Obese children to face classroom weigh-ins

[tufta]

///Obese German children 'should face' classroom weigh-ins


Germany's main school teaching body has called for classroom weigh-ins and the enforced removal of ultra-overweight pupils to combat rising obesity in society.


By Allan Hall in Berlin, 27 Dec 2010

Josef Kraus, the DL teaching federation president, said: "When parents don't make sure their children eat healthily and get enough exercise, then it can be the beginning of child abuse in extreme cases." He said school doctors should take a more active role and conduct regular consultations and weight measurements of students. The should also report problem cases to authorities.

"When parental notices about overweight children are thrown to the wind, then youth services must be contacted and as a last resort there should be cuts to their parental benefits or welfare," Mr Kraus said.

His remarks follow the release of official figures which showed that 51 per cent of Germans are considered overweight. Sixty per cent of men and 43 per cent of women have a Body Mass Index (BMI) – a measure calculated by body weight and height – of more than 25, up from 56 per cent and 40 per cent respectively in 1999.

Some 16 per cent of men and 14 per cent of women are classified as obese with a BMI of more than 30. "Doctors should conduct regular, thorough weight measurements and warn of the grave health risks that come with obesity," said Karl Lauterbach, a Social Democratic MP and party speaker on health issues. ///

[uncltim]

I thought everyone in W.Europe was thin, fit, and uber smart... At least thats what they tell us. Schadenfreude anyone?

[jeanne]

Dec 28, 2010 23:03:57 GMT 1 uncltim said:

I thought everyone in W.Europe was thin, fit, and uber smart...

...you're right, Tim...what happened to obesity being an AMERICAN problem? Hmmmm........

[tufta]

The obesity becomes a problem in Poland as well. I read we are the EU society which is the fastest in the growing number of obese people. However what I find much more alarming is the humilating ways of fighting the obesity described in the article.

The truth is that my first impression why visiting USA was always that there are lots of obese people, much more than I saw anywhere in Europe.

[uncltim]

Tufta, I can agree that there are a large number of obese people in the US. I think if you take the time to break it down by race and even gender you will find that the Germans have their peers in the US beat.

I can't read the story without a slight chuckle about the madness of the state. I mean, If you try to reduce the weight of your child and they go to school and claim they are starving or you won't feed them, you are in trouble. If you avoid this by letting them eat as they wish, you are in trouble. Good luck!

I don't really have any solution for this.

[Bonobo]

In winter my BMI is 24.8, close to overweight.

In summer it is 23.7.

What about you?

[jeanne]

Dec 30, 2010 13:46:02 GMT 1 Bonobo said:

In winter my BMI is 24.8, close to overweight.

In summer it is 23.7.

What about you?

Mine remains consistent throughout the year.

It seems to me we had this discussion a couple of years ago...I remember because even though my age exceeds yours, I beat both you and livia in healthy BMI ( no bragging here...well, maybe a little...but more consoling of myself in my higher age bracket). Maybe if you post the link to figure out BMI, we could do a little poll and see how things are going with everyone? I always forget how to figure it out.

[jeanne]

Dec 29, 2010 10:47:26 GMT 1 tufta said:

The truth is that my first impression why visiting USA was always that there are lots of obese people, much more than I saw anywhere in Europe.

A few years back one of my daughters had a boyfriend from Poland who was attending college here in the U.S. When he told his friends back home that he had an American girlfriend, their first question was, "Is she fat?" That says a lot about their impression of Americans!

[uncltim]

My BMI is 29! I'm a fat-fatty!

calculate-bmi.com/bmi-calculator.html

My nephew and his wife have bmis'of 27 and 24 respectively. They run 25-40 miles per week.

Bmi is a statistical tool only in the most gross sense. The only accurate way to measure fat content is a mass/water displacement test.

[jeanne]

Thanks for the link, Tim. I calculated and got a BMI of 20.

[Bonobo]

Jan 2, 2011 16:27:35 GMT 1 uncltim said:

They run 25-40 miles per week.

I stay so slim because I drive 40 miles or more. Per day.

[uncltim]

Thats a lot of driving.

Some news for you, when you turn 40 years old you will not be so smug about your slim physique. Looking at an apple will put weight on you I like to think that I'm not really overweight, I'm just incredibly calorically efficient.

[Bonobo]

Jan 4, 2011 20:04:11 GMT 1 uncltim said:

Thats a lot of driving.

Some news for you, when you turn 40 years old you will not be so smug about your slim physique. Looking at an apple will put weight on you I like to think that I'm not really overweight, I'm just incredibly calorically efficient.

