Childhood Obesity

Years ago, when I was in grade school, there was this one kid in our school who was (to put it bluntly), known as the "fat kid" in school. I can remember my mother admonishing me not to be a part of those who would tease him. She reminded me that in every school there's a "fat kid" and that life is hard enough for them without the childhood bullies making it worse. The reason that memory comes to mind is that a few weeks ago I did a favor for a friend, and picked up their child from school to bring them to family gathering. I couldn't remember exactly what time their class was dismissed, so I sat in the lot in front of the main school building and waited for Bryan - a fifth grader whose parents we'd known for several years. The third child I saw emerge from the building was exceptionally chubby and round... enough so that it slowed his gait and transformed it to a slight waddle. Immediately my mind went to that talk with my mother so many years ago, and I felt a pang of sorrow for this boy - the school's "fat kid". My reverie was totally blown away a few minutes later when a larger group exited from the front door. Several in the group were nearly just as large. And over the next ten minutes or so, as I waited for Bryan, I found I was sitting there with my mouth agape at the fact that "the fat kid" didn't stand out at all. There were lots and lots of fat kids. I got out a pen and paper and scrawled my thoughts down... it was the beginning of this article. When had childhood obesity risen to these levels?? With a little research, I discovered that up to 1 in 5 American children, and half of all adults, considered overweight or obese, and that fat now rivals smoking as the nation's top health scourge. In fact, in the last twenty years, the proportion of overweight children has jumped 50% (the same period of time sugar and refined starch consumption went up by nearly the same percentage.) Eating too much has traditionally received the blame for weight problems. But the dietary surveys from the Health Statistics analysis suggest that how much children are eating may not be the problem: The dietary surveys showed that calorie intakes among most age groups did not increase compared to intakes 10 and 20 years ago. (Many of the articles I found about fighting childhood obesity acknowledged this fact, and then went on to explain how to reduce your child's calories and fat intake.) I found countless groups that have joined together to fight it, lobby congress, and go to school officials. Their fight however is always waged with the same weapon... take the fat away from kids' diets. They all recommend adhering to the food pyramid and giving the children more grains and starches and less fats (or as they always describe them, greasy, fatty, artery clogging foods.) As long as they see dietary fat as the enemy and keep pushing the carbs, our children will NOT be getting slimmer. Each campaign to fight childhood obesity that I read about center on one primary thing - exercise. Get the kids out to play and away from the TV, Video Games and Computers. My reasoning as to why kids run and play far less than they used to? They simply don't have the energy. Whether their day's diet has consisted of usual kid-fare (Little Debbie cakes, pizza, Lunchables, Coke, or a Snickers bar), or of their "healthy alternative" (pasta, cereals, potatoes, rice, etc), these kids are groggy, listless, and even downright sleepy from the constant onslaught of carbohydrate rich foods. Far easier to sit zombie-like in front of a television set. They want the kids to join the local swim team... Excuse me? Understand that if chubby little Billy joined a swim team, what would happen when all the other kids showed up in their little Speedos? Consequently, many of these children will be spending their entire childhoods "on a diet". Feeling deprived, beating up their carbohydrate metabolism so later in life even small amounts of starchy or sugary foods will pack on the pounds, and playing hell with their self esteem. What if we lowered the carbs these kids take in? It's unlikely most kids would need a truly LOW carb diet to lose weight and feel good. They could have a diet rich in protein packed meats, nutrient dense vegetables, fruits, and WHOLE grains. Kids don't need sugar. They don't need bleached white flours or the pastas or breads that come of them. What if kids were fed TRULY healthy diets? Diets that allowed them to bound with energy, rather than leaving them as drugged zombies that can't remember wanting to run and play. Make no mistake about it... this is an epidemic that has slipped up on us. At least 70 percent of overweight children will be overweight adults, putting them at greater risk for a variety of diseases. Why are we setting our children up to follow a worse path than we did? Path of least resistance? That's certainly part of it. Give them the ice cream cone they are screaming about and they'll be quiet. A rather horrendous ad from Quaker Oats Company proclaims, "Chewy Stops the Chatter", showing that giving them this horrible sugar laden bar will make your children be quiet and stop infringing on your life and your day. What the hell are they saying? Drug them? For this stupefying atrocious advertising campaign, Quaker received a gold "EFFIE" Award for proven effectiveness in advertising. I don't know which is worse- what their slogan MEANS, or that it has proven effective! A number of years ago the USDA adapted its Food Guide Pyramid for children ages two to six - a diet high in starches, and fruit juices. Ketchup, which was allowed to count as a vegetable in school lunch menus, contains 1 teaspoon of sugar per tablespoon, making it a candy in my opinion. And the obesity rates for kids keeps rising. It's tough enough in our world without being rejected for being overweight. Just My Two Cents,

