Your thin kids under 18, don't eat junk or good metabolism?

amother

Caramel

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 9:44 am

My boys who were/are husky have no screen time (no computer, videos, video games). And hate to read.
They are outside always - walking, biking, tag games, gardening, mowing lawns, jogging, building. They don’t sit around. But being active while eating lots of snacks wasn’t enough. They were still husky. They had to also cut out a lot of what they were eating to look more healthy.
(Covid was great for them health wise - with no school they hiked and jogged for miles every day and ate much more healthy).

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 9:55 am

My thin kids are now thin young adults. When they were kids, we ate a healthy diet with some treats (shabbos and occasionally during the week). But on a daily basis they ate healthy. Daily snacks were fruit, baby carrots, etc. If I baked during the week it was something like whole grain muffins with little sugar. Unlike some of my friends, I didn't take this to extreme. If their friends were going out for French fries, ice cream, etc., so did they. They ate birthday cake at parties and nosh at shabbos parties. But they understood that these are treat foods. Both of my kids now eat that way naturally. The older one has 3 small children and is still thin and feeds her children the same way.

gootlfriends

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 10:00 am

I think it depends on what junk they are eating. My cleaning lady takes her daughter to fast food restaurants 2-3 times a week. Her daughter is 6 and is the size of my 10 year old because the body often does earlier puberty with heavier people. Not everyone who looks big is obese. Some people are big boned or muscular. They weigh more but are healthy. One of the reasons I hate bmi. My cleaning lady is not heavy, nor is her husband so genetics only does so much.

amother

Saddlebrown

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 10:04 am

amother [ Hosta ] wrote:

Some kids can eat all that junk every day and stay thin. Doesn't mean they are healthy.

This.
My thin kid who eats a lot, junk and healthy stuff, has several allergies, sensitive digestive system, and probably leaky gut. His body doesn't absorb the necessary elements from the food he eats, which although it sounds like a good thing (he could eat what he wants) really isn't.

amother

Garnet

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 10:17 am

Genetics. I've always been thin which I got from my dad -- everyone in his family is thin. My mom and most of her family is overweight. DH and most of his family is thin, so it seems very likely our kids will stay thin all their lives.

Chayalle

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 10:43 am

I agree that it's mostly genes. I was thin till I hit my mid 30's, then my metabolism started slowing down and I started gaining weight. I'm still not heavy, but size 2-4 was a long time ago. My sister was always rail thin, and she's now finding the same, that pounds are creeping up on her and clothes no longer fit.

I'm into healthy eating at meal time, but my kids did take chips and bissli snacks, and they occasionally have french fries, and sometimes catsup, and an occasional hot dog....and they are all thin. I also encouraged cheese sticks, pizza, and basically anything with extra calcium, which my pediatrician encouraged me to load up on my petite kids to encourage extra growth (height).

amother

Broom

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 10:44 am

For everyone saying it’s mostly genes, you do realize that in indigenous cultures the rates of overweight ness and obesity are next to none? Yes, genes predispose, but it’s what we’re eating that pulls the trigger.

lamplighter

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:16 pm

Thinness is children is genes.
Obesity in children can be a number of factors but primarily biological.
Size in children does not predict future size.

Thin does not equal healthy. Healthy habits = healthy lifestyle. Health beyond that is up to hashem.

And OP sorry your children will not thank you per se.
Most people these days have an awareness of good health habits. The mother enforcing this or that will impact ZERO in their future eating habits. I don't know of a single person who eats healthy because their mother didn't let them eat more than one nosh shabbos afternoon.

Last edited by lamplighter on Wed, Jul 07 2021, 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Plum

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:19 pm

amother [ Broom ] wrote:

Those indigenous cultures are distinct both in lifestyle and genetically.

amother

Sienna

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 12:42 pm

my 7 year old is very thin. She's also a picky eater, this is too burnt, this is too sweet... she naturally doesn't have a big appetite and she likes fruits and vegetables. She also has elimination issues and is on medication for constipation and bladder emptying so I try very hard to give her healthy food and not white flour, sugar...weight isn't the only reason why kids should have a healthy diet.

amother

Broom

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:23 pm

amother [ Plum ] wrote:

Those indigenous cultures are distinct both in lifestyle and genetically.

No they’re not. When they assimilate into western society their levels of obesity (and diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease) rapidly rise to match their host cultures.

amother

Broom

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 2:24 pm

amother [ Tuberose ] wrote:

How many children are actually overweight?

Technically the rates are very much on the rise. But, Its not only about weight. It’s also about nervous system health, metabolic health, immune health, cardiovascular health, gut health, etc. And the effects are cumulative, and begin in childhood and show up in adulthood.

amother

Wed, Jul 07 2021, 4:02 pm

amother [ Tuberose ] wrote:

How many children are actually overweight?

I don't know in the frum world, but in the US, 1/3 of kids are overweight and obese, 20% of kids are obese. These are very high.

amother

Thu, Jul 08 2021, 2:06 pm

The poll results are what I thought it would be. I wanted to show someone that thought that having 3 unhealthy snacks a day contributes to overweight kids, is not necessarily true- it's their genes. I know that thin doesn't equal healthy. It is hard for those kids who have genes working against them.

amother

Currant

Thu, Jul 08 2021, 2:54 pm

I have 2 teenage ds who are close in age. One is extremely thin and 1 is quite overweight. If I only had the thin son, I would say it's all genes, because he does not always eat healthy. They are both similarly active, if anything, the overweight ds might be more active.

HOWEVER.

Since I can compare them because they're close in age, the overweight ds snacks waaay more often. He's constantly helping himself to snacks. Usually junk. The thin ds might snack occasionally on junk, but not to that level.

Also, the thin ds will sometimes skip meals because he's not in the mood. More importantly, the thin ds is less picky and eats a variety of healthy foods while the overweight ds is super picky and can live on pizza and french fries all week. Can't Believe It

I actually think he snacks because he's hungry because he's so picky.

I think the genetic factor is why 1 ds is so picky, foods literally repulse him. But he's absolutely taking in way more calories because of the quality of the foods he eats.

amother

Broom

Thu, Jul 08 2021, 2:57 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I don’t know if your poll proves anything. We all know that most kids seem to be able to remain thin despite their subpar diets. The question is a) how is their health aside for their weight, and b) what happens as they get older weight wise and health wise

amother

Broom

Thu, Jul 08 2021, 2:59 pm

amother [ Currant ] wrote:

There are genetic or inborn pieces that control appetite, cravings, and hunger, aside for just weight.

amother

Currant

Thu, Jul 08 2021, 3:08 pm

amother [ Broom ] wrote:

There are genetic or inborn pieces that control appetite, cravings, and hunger, aside for just weight.

Absolutely. But if OP is asking if the genetics are that some people eat more and don't gain weight, that's not what I see. My overweight ds eats way more calories than his very thin brother.

amother

Thu, Jul 08 2021, 3:34 pm

amother [ Currant ] wrote:

In your case, it seems not genetics but what they actually eat, but in most kids it seems genetics.