Fined for being too fat

maleficent said:
there are some countries that are far more - and i'm not sure proactive is the right word - about people's weights - there's at least one member here who was put into a weight loss program in their school - while it's a good thing that the schools are taking an interest in student's health - what it reads to me as that overweight kids are being singled out and put into special programs because they are overweight...

that seems like it would be damaging to a student during the years where a lot of their self worth develops.
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I also heard that some states were trying to send home "physical evaluations" from school to the parents regarding children's weight and fitness level, which I believed would be very negative for a child's self-esteem too.
 
maleficent said:
now that's OK... because it's going from school to parent and you're not making the kid sit in a special classroom....
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I would agree with you except that these "evaluations" teachers or whom ever are making are never in private, and because it leaves too much room for comparison with other students.

I would be humiliated if I had to be weighed infront of a class.
 
I think this is a good idea...kinda! The waist measurements are reasonable and do allow for women to carry a little extra baby fat. The measurements do not require anyone to be scary thin - they allow for quite an ample frame really! The only people who will 'suffer' are those who put an unneccesary strain on public health resources - smokers are fined through enormous rates of tax on any tobacco products, this isnt that different.

It can only be a good thing that they are imposing these fines, in the future it will be a good preventative measure, while in the short term it will get people to be thinner and HEALTHIER. There are many problems that come along with being very overweight (and most of us here know them all well!) so i would rather have fines for big waists for any kids i might have, than have them be overweight and have the same issues i do.

People have managed to get fat by not really caring/knowing about the consequences of their health....maybe thinking abt the consequences for their wallet will do the trick (everyone would feel that and it's impact is immediate)??! I know the nice approach didnt work for me and i would prob have responded to someone threatening to fine and shame me into losing weight! Hell, i felt ashamed enough when i was at my highest weight and i knew the only way to feel better was to get fitter and leaner :D

I hope they do this in the UK, cos i hate that I am now classed as a burden because of the harm i have done to myself. Would be a bit of extra motivation!
 
maleficent said:
oh the shame of it all..

why are women allowed to have bigger waists then men are? that seems wrong...


I thought it was the waist to hip ratio that was the indicator of potential issues... a person could be 4'9 and fall under the max for waist size but still be chubby.. crap I'm 5'9 and have 33" waist -I make it under the limit and I'm fat...
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I'm 4'9" and obese, and I would still make it under their limit with no problems. I personally think the idea of the government sticking their nose that far into your business is scary.
 
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LowFatMilk said:
I also heard that some states were trying to send home "physical evaluations" from school to the parents regarding children's weight and fitness level, which I believed would be very negative for a child's self-esteem too.
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On the other hand, my morbidly obese cousin would probably not have had to have 5 surgeries on her back by the time she 25 years old if someone at her school had informed her parents that she was so obese that they couldn't even properly do a scoliosis test. She was simply "passed" every year until her recurring pneumonia finally clued the doctors in on the fact that her lungs were doubled over because of the curve in her spine. The school nurse was too "polite" to inform her parents of the situation.

There is being concerned for someone's privacy and then there is being too paranoid you are going to upset someone. Kids shouldn't be singled out for being fat, but the issue also should not be ignored. You hope parents would see the problem themselves, but sometimes it takes an outsider to make you see what is actually going on.

And I had fitness tests every 3 months at my elementary school. I thought they all had it? And that was 20 years ago. When did they do away with those? We had weigh ins, timed miles, number of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups etc. My mom still has a bunch of mine.
 
madness said:
There is being concerned for someone's privacy and then there is being too paranoid you are going to upset someone. Kids shouldn't be singled out for being fat, but the issue also should not be ignored. You hope parents would see the problem themselves, but sometimes it takes an outsider to make you see what is actually going on.
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On the other, other hand... kids are certainly going to single each other out. As someone who was recently a jr. high teacher, kids can be flat-out mean about weight - and anything else that sets them apart (new hair, big boobs, small boobs, ugly shoes, you name it). After watching those same kids subtly get picked on every day - just out of earshot - I would think that a meeting with the parents would be preferable to constant teasing, but that's just my perspective (of course, I also had plenty of academic-related meetings with parents where they refused to accept the information teachers tried to give them to help their kids, but that's another story).

madness said:
And I had fitness tests every 3 months at my elementary school. I thought they all had it? And that was 20 years ago. When did they do away with those? We had weigh ins, timed miles, number of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups etc. My mom still has a bunch of mine.
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We used to have these, too, and they still do them twice a year (at least they did at our middle school). It was amazing how many kids couldn't meet the state's requirements to "pass" the test by the time they reached 6th grade.
 
And I had fitness tests every 3 months at my elementary school. I thought they all had it? And that was 20 years ago. When did they do away with those? We had weigh ins, timed miles, number of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups etc. My mom still has a bunch of mine.
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Ah the presidents physical phitness challenge... I've been out of high school 25 years and still have nightmares about it - I lettered in 3 varsity sports in high school ( i was no couch potato)... and couldn't pass the test... I've made it my personal challenge as an adult to be able to do those tests...
 
LandonsBaby said:
I'm 4'9" and obese, and I would still make it under their limit with no problems. I personally think the idea of the government sticking their nose that far into your business is scary.
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Definitely agree. What about someone who is 6 feet tall? (I know Asian people are generally smaller but I'm sure there are a few of them) Or someone who has drastic health problems? Or just someone who is very old ?

It takes different strokes to move the world. Not everyone can, or would want to look like Barbie and Ken.

-N-
 
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