I am 42. But keep it secret.

Yes, what a paradox. For half my life I worried about being too skinny. I went to the gym etc.

Now I worry about being too fat. I go to the gym etc....

I think when people have nothing to worry about, they are unhappy. I think it was already said in Matrix - perfect programmes providing full happinnes were a failure.

[uncltim]

Maybe Germany has too many Chinese resturants.

[tufta]

Epic eggroll does look good!

[tufta]

BTW. I'm at 24 BMI!

[uncltim]

The problem with the BMI index is that it doesn't discern between muscle and fat. A bodybuilder who might be at 4-8% body fat would still show up on the index as obese. Its a vvery crude measurement that makes too many assumptions IMO.

[tufta]

Exactly! Crude measurement.

[Bonobo]

Jan 10, 2011 12:53:41 GMT 1 tufta said:

Exactly! Crude measurement.

Guys, do you have to be such perfectionists?

Jan 7, 2011 13:24:01 GMT 1 tufta said:

BTW. I'm at 24 BMI!

Wow! That`s a surprise.
I imagined you a little fatter. Now the picture of you has been shattered.

[uncltim]

I've always imagined you both as "wafer-thin" with chiseled facial features. Oh well.

[tufta]

Jan 12, 2011 4:23:30 GMT 1 uncltim said:

I've always imagined you both as "wafer-thin" with chiseled facial features. Oh well.

correct! ;D ;D ;D

That is I:

[jeanne]

Jan 12, 2011 9:04:06 GMT 1 tufta said:

Jan 12, 2011 4:23:30 GMT 1 uncltim said:

I've always imagined you both as "wafer-thin" with chiseled facial features. Oh well.

correct! ;D ;D ;D

That is I:

....Tufta....I never imagined such!!!! ;D ;D ;D

[uncltim]

Another example of the BMI not representing reality!

[Bonobo]

Poles to become as fat as Brits?
26.01.2011 09:08
Unless Poles change their eating habits and take up exercise they may become as fat as Americans or the British in just a decade, say dieticians.

In the last thirsty years obesity among young Poles has grown tenfold.

According to EU statistics, in ten to fifteen years as many as 60 percent of British society may be medically defined as “obese”.

“Although the obesity rate in Poland is relatively low, it is growing very quickly,” says Prof. Miroslaw Jarosz from the National Food and Nutrition Institute quoting WHO statistics.

“While in the US obesity among young people increased threefold in the last thirty years, in Poland it went up tenfold,” he told the PAP news agency.

“Poles should adopt a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fresh vegetables, fish, olive oil and herbs, avoid eating sweets and reduce the amount of meat,” says Aleksandra Cichocka, a dietician.

[uncltim]

Thought I would update this thread that my former BMI was 32 and is now 24.5. I found that not drinking soda was good for a 15 lb. reduction. My body weight was 235lbs and is now 180lbs. I have always been very physically active and over the course of a year the mass decreased very easily. Unfortunately, my wife is unhappy because she is still overweight and has little discipline.

Even though I drank 0 calorie drinks, I tend to believe that there is some other metabolic influence (or causation) tied to soda. Either way, I don't drink the stuff anymore. I still enjoy local craft beers though..

[tufta]

Congratulations Tim! Your BMI is lower than mine now. Slightly. Just slightly, though

Incidentally:
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/20/coca-cola-new-zealanders-death?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038

[jeanne]

Apr 19, 2012 15:01:45 GMT 1 uncltim said:

Thought I would update this thread that my former BMI was 32 and is now 24.5. I found that not drinking soda was good for a 15 lb. reduction. My body weight was 235lbs and is now 180lbs. I have always been very physically active and over the course of a year the mass decreased very easily. Unfortunately, my wife is unhappy because she is still overweight and has little discipline.

Even though I drank 0 calorie drinks, I tend to believe that there is some other metabolic influence (or causation) tied to soda. Either way, I don't drink the stuff anymore. I still enjoy local craft beers though..

Tim,
That is fantastic that you "took charge" of your life and cut out the soda! Good job!

My daughter, who is a natural food advocate, has convinced me that we should only be putting things in our bodies that come directly from nature...as provided by God...to be healthy. That includes items made up from natural ingredients (like baked goods, for example), but I'm pretty sure soda contains a lot of other stuff. Our bodies do not know what to do with manufactured or altered ingredients and react in adverse ways, such as storing fat and coating our arteries with "gunk"!