Hi there,

I’ve been reading the message board and you’ve made it perfectly clear
that you wanted me to share with you, so here’s a long one...(smile). Now
you know we need to keep our jobs so if this is too long, then read it
when you get time and send it to some friends. Okay, here goes.

Every time I have a movie come out I do a press conference, and with MADEA
GOES TO JAIL it was no different. I’m always asked a lot of questions.
They're usually the same questions, but this time I was asked something a
little different. I was asked how did I get to be homeless. I told the
story but this part got left out of the article. When I talk about God
people don’t like to print that for some reason. Anyway, I ended up
homeless following what I believe to be the voice of God. I know that may
sound crazy, but hear me out. Here’s what happened.

I wrote my first play at 22. After I wrote it I prayed and asked God to
bless it and lead me in the right direction. No sooner than I said that, I
was in Atlanta visiting for Freaknick...(LOL). On this visit I realized
that there was a small theater called the 14th Street Playhouse that I
could afford to rent and perform my play in. So feeling led, I moved to
Atlanta, got a job and went to work on saving money to do my show. I just
knew this would work. Anyway, there were 200 seats. I thought I would do 6
shows and 1,200 people would come and I would be set. There was one
problem. I needed time off from my job to do it. I asked my boss and he
said no. I went to my desk and prayed. I said, "God, if this is for me to
do then lead me." I clearly heard the voice say, "Quit, it will be all
right." So I did. I did the play and instead of 1,200 people showing up
only 30 came over the entire weekend. I said, "Okay God, where are You?" I
couldn’t hear a word. Now mind you, I could always hear from God. You
remember my parakeet story?

Anyway, of course I was broken-hearted, but I picked myself up and went
and got another job. I got a phone call a few months later. Someone who
had seen the show wanted to invest in another show. So I was faced with
the same decision again. I had just gotten a job and they wouldn’t give me
the time off, so I had to quit to go and do the play. Same thing. I went
to my desk and prayed and heard that same voice saying quit. So I did.

Now from 1992 until 1997 this happened over and over again. I was only
doing one show a year, and every time the show failed. So, I would go get
another job. But there was always someone new who wanted to invest. I got
another opportunity to do a show, but I knew I would have to quit my "GOOD
JOB" as my mother would say. I was making $350 a week. Anyway, I went to
the boss and asked for time off so I could do the play. He said no. So I
went back to my desk and prayed. I said, "God, what should I do?" I
clearly heard the voice say quit. So I did.

I went out and did that show. I think it was in Spartanburg, South
Carolina. Anyway, I rehearsed, loaded the U-Haul truck and drove down
there. There was a little rain as I was going there. When I got there I
found out that a hurricane was coming through. Nobody showed up. I was
devastated! As I was driving the truck home through the rain, I was going
as fast as I could. I was so hurt and angry. I prayed and prayed and said,
"God, You told me to do this. Where are You?" I didn’t hear a word. It’s
scary when you can’t hear from God. Anyway, I got home and there was the
eviction notice. I went out looking for a job and found one, but by the
time I got my first check it was too late. I came home from work to find
all of my things out in front of the apartment building. I didn’t care
about the stuff. Let me take that back. My stereo, that I had bought from
one of those rent-to-own companies (where you pay five times more than
it’s worth), was ruined. I was mad about that...(LOL). Anyway, the thing
that hurt me the most was that I had so many scripts and songs and things
that were ruined from the rain. I sat there getting what I could together.
I put them in my car (that was up for repossession) and drove around all
night. Finally, I slept in the car. When I got my next check I started
staying at this pay-by-the-week hotel. There were drug addicts,
prostitutes, and any criminal element you could imagine there. During this
time, I was still praying and I still hadn't heard from God.

