Weighing In On Obesity
by Chris Byrne

Hate to say, "We told you so," but we've been writing and talking about the issue of childhood and cultural obesity for the past two years. It's a serious problem, and we're glad that the nation may be starting to pay attention.

Over the past couple of years, we've talked to many medical professionals and physical fitness experts about this and what can be done, and we've heard a lot of stuff, mostly driven by marketing. One doctor on a talk show actually promoted: "Taking this daily supplement of an extract of white beans blocks carbs and lets you eat pancakes, bread and bagels without gaining an ounce." Ironically, when the cameras were off, I asked the doctor about this point blank, and he confirmed what all the other professionals had told me: Weight loss is a simple matter of calories in and calories out. In order to lose weight, humans need to expend more calories than they take in.

It is neither the responsibility of the fast food restaurants, nor food producers, nor any company in the making
and marketing of food that some people are overweight. This is a ridiculous distraction. No one can force anyone to eat. Can they instill the desire to eat -- and overeat? Absolutely, and that's the reason that food marketing consumes more than half the available advertising time on Saturday morning. Reducing advertising may help, but it's not likely to happen. Reducing portion size can definitely help -- as long as one doesn't replace one smaller portion with two.

But the real issue plays out on a person-by-person, kid-by-kid level. All the hysterical news reports in the world, all the Congressional committees, public service announcements and strident protests by special interest groups, rarely penetrate to the kid level -- or, if they do, are largely either ignored or misunderstood. Worse yet, all of this media attention, none of which offers practical solutions, runs the risk of stigmatizing obesity and being overweight, which afflicts more than fifteen percent of children under 18 and nearly sixty percent of adults, according to the Center for Disease Control.

It is not easy being a fat kid. Particularly in a culture that sends the mixed message of: eat all you want, indulge . . . but look like a pop star. The fact that a lot of kids are overweight doesn't help. In the U.S. today, the body
is objectified more than ever before, and when we talk to kids, their body consciousness is at an all-time high, even compared to five years ago. Worse, because they don't feel that they can look like Justin or Britney or whomever, they feel worse and console themselves with food. It's a vicious cycle.

Food and eating are also a huge part of the kids' social scene, and they spend the majority of their allowance or other money on food and eating. These are ingrained behaviors and no amount of "awareness building" is likely to change these behaviors. Oh, and it's also somewhat disingenuous to blame the fast food restaurants. Various research studies indicate that out of twenty-one possible dining occasions during the week, the average family eats outside the home three or fewer times. (Admittedly, the flaw in this research is that it does not include snacking or the recreational/social eating that tweens and teens engage in, which is where the bulk of excess calories come from in their diets.)

But all the research in the world isn't going to benefit a child who is teased and socially affected by being overweight -- a much more common drive to diet than health risks, which most kids don't take into consideration. There are many adults who remember what it felt like to be last picked for a team or ostracized for being fat. You'll find many of them at your local health club as they try to heal the scars that left.

So where does play fit into this? And what does this have to do with toys? A lot, actually.

Active play is one of the most important things a parent can support to help children burn calories, improve mood and help them focus on their school work. Active play doesn't just burn fat, it also challenges the mind to be active, it helps build confidence ("I knew I could climb that tree!") develop such values as teamwork and foster creativity.

Physical activity needs to be a value that families share. (Just look at the statistics and you can interpret that there are more than two fat adults for every fat kid. Fat parents are more likely to have fat kids.) Fat, after all, is a family issue.

With the arrival of spring, there is much more time to be outdoors. Build this outdoor time into your family activities. Bicycling, ball playing, tossing a Frisbee, even walking can all contribute to burning calories. The weight loss and emotional benefits of physical activity are well-documented, and this can truly be fun. It's not about going on a diet, which in itself is stigmatizing, it's about making positive choices based on the wealth of information available to us -- and making it a priority.

Many parents tell us that their children are involved in organized sports. That's a great thing, but it's important to monitor this activity to make sure kids are being active and playing. One group of parents in Los Angeles recently insisted that a soccer team be reorganized so that all the kids got a chance to be active. Before, the focus on the game -- and winning the game -- meant that there were 6-year-olds who were sitting on the bench, and that's about as healthy as merely watching TV.

We are all for balanced play. We believe that children need quiet time, video games, board games, creativity, and active play -- in addition to time to study and engage in other activities. Factoring in time for things that can burn the approximately 3,500 calories that comprise one pound of body weight is tough.

Certainly diet is one way to start -- and there is plenty of good advice available on that score. Your lifestyle may change and some things may be forced to give to accommodate this change. But what's it worth to you to make the changes in your life and your children's that will contribute to your quality of life today and for the future? We believe it's more than worth it -- and when you find ways to put this in the context of play, it can even be a lot of fun.