recently that I realized that I could change, I didn't have to be like her. I had a revelation one day, sitting on the couch, with fruit snack wrappers surrounding me... and I realized I had become my mother. I had her habits, I was gaining weight... I was everything I said I wouldn't be. And it was time to change.
Now I've started my weight loss journey, I've changed my eating habits, and I have gained self esteem. But you know what? It would have been a whole lot better for me if I had had a role model to show me what healthy eating habits looked like, and how to be confident that I was a wonderful person, from the very beginning.
As I continue my journey, I look at my five year old daughter and I say no. Not again. She will learn healthy eating habits, she will learn that she is beautiful, and she will not have the problems my mother and I have had. Because she will have a good role model from the very beginning.
It's important. Thank you for bringing it up with your dad. =)
Ok. So my dad weighed 350 when i was 12. My mom weighed 97.
ReplyDeleteHome made biscuits and gravy every Sunday. That's just an example of the way we ate. Jello makes it too easy to make cheesecake.
My mother went hungry many times when she was a kid, so she never wanted to tell me that i should watch my eating habits.
After the birth of my daughter, and a year later my son, my 4'9" self weighed in at 173. Slim Fast seemed like a good option. And it worked. However, there was no thought about how i would eat after losing the weight. No maintenance plan. Weight returned within two years. And my now grown daughter is battling the same problem.
What i am doing now...whole foods. I had to overhaul my way of life. I am a food addict. My dad set me up for that by setting the example. He and i constantly munched on Mom's wonderful home made pudding, fudge, cakes...and the list goes on to include cheesy bread...yum (bad bad).
My new example for my kids is raw fruits and veggies. No more cooking the nutrients out of them. Juices that i make myself in my juicer are quite impressive...you can't drink store bought juice after that, it's just gross!
My Husband and i have always enjoyed riding bicycles...and now, i feel good enough to jog a little. 185 is what i weighed on my last weigh-in last week. I am 20 pounds lighter than i was in January of this year. 12 of those pounds came off over the last 3 weeks, since i started eating whole foods a month ago.
Thanks for the info about COAK. I will check it out!
We need more produce markets!!
Pisa,
ReplyDeleteYou obviously are a smart kid, and your dad is kind of hilarious. I come from a long line of type 2 diabetics, folks with heart disease and drinkers. I made the decision in May of this year that enough was enough and I was going to break this cycle. No hosing on Pumpkin and Booger, those are my girls, they are 2 and 4. They deserve a happy healthy mommy who can show them how to have good relationship with food and be active and involved in the world around them. So we got moving, going to the park, tumbling, dancing, and going for walks around the neighborhood. I am going to teach them to love good food and be smart about their bodies. Thanks for the great giveaway idea Pisa, you're a pretty swell kid.
OMG! Seriously? Coincidence to report here....
ReplyDeleteLast year, I took a Punk Rope instructor training course with the intension of teaching the awesome jump rope exercise class in Seattle. I even got a personal trainer certification so I would be totally legit. Then, THEN I chickened out. Recently, I decided that I really do want to pursue the goals I've put to the side out of nothing but fear and self doubt. Then this morning, I got an email from the owner/CEO of the Punk Rope thing with yet another person interested in finding Punk Rope in Seattle. That person just so happens to be a newspaper writer who said she could give great publicity to anyone starting a class in Seattle. So that got me thinking that maybe it's time to face this fear once and for all but in what capacity? How? Where do I have the class? Who do I want to get to attend my class? Then I opened this AMAZING post and read all about the awesome conversation and tug-of-war over the mashed potatoes (way to go Pisa!). I've never heard of COAK before. I'm inspired! Seriously! I'm totally going to look into the COAK thing and see if I can get kids to convince their overweight and obese parents to get off their mashed potato buns and come to a Punk Rope class. Fun for the kids and adults. My heart feels like it's going to pound right out of my chest right now. You've heard the saying: when you have inspired thought....you have to MOVE! Gotta go. Things to do. People to call. I'm going to participate in this thing and do what I can here where I live. Thanks Jack for sharing this post and thanks Pisa for making him. :)
This is why when I had my daughter last year I made the decision to get healthy, for her. I need to be a better example for her, be able to play with her, be ALIVE for her. My father was obese as was I, but it stops here. She deserves better and so do I.
