Should parents of extremely obese children lose custody for not controlling their kids' weight?

This was the question posed in yesterday's Observer article entitled "Physician suggests taking obese kids from parents". Someone sent me the link to this article and I finally read it and the 81 pearls of wisdom this morning. It's amazing how many people honestly believe that this proposal is a viable "solution" to the complex problem of childhood obesity.

I was disturbed to see that once again, many posted their comments without consideration of the many reasons why children are obese. Sure, the obvious reason why so many American children are obese comes down to three primary reasons: portion size, unhealthy foods and being sedentary. Much of this can be controlled by parents when children are young. Yes, I agree that parents have a huge role in the health and weight of their children when they are young. Notice I didn't blame the media, restaurants or Ronald McDonald. 

Now, that I have shared the pros to this article, humor me as I share the cons:

1. Foster Care Funding – Foster care should always be a temporary separation reserved for only the most egregious parental issues. Unfortunately, there are too many more serious societal issues that require this type of intervention. Mecklenburg County’s 2011-2012 total budget for Social Services is $431 million. Food and Nutrition Benefits account for 70% of this total ($300 million). Foster Care related services were only allotted 4% of the county’s budget a mere $16.3 million. Mecklenburg’s current budgetary allocation clearly would not be able to fund this physician’s very controversial proposal.
2. Simple solution to a complex problem – There are many studies which prove that people’s metabolic systems work differently. Society quickly assumes that parents are the problem. If you look at families in your neighborhood or in your church, you probably know children who are a little larger than their siblings and/or parent(s). There are many adults and children who eat fast food and don’t exercise, yet they are “normal” sized. This author’s proposal doesn’t take this into account nor does he take into account health or other issues such as weight gained as a result of trauma.
3. Healthy food – Let’s face it, everyone doesn’t have access to healthier foods and yes healthier foods generally cost more. I am not using this as an excuse. It’s pure economics. Look at the grocery sales papers and the coupons readily found. Most of them are for processed foods that are already cheaper than non-processed foods. Food growers, processors, and manufacturers have aggressively lobbied to alter the natural processes used to feed Americans. We as Americans have silently watched as hormones and antibodies have been used in the meat that we now eat. 
4. Food labeling -- We don’t take the time to really understand what we are eating and drinking. We all know that we should eat whole grain bread.  Today, go to the grocery store and count how many variations there are on "whole wheat" and "whole grain".  Take a chair, you will be there a while.

I am on my final weeks of drinking diet Mt. Dew which I have been drinking faithfully for over 16 years. Why?  If you want to know, google brominated vegetable oil (BVO). This has been used in America for decades in clear soft drinks, yet it is banned in over 100 countries. Was I irresponsible each time I drank my Dew?  I don't think so.  Sometimes we simply trust the food companies, the FDA, and USDA a little too much.

Yes, obesity and specifically childhood obesity is a very serious problem with very long term consequences. Yes, parents like me need to take responsibility for the problems we are causing when we make daily food and exercise choices.  However, the bigger solution will not come from irresponsible proposals such as putting obese children in foster care.  Often these kids are already feeding an emotional void, foster care just makes it worse.  Real solutions will come when society realizes that through personal and community education we can solve this problem by making healthier choices one meal at a time.

Nancy Johnson

Sweat Doesn't Count

If only the temporary weight loss from sweat was true weight loss. Today, Monday, I worked in the yard from 9am till 10am then walked my 3.25 mile course in the neighborhood. To add to my heat misery I then worked a couple of hours in my garage assembling shelving. At one point during the day I weighed myself and was down 3 lbs from the beginning of the day. That was my clue to pick up the drinking big time. Water mostly. No beer. Anyway, by the end of the day was back to normal weight still stuck at the 24 pound weight loss routine.

I feel like a juggler who can more or less keep up with only 2 balls in the air at one time and occasionally able to keep 3 balls rotating in air. My 4 juggling balls are diet, walk/jog, biking and weights/other exercise. I can't get my routine to be a complete "routine". Something always "falls" to the ground and lately its been weights and diet taking turns it seems.

The year is half over and I will be a "loser" for sure in this challenge if I don't get very serious from this point on. Over the next three weeks I will be on the road for an additional 4,000 plus miles on motorcycle and car. I must keep my walking shoes handy at all times and hope that being busy will at least keep me away from my own refrigerator.

I'll report the stats more completely next week as to the halfway point.

Now its time to squeeze the garage floor out as its almost underwater from my perspiration. Yuck.

Shut Out the Noise

I don't know about you but I was getting pretty sick and very tired of the noise from those "silent" anonymous people. I almost let the daily negative rhetoric from those without a name to stop me from blogging about my journey. When I took this gig, I knew that there would be those who would share their "expertise" in not so kind of words, but I have heard enough from the nameless mouthpieces. I've decided to shut out their noise so that I can focus the last six months on refocusing on making healthy changes.

