Sharing another article.
Did Michelle Obama Send the Wrong Message With Obesity Comments?
The article is very long, so I won't copy paste it like I normally would.
I think what she said was very well put - and that she went about this the right way, made it clear that changing little things makes a big difference for a child and that it *wasn't* about criticizing her children for their weight. It was relatable, and tactful.
None the less, I see the critic's points in saying that it's directing attention towards their weight, during critical points in their development. In front of the whole world, no less.
I think this article will strike a cord with a few of you.
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I don't know if I agree with the critics. I mean, had she said no 8 year old should weigh more than 80lbs and when Malia was getting close to that # we put her on a restrictive diet - then I could agree with the critics, but she simply stated a way to to realize that maybe your everyday habits aren't as healthy as you think is if you notice a significant change in a child's BMI, which could indicate fat gained, not simply 'normal growth' weight gained. I realize the BMI is an imperfect ratio, but it does have an extremely wide range and if you know where your child falls on it initially with a healthy weight, ideally they should stay in that range, right? Not to mention, if you review your habits, with eating and exercise, and determine they are healthy and optimum, then you can ignore the BMI ration, knowing that you are already doing everything for your child's health.
ReplyDeleteI guess I get frustrated with the cause because people can't handle it, they hear 'diet' and immediately think horrible things. A habitual eating pattern is a diet, for any person, healthy or unhealthy - our intake is our diet, people need to stop hearing the word diet and immediately thinking it means restriction or weightloss.
I guess I agree that weight shouldn't be the main issue, but I don't think the Obama's meant to make weight the issue.