I called home for a family member to send me some money and I was told
that I should give up this dream and that I was never going to make it. I
was told to stop doing this play bull$#@t. I think that was one of my
lowest days. I cried like a baby because this was someone that I truly
loved. 

I was working at UPS. Now I was up to about $400 a week, but I couldn’t
seem to get ahead enough to get my first and last month's rent. This kind
woman (who I have been looking for for years) named VIRGINIA HARDIMAN, in
Atlanta, loaned me the money. She told me to hold on and that God would
see me through. I didn’t want to hear that. I felt like He was the reason
I was in that situation.

Anyway, I got an apartment. The one I showed you the picture of. And was
so happy to have a roof over my head. My thought was, "God, even though I
can't hear from You, thank You! Thank You for this place!" I was grateful.
Before I knew it 2 years had passed by and I was getting comfortable in my
place. It had become safe. I stopped dreaming. I was taking the advice of
the family member. I had settled in and didn’t want to dream anymore. It
hurt too much. I was 28 at the time (you have to be careful when you get
comfortable in a place that’s not your home).

Anyway, life was okay, but I was so unhappy. By then I had moved on to
another "good job" and I walked into that place everyday miserable. I knew
there was something more for me. I had gotten so depressed. All I would do
was work, come home, eat and sleep. Thank God I have never done any drugs
because I know I would have been strung out. You also have to be careful
when you’re not happy or you will find yourself in some situations that
you never thought you could be in. And I did. I started drinking pretty
heavily back then. Saturday night I would drink, but Sunday morning I was
at church still trying to hear from God. I had given up. Some kind of way
the rent got behind again. When I think about it, the rent was $425 and I
was only making about $1,200 a month. I had a car and gas and food to buy,
so I guess it was easy to get behind.

Around this time I got a call from someone else who wanted to invest, and
she said we had an opportunity to do the show at the House of Blues in
Atlanta. I said no. I SAID NO! Oh God when I think about this I get a
chill. They had to beg me to do the show! It hurt too much to have that
dream be revived in me and not make it. I just couldn’t do it. I said no.
With a lot of coaxing I finally gave in. Can you imagine if I wouldn’t
have?

Anyway, the night of the play I remember sitting in the dressing room
getting ready for the show. I was playing old man 'Joe' at the time. I sat
there complaining and talking to God saying, "You always get me out here
and You leave me, and I’m 28. This is it! I’m not doing this anymore!" Can
you imagine me talking to God like that? That’s crazy! But I was so mad at
Him then. So, I was saying what I wanted to say and in the middle of my
rant I heard Him. IIIII HHEEAARRD HIIIMMM!!!!! Somebody knows what I’m
talking about! He said to me, "I AM GOD. YOU DON'T TELL ME WHEN IT’S OVER.
I TELL YOU WHEN IT'S OVER, AND THIS IS THE BEGINNING." I sat there crying
like a baby. Then He said, "Get up and look out of the window." I got up
and looked out and there was a line around the corner trying to get into
the place! I still get a chill when I think about it. If I had given up on
dreaming... If I had not tried one more time... I wouldn’t be here in this
place. I wouldn’t have seen all that I’m seeing now. For that matter you
wouldn't be reading this email.

So, sometimes following God will lead you into places that you don’t want
to go. It’s uncomfortable. It’s scary. It hurts. But if you can just hold
on you will see there is another side to it. What you're going through is
not in vain. Hold on! Keep the faith! And learn to be thankful for
whatever situation you may be in. It’s not over until God says it’s over.
And this is just your beginning. TRY AGAIN!!

There is so much more to this story, but I know you have other things to
do. I’m writing all of this in my book so you’ll be able to get the full
story one day. I just wanted to share a little bit with you. Please share
it with someone, okay?

Be strong and stay well. AND TRY AGAIN, AND THEN AGAIN, AND THEN AGAIN!

Tyler P.

I just wanted to share this blog from Mr Tyler Perry message board. I thought it was powerful....


Velda