ReplyDeleteI can see in the generations of my family how this is true. My grandmothers and grandfathers=3 outta the 4 obeses. Parents= 2 outta 2 are obese (yes that means both). Me=Obese. Sister=got the skinny genes.
ReplyDeleteIt is scary to think that this child inside of me (found out I am 8 weeks pregnant!!) has a pretty good shot of being overweight. I have made the conscience effort of making my life healthier...for the better lives of my family.
My husband is in the US Army...he is of 'normal weight' and clocks in at a whopping 128 (he is 5'2"). My step-daughter is also 'normal weight' being like 47 lbs for a 6 year old... I don't want to be the example that makes my children think that it is okay to be fat, because so many other people are.
My hubby just got back from a 12 month deployment to Iraq. I managed to lose about 50 pounds before he got home! The changes in the activities that I am able to do now with him are amazing! Being stationed in Hawaii there are hikes to waterfalls and inactive volcanoes that are now possible...because I can move freely.
I don't think people see it as a big deal, because with modern medicine *anything* can be fixed. Blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol...all can be magically fixed with a pill...
I dunno about you...but I dont want my kids relying on pills to live. I dont want to rely on pills for a 'healthy' life...small changes make the difference...dont 'cut' stuff out...add stuff in..like with dinner have a 1/2 cup of veggies...most of the time you will be full off veggies and meats that you wont have room for those potatoes!
This country needs to realize what is at stake...our future and our lives...if that isn't important enough to change...then someone should be kicked!
Pisa,
ReplyDeleteIt is rue what they say about fat parents = obese kids BUT seeing as you are mad about it I am thinking that as long as you stay mad and dedicated you will be okay! Just find yummy healthy treats and fun active activities and it will work! And oh yeah no mashed potatoes for dear old dad
As a teacher I see first hand how many children are overweight or obese. It's really a shame. It's great that there is a organization trying to help everyone out.
ReplyDeleteSo, if a kid lives with their obese mother, stepfather, and grandparents.. does that mean they have a 100% chance of being obese? 'Cause that's the case for me and my sister. I'm so f'ing done with it, though. It's time to change.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing kid!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't think of a better cause right now with the obesity crisis on the rise!!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a household where fat was in so I know first hand what happens AND what happens to the self esteem of the fat kid.... which can lead to the same issues as an adult.
Even though I lost my weight years ago, I still see that fat kid in the mirror sometimes.
If we can start one kid off right, feeling good about themselves & not growing up with health issues & issues about how they feel about themselves, I don't know what could be more important. The early years are the most important years in developing a true, fit, happy & liking themselves kid!
as one of two obese parents to 2 teenagers, I've already loaded that gun for them. But I'm trying to teach healthy habits so they learn that while it may be a struggle, there is an alternative. I'm glad you spoke up Pisa - education IS the answer. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePisa,
ReplyDeleteI don't have any kids, but I worry about my niece who is already overweight. She is beautiful and talented, but I know this bothers her. It's a tough position for me to be in as Auntie I do so much.
P.S. Pick Me.
I agree with this blog. After getting assistance with my weight problem, many attempts to lose the weight, and finely getting the weight off (190 plus pounds lost so far with about 10 to go with the help of surgery). While achieving this accomplishment and researching obesity and weight loss surgery I have noticed the many causes of this problem. This is, I believe one of the major causes of being over weight and obesity. You see the trend and there needs to be more of an advocacy. Lets support this blog and any others to help with this problem, disease, EPIDEMIC!
ReplyDeletei actually don't want to win :)
ReplyDeletebut I do love a good Pisa story
I heard some scary british obesity facts at my last w.w meeting and it is truly scary.
