Parents Arrested Over Obese 11-Year-Old Son

a reply to: TiredofControlFreaks
Nope, didn't brag, I quoted my own height/weight to explain why I thought the lad must have been fat as # at 15 stone aged 11. Why don't you have a cup of tea and take the emotion out of your posts, then stop providing contrived added value to my comments.

Your points are many so I shall just say this:
The parents control the energy they provide to their son.
The parents witnessed a child growing into something massive and did not reduce consumption which they have control over.
The parents are at fault, and it is a good thing that child protection and police listened to the concerns of a medical doctor.

Stop the drama as well, they were released without charge so maybe it was just a warning shot in the hope that these crap parents start caring more for their child.

a reply to: grainofsand

I had a pretty long response written up for your posts, but I decided to take a much simpler route.

You have a few good points, but are completely missing an entire other side to this issue. Genes.

You can dismiss that all you want, but genes play a big role in our body structure, metabolism and many other factors...and you're also not addressing parental rights vs. government duty.

Your take on this issue is a bit short-sighted and, frankly, rude.

a reply to: trollz

Oh look, we have a genetics researcher here. Tell me, where did you do your residency?

This may be hard to swallow, but a medication your doctor prescribed could be to blame. Certain prescription drugs used to treat mood disorders, seizures, migraines, diabetes, and even high blood pressure can cause weight gain - sometimes 10 pounds a month. Some steroids, hormone replacement therapy, and oral contraceptives can also cause unwanted pounds to creep up on you.

The amount of drugs that cause weight gain are unknown. I would say at least 100. And most of the time, the doctors won't tell you.

www.medicinenet.com...


In the US, our meat is so pumped full of hormones and steroids to make animals grow twice as large, twice as fast.

You know how many gallons they get out of a cow? 40. In nature, it is 15. Cows udders grow so big that some can't walk.

they put so much of this in our meat that other countries will not import it. Some of these countries have even banned the additives that we eat on a daily basis.

Do you really think that we can consume these chemicals every. single.day, and not have huge repercussions on our body systems?

Americans also exercise more than any other country.

a reply to: sheepslayer247

Its so easy to blaime genes, the genes didn´t make people fat in 40´s and 50´s or before that, as they seem to do todays people.. where did these genes came from ? or is obesity just a result of lack of exercise and poor nutrition choices ?

originally posted by: sheepslayer247
a reply to: grainofsand

I had a pretty long response written up for your posts, but I decided to take a much simpler route.

You have a few good points, but are completely missing an entire other side to this issue. Genes.

You can dismiss that all you want, but genes play a big role in our body structure, metabolism and many other factors...including parental rights vs. government duty.

Your take on this issue is a bit short-sighted and, frankly, rude.

The 'genes' defence just implies that such a 'victim' needs less energy for their body to run than others.
As I said, I am a bit jealous as I'd save thousands of £GBP's every year if I was fortunate to have such a genetic make up.

...how are my factual and honest comments rude? You going down the emotional route as well?
I'm just sticking to basic, and frankly obvious understandings that if one consumes more energy than one uses then the body will store the excess for times when one consumes less than they use.

a reply to: Lady_Tuatha

This is an atrocity.

Governments began perpatuating "The Food Pyramid" about the same time we see obesity increasing in the west. They legislate that The Food Pyramid is taught as the perfect diet. And when people follow it...it makes them fat.

This is like The War On Drugs in America. They cause the problem that they then prosecute you for. Tyrannical monsters.

a reply to: dollukka
Totally agree.
Even when the 'victims' blame trans fats/corn syrup/processed food/blah, if they use more energy than they consume each day they will draw from the reserves in their body.
Fat adults choose the amount of energy they consume.
Fat kids are provided an amount of energy each day which is chosen by their parents.

originally posted by: dollukka
a reply to: sheepslayer247

Its so easy to blaime genes, the genes didn´t make people fat in 40´s and 50´s or before that, as they seem to do todays people.. where did these genes came from ? or is obesity just a result of lack of exercise and poor nutrition choices ?

It isn't genetic. Not really. I mean, some people process carbohydrates better than others. And that can be partially genetic, and partially due to your body's abdominal flora.

The problem is having people who are not as good at processing starch without getting fat eat a starch heavy diet. And the problem is in the entire world of health being geared around controlling cholesterol by reducing fat intake, not carb intake. It is a poor model for health for a large portion of humanity.