Maybe you are like me; listening to the negative noise from family, friends, work, doctors, or the media. Shut out their noise and persevere in spite of them. Contrary to popular belief, losing weight is not easy but you and I can do it. The first thing you must do is get our heads 100% in the game and then find the support needed to get started.

I pledge to get back on track and will use this forum to share my journey and the things I've learned with you in hopes to inspire each of you to not give up. Sometimes the journey takes longer than planned, but we will arrive together.

Take care.

Nancy Johnson

Sympathy Fat?

There have been news reports on the various States and their rate of obesity this week. Huge (an appropriate word indeed) increases in the percentage of us who are now classified as overweight or obese in the last ten years.

It occurs to me some part of this increase is also due in part to the "aging" of our population as you tend to get heavier with age if you don't fight the battle. The battle in fact that I at age 59 am currently fighting.

As a society we need to encourage fitness and proper weight. There can be a negative responses from some folks to criticize and belittle those who are fat. I suspect an encouraging approach to get fit might work better to get people working for themselves and then overall for our society as a whole to get in shape. If we as proper human beings don't wish the best for our fellow citizens then what does that say about ourselves? That does not excuse, however, each persons own responsibility to themselves and their families and to our nation to be healthy. Especially any aspect of health that is directly in our own control. Our weight, amount of exercise, what we eat and personal hygiene to a large part are all something we can personally impact.

A bit of sympathy toward the struggle of others might be a positive push to get society moving. Not coddling or excusing bad habits, just urging in a positive way to help those who struggle with these issues.

Think about it on your next walk, jog or treadmill session.

Road Food

On the road this week in and around Washington DC. Today my wife and I are going to Gettysburg to tour the battlefield.

Yesterday my wife has tried to sabotage my diet with cupcakes from the supposedly famous Georgetown Cupcake.

From the crowds of folks waiting to chunk down $16 for 6 cupcakes I'm sure they are heavenly tasting. Not exactly diet food however. Vacations are certainly a battlefield of sorts to one who is on a diet.

I've always been fascinated with battlefields and the tactics that went behind the opposing sides efforts. The Civil War was a horrible time not all that long ago in our ancestors lives.

In a way, the battle of our own efforts to be better people still continues. In my case one area of improvement is the battle of my own personal "bulge" (ok, different war and era). In some ways it makes about as much sense killing each other in the Civil War as it does to eat cupcakes and then go out and exercise. As in war, however, few wars are won in a single battle. No one tactic tends to be the only way to victory. To the winner of the war goes the spoils as they say. In my case and others out there trying to get and stay in shape including weight loss, the spoils include many things. Things like personal pride. Things like better long term health. As a nation, things like lower health care cost that impacts us all.

Fight the battles as our cause is worth the pain and occasional suffering we think we are going through. It really isn't that big a sacrifice given the freedom from guilt and disease we hope to gain going forward.

Freedom has a price - Who pays?

We are truly a blessed country. Everyday we awake to something many take for granted -- freedom. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to be whatever we want to be -- even to be overweight. But just like all other freedoms, the right to be overweight has a cost and often these costs are borne by others in society.

I never thought about how my lifestyle impacted others until I received my company's summary of what was paid out in for employees' health insurance claims in 2010. I was shocked! Weight and lifestyle choices were a large amount of the total claims. Although I am blessed with very good health, the statistics were very sobering to me the statistics junkie.

For years my company has been encouraging employees to become more conscious about our health. The company has created great educational programs to tell us what we should do and how we could make lifestyle changes to become healthier. Looking at the company's statistics, I see that am not alone in my struggle with weight.

Today as our country celebrates a decision made 235 years ago to become free, I am appreciative of our freedoms. Freedom has a price but it's cheaper to pay today through diet and exercise than to let others or my health pay the price tomorrow.

Nancy Johnson

Happy 4th of July!

Half a Year Down

July is here. Its been six months since new years. How is your weight/exercise goals looking now? Mine are disappointing. I've been at 24 pound weight loss give or take a pound for way too long now. I know why. I've not been steadfast in my calorie log. That lack of focus goes hand in hand with my eating too much lately. My exercise pretty much has been stable and I am indeed fitter than I was. The walking, biking, push ups and weights have helped my heart rate go down, my blood pressure go down and my strength/breathing much much stronger.

But I'm still fat. Long way to go and urgent time frames now to succeed at my goal by the end of the year.

The broke toe routine is mostly ok now so no excuses to not get back to jogging during my walks.

When you falter in your quest, do you give up? No. Don't do that. Get mad at yourself. Growl and flex your muscles and grunt out some new resolve.

I owe it to myself most of all to get going seriously for the rest of my life let alone the rest of the year.

During July I"m on the road a lot. I intend to scope out how to eat on the road and not "blow it" in your basic interstate stops and gas station type stores.

More on that next week as I blog from our nations Capitol.