Two of my sons, are very slender, and one battles with his weight like I do. Thanks for this website. Although, why are you obessed with "Poo?" Garbage in Garbage out concept? Modeling to my grown sons, and now grandaughters, is one of the best gifts, I can give them. Thanks for the honesty and for sharing your insites. I'm impressed. "Chow" opps! Pun intended. "Chow" on carrots, and more veggies and fresh fruit and real proteins. Keep each other honest, too, helps a bunch. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Pisa- It's great that you're interested in this. It's sad for children that they aren't taught the healthy eating skills that they'll need as adults.
ReplyDeleteNow, partly because of this, my husband and I are waiting on having kids because we want to lose weight and be healthy, so that they'll be healthy.
Awesome giveaway! Great kid ya got there Jack! Maybe she'll take a kindly look at me and I'll win the giveaway! Woo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteI posted about the giveaway over on my own blog
http://texicanwife.blogspot.com/2010/09/pisa-sht-giveaway.html
, as well as tweeted and put it on facebook. [Yeah, I'm a networking kind of gal!]
Keep up the great job!
In Health!
Texicanwife
I have 14 year old twin girls (and a younger one). One went to live with her dad in a small town where excercise and healthy eating is definitely NOT the norm. Her dad's family is not into healthy eating. I worry, I had good reason, she came home during the summer with a stomach pudge and asked for crappy food all the time. *sigh* almost the entire family on that side is overweight.
ReplyDeleteThe other twin is into healthy eating, she evens reminds ME sometimes to make a better choice in food.
Pisa, as the adult child of two overweight parents, I feel your pain. It's really hard to lose the weight now and I wish that my parents had taught me better habits as a kid.
ReplyDeleteIt's up to each of us to be good examples to our kids. I am kind of glad I waited till they were a little older to lose this weight. You might think it's crazy, after all..modeling good behavior is the best way to teach.
ReplyDeleteBut by them watching me go from fat and miserable to thin and happy is probably the most convincing illustration of the power of Good choices that I could have concocted. So, wherever the parents are weight wise, and whatever the age of the children, it is not too late.
That's all.
Pisa Sh*t
ReplyDeleteThis is such a huge deal! I'm only 23 and I know i have to change my life now before i have kids. Did you know that if i lose my weight i will also have a healthier pregnancy? It will be safer for me and the Baby. Also after the baby is born If I learn healthier habits now not only will i pass on those habits but i may be able to live longer to do incredible things with my future children and watch them grow up.
I have a family members who are all very unhealthy and all of their kids are going down the same path. Its so sad, I cant hold my four year old nephew because he is so big! you can only hold him for a bit before your arms just are too tired. he just wants to be loved but all i can do is just kneel and hug him. It so sad. I will commit to becoming a better health role model for my neices and nephews, other children, and my future children as well.
You're both right. Kids are getting hosed, but the facts remain. As parents (especially for us overweight parents who are struggling so hard to lose weight), it's important that we teach our kids the importance of eating well & exercising. Make it as fundamental as teaching them ABC's and the like. Our school offers a Girls on the Run program, which is excellent for teaching positive body image, confidence, and healthy lifestyles. And in the process, they will run or walk a 5K at the end of the program. I'm hoping it inspires my daughter to start exercising regularly (and maybe even running with me!). Her frame is larger than most of her friends, just as mine was at her age. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteHiya Pisa: I've been overweight since before my son was born so it was no stretch for me to give him all of the healthy food while I ate the fattening junk. Mine was cheaper, his not so much. Now, at age almost-14, he's taller than I am (5'8"+) and skinner than a fence-post. He knows how to eat healthy and I'm getting there too. Let's get America's kids healthy together, ok? Vee at http://veegettinghealthy.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletePisa, I'm glad you are so passionate about this subject because it really is a huge problem! It breaks my heart seeing overweight parents, and then looking to their children and seeing that they are overweight as well. It's true that kids are not getting a chance a lot of the time. They just follow what they know, so if they see their parents being terribly unactive, and all they're served is bad food, then the cards are stacked against them. I'm really glad that new programs, organizations, and initiatives are coming out everyday to help everyone get healthier, adults and children. It's not just about how you look, it's quality of life. And living a life overweight is poor, poor quality. It's awesome that your dad took the initiative to finally get his extra weight off, so now you can follow his good example and know how a person is supposed to eat and how active they're supposed to be. My parents instilled in me healthy eating habits and encouraged me to be active all throughout my childhood. Now I just want to see other parents do the same for their children because I know how helpful it was to me.