Some folks don't do well with milk and are lactose intolerant. Some folks with Ciliac disease cannot process wheat proteins. There are starch/carb sensitive people out there, too. Its just not really recognized. And it is the silver bullet to the obesity epidemic.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Im not sure what is US food pyramid alike, this is what is recommened in here


I believe that big food companies agenda comes first in US( lobbyists etc do a great job for their money ) bad choices what they eat, results low self esteem which leads to depression from this benefits big pharmas. Kinda sad really.

a reply to: dollukka

The American population has changed since the 50's. Average height and weight is higher and the american food chain is completely different.

We are getting bigger.

I am 6'3 an weigh about 270 (former wrestler and football player). My wife is 5'10. Is it just a coincidence that my 15 yr old is 6 foot and weighs 215, or that my 9 year old is 5 foot and weighs 160-170? They are both stocky, thick boys. Was that just a toss of the dice that caused them to grow so fast and big...or did genes have something to do with it?

Side note: My 15 yr old plays football, rugby and lifts. My 9 yr old goes with me to the gym almost daily to swim and he spend most of his time riding his bike. We also have him on a very strict diet...yet hes growing like a damn beast.

If my youngest keeps growing, will I have to worry about the government coming to take my kids? Will you support them in doing that?

While I don't think arresting the parents is really the way to go, It certainly wasn't just a random thing... They didn't spot a fat kid in the street and then go in all guns blazing, this is the UK after all.
From what I heard earlier the Doctors at a hospital were working with the parents to get this boys weight down, he's three times the weight he should be, but the kid just didn't lose weight and the docs I guess got social services involved.

I watched something earlier and someone made a good point about this arrest.
If this child was being starved and was three times as underweight as he should be, would people think differently?
I think they would.

This seems to me a like shock tactic and a kick up the ass the parents need, It's not some plan to arrest parents of every slightly overweight child in the UK.

I don't condone it but I can understand why perhaps it was done.

a reply to: sheepslayer247

There were a study in UK about obesity in children, these kids do grow rapidly and they are taller than others in their classes due the all extra energy they have. .. its not normal.
Im not sure if you have netflix but if you do, watch generation XXL where they talk about this during the documentary.

a reply to: dollukka

I believe that ours today is similar.

The one that our nations dietary habits were founded on, and which persist today (with people even not being aware of any changes, really, since they were children) has breads/grains on the bottom. and equal amounts of fruits and veggies (like they were interchangable, almost).

a reply to: grainofsand

This is not about being a victim. This is about people taking the time to understand the personal struggles that overweight people may have to overcome and that it's not just a simple as watching what you eat and exercising.

It's much more complex than that. They/we don't want your pity. We want you to simply understand. That's all.

And I do find it rude that you say things like: that kid must have been fat as #.

I normally do not get very emotional or worked up on any issue, but this one really gets me going. You don't know how hard some people work to keep their weight under control, yet people on the outside just keep saying, "eat a salad and go for a walk fatty".

OHMYGOSH!!! THEY'RE GONNA TAKE OUR KIDS!!!!!!

...we all know the difference between really fat, and just a few kilos extra.
Take the drama away folks, this is a 15 stone 11 year old we're talking about, referred to child protection by a medical doctor. Is the doctor now part of the 'child stealing' conspiracy or was he/she just concerned for the health of a child under the care of it's parents?

The Doc did the right thing in my opinion and an arrest with a 'no further action' release could be the message these crap parents need, as well as support from the child protection team.
I have a personal friend who is a long time qualified social worker in child protection, there are many tactics in this multi-agency work, and many crap parents who require solutions which public funds cannot always provide.
Arrest and release with 'no further action' is a wake up call for the parents, by the 'authorities', no formally recorded caution, no damage on their record when applying for work...hope they start regulating the energy intake of their child now.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Found it from Washington Post


The old one beside the new one. You seem to still have a lot milk products in it... lactose is also sugar. Well Ice Cream every now and then doesn´t hurt

originally posted by: sheepslayer247
It's much more complex than that. They/we don't want your pity. We want you to simply understand.

Nope, it's simple, consume less energy than you use and your body will draw on existing stored resources.
It is a choice every time an adult consumes more energy than they use, and it is a choice every time an adult chooses to provide a child with more energy than they use.

Old Thread of mine
Junk Food, Obesity and Fat profits

How about instead of a "Right to Breed" we start issuing permits for breeding?

Here are some simple guidelines for that plan (were I King).

1. Fiscal requirements: No kids for you if you can not afford them at the time of application. On welfare? No Kids!
2. Psychological guidelines: Should be a simple test to determine ones ability to be a good parent.
3. Criminal Record: Any violent felonies and poof, no kids for you!

This all may sound harsh but it is better to stop people from having kids than it is to take them away. No child should be taken unwillingly from their parents.

a reply to: dollukka
Old thread of mine...
Excellent business and PR move by Tesco for crap parent customers