ReplyDeleteyou got a pretty smart daughter there, i would say!
ReplyDeleteI was the "fortunate" one of three children who fulfilled the statistics and inhabited the obesity from my weight-struggling father... my siblings are both normal weight....
and i whish something like COAK would have been around in my days... but then there was just COKE...
I just hope i will figure out my eating issues before I have any children on my own. growing up fat is not something i would want my children to go through, because i know what it feels like.
Pisa,
ReplyDeleteI am a 4th grade teacher in Indiana and I agree with you - it stinks!! It is not fair that things that parents do can really hurt kids. I also know that by now you realize some things in life are not fair. My goal as a teacher is to empower my students (like you) that you can change the world!! You are the future and the future will be better because my students and you are some really smart people!
Pisa,
ReplyDeleteYou're right! This is better than any dumb song your dad put on here! I have one obese parent, and one scrawny. I am no longer obese, but I am overweight. My hubby is very healthy as are two out of my three kids. My 11 year old is overweight. He exercises, but he does not make good choices in his eating. We walk together. I think it helps us both. We have quality time so that I can tell him to be good to his future wife. We both have a long way to go, but with the help of friends like you and your dad, we can get there! You rock, Pisa! (did I win?)
Well Pisa I have a question for ya, do you think The Gruve would be something to mature for a 9 yr old? My daughter turns 9 on Monday and I thought winning the Gruve would be a cool present for her. A part of me wonders if it's a good idea but another part thinks she might find it pretty fun to test herself and improve her activity level. I know during my weight loss she has started changing her own eating habits. But I do worry about her following down the same road as I use to be. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Dawn
Hi Pisa,
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest reasons I started on my journey was because of the conversation you had with your dad. Well, kind of.
I've been attending a lot of weddings over the last few years and a number of close friends are having babies. It has forced me to look at myself and realize a few things.
I don't want to be a fat groom, a fat dad, or a fat and dead middle aged guy. True, kids aren't on my horizon at the moment, but I don't want to be a dad who can't run, bike, swim, or whatever with his kids.
When I started this journey, I realized I was becoming exactly that. I started outlining what, as a man(or woman,if I were one! lol), I should be able to accomplish in life.
They're easy. Lose a sh*t ton of weight for life, raise kids with the reality of an outdoor existence, and do my part to change my life forever and support those around me.
I have no idea if this is what I should've wrote. I just kind of went on and on. You're obviously a bright kid, and your dad has achieved everything I look to do. Rock on.
G96
Dear Pisa (and Jack),
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. This is SUCH an important issue, and a big reason as to why I started my journey.
My husband is overweight, but not obese and most of his family is very fit. My family on the other hand....we're all obese. Both of my parents have diabetes and almost everyone on my mother's side of the family has high blood pressure.
Know the facts I listed above is a HUGE reason as to why I started my weight loss journey. The other HUGE reason is my son. He just turned 4 and I refuse to let him follow in my footsteps. Right now he is a perfectly healthy and fit, but...that's also how I started out. And then I saw my mother sit in a chair day in and day out stuffing her face. And so I figured it was okay for me to do too.
I won't let my son grow up as another statistic. I would rather die then let him go through this. So here I am becoming a healthier person and trying to set the best example I can for my son.
Thank you again for bringing awareness to this issue!!
<3 Jessica
This is one of the main reasons I am losing weight. Not only do I need to lose weight to increase my chances of having a child through IVF but once I do have them I don't want my kids to go down the road I went down.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of COAK until now and I am going to blog about this weekend! I am fortunate to be in the position where I can lose weight before we even have kids so that neither parent is obese and we can stop the madness!!!!
Thanks for a great post Jack/Pisa!!!