tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post326654237978188058..comments2023-10-31T04:16:04.331-05:00Comments on Feed Me!: "Fitnessgrams" for kidsHarriethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-92096942802946982252009-03-26T02:52:00.000-05:002009-03-26T02:52:00.000-05:00I'm a freshman in high school and I've taken it tw...I'm a freshman in high school and I've taken it twice. <BR/><BR/>We only have 14 minutes to run a mile (which is impossible for me) and it took me 18 minutes to run it, so they made me run another mile the next day. <BR/><BR/>I could barely walk the next day and I have to go up and down the stairs at least five times at school everyday.<BR/><BR/><BR/>I really don't see how this test is necessary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-70832963677572314122009-03-04T05:20:00.000-06:002009-03-04T05:20:00.000-06:00That's fabulous, Anon. I like your strategy. Passi...That's fabulous, Anon. I like your strategy. Passive resistance. Shades of Gandhi. :) Keep it up.Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-69383596504006688682009-03-03T22:00:00.000-06:002009-03-03T22:00:00.000-06:00I am actually a senior in high school this year, l...I am actually a senior in high school this year, living in Texas, and have had to take this awful test twice already. I find it to be horribly obtrusive, unnecessary, and insulting. I no longer participate at all, I simply write down "0" for all areas and study while the rest of my class does the various physical activity. All of my (sane) teachers hate the thing, and even the (very qualified!) coaches at my school roll their eyes at this pathetic attempt of the state to regulate and improve personal fitness and eating habits. It is a waste of time and much more detrimental to students (at my age, at least) then it ever could be beneficial.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-22571639436047712602008-11-21T21:43:00.000-06:002008-11-21T21:43:00.000-06:00My daughter is underweight thanks to her medicatio...My daughter is underweight thanks to her medication and metabalism. Her doctor has switched her to whole milk with flavoring added (calories) and wants me to give her a bowl of ice cream or shake every night. I am HIGHLY opposed to the Fitnessgram testing and have contacted my state senators and the Texas Education Agency requesting that parents be allowed to opt their child out of the testing. If you agree I strongly urge you to do the same. The more people who do this the better the chances are that something might be done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-29334522779540704802008-03-11T22:19:00.000-05:002008-03-11T22:19:00.000-05:00I know just how you feel, anon!I know just how you feel, anon!Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-49321966271791008412008-03-11T22:10:00.000-05:002008-03-11T22:10:00.000-05:00I just got a letter announcing that the Texas Educ...I just got a letter announcing that the Texas Educational Agency has MANDATED annual fitness testing for the state of Texas for students in 3rd-12th grades. My daugher, who is graduating this year, has borderline anorexic friends who are already on crash diets to lose more weight. The fact that we as taxpayers are paying for this that has been forced upon us is making me livid! FITNESSGRAM, bah humbug! Guess what, Cooper Institute, I'm encouraging my children and all their friends to purposely do their worst on the physical assessment part of the test, like shuttle run, sit and reach, pull-ups and all the rest, and to lie like crazy on the 'self-reported' activity. Let the state of Texas coorelate THAT! Let them try to find causal relationships that link obesity to poor behavior and grades. Shame on you, Texas, shame!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-69848994967189486912007-06-22T00:37:00.000-05:002007-06-22T00:37:00.000-05:00Well, as you know, the movement to do this is begi...Well, as you know, the movement to do this is beginning. It's up to us to resist this passionately, and to bring some semblance of intelligence back into the dialogue around weight and body image.Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-66483312373903875592007-06-22T00:05:00.000-05:002007-06-22T00:05:00.000-05:00I am nowhere near having children, while I am stra...I am nowhere near having children, while I am straight out of high school and only 18 years old... But when reading this post, I could only fear for what it's going to be like when I have children... I myself am big... I was as a small child and I still am to this day, so assuming he/she inherits my metabolism, I fear I might have to homeschool my children or perhaps even run away to some country that hasn't so much fear. The scary thing is, I'm not joking, and every time I read one more thing that tears down a fat child's sense of worth and the parent's ability to parent, I honestly start thinking to myself, "How can I escape under the radar ten years from now so the government can't find my child and take them away because they are "too fat"XXLAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15393992663299167847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-12281336353899771832007-06-21T18:23:00.000-05:002007-06-21T18:23:00.000-05:00On the other hand, even when adults don't like it,...On the other hand, even when adults don't like it, they do buy into it. I doubt it occurs to many of them that the reasoning behind the insurance company's health guidelines is dubious at best. More likely they kick themselves for not being able to conform and grumble about how it's not their employer's business. (Which in my opinion, it's not.) <BR/><BR/>Agghhhhhhh....Katyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07840033787641336933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-33970634262801424592007-06-21T17:42:00.000-05:002007-06-21T17:42:00.000-05:00Oh, but they do. I know of employees at one local ...Oh, but they do. I know of employees at one local company where there are rewards and penalties for health "conditions" as defined by the insurance company--being overweight, smoking, etc. And believe me, folks there do not like it.Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-81863099110869214752007-06-21T14:40:00.000-05:002007-06-21T14:40:00.000-05:00And just think how adults would react if their emp...And just think how adults would react if their employers did this to them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-44885878669344745032007-06-21T13:52:00.000-05:002007-06-21T13:52:00.000-05:00OHMYGOODGOD.Oh. My. Good. God.Oh my Good God.I hav...OHMYGOODGOD.<BR/>Oh. My. Good. God.<BR/>Oh my Good God.<BR/><BR/>I haven't had a chance to read the comments before mine, but I see there are plenty of them - and with good reason. If my daughter ever, EVER has something like this on her report card....well. I fear for Barneveld. <BR/><BR/>At least your daughter sounds like she "gets it". It's just such a scary, uphill, frustrating battle.<BR/><BR/>I think I'm in shock.Maggie Ginsberg-Schutzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08379141187826145944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-20876118317105577642007-06-20T21:02:00.000-05:002007-06-20T21:02:00.000-05:00LOL!Middleton, here we come!LOL!<BR/><BR/>Middleton, here we come!Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-66326285234274555042007-06-20T20:46:00.000-05:002007-06-20T20:46:00.000-05:00Harriet, you could move out to the suburbs. So fa...Harriet, you could move out to the suburbs. So far, in Middleton, report cards show only grades for regular classes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-81486760963212603742007-06-20T19:58:00.000-05:002007-06-20T19:58:00.000-05:00Meowser,I love it! Just what I was thinking. Fasci...Meowser,<BR/><BR/>I love it! Just what I was thinking. Fascism of (almost) the worst kind.<BR/><BR/>I agree with you, anonymous. Activity is good. Activity in the service of calorie burning/fat phobia/test scores is not good.Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-65535064225769135422007-06-20T19:15:00.000-05:002007-06-20T19:15:00.000-05:00I'm generally in favor of children being active, b...I'm generally in favor of children being active, but not so they can be "fit" or "healthy" or lose weight. They should be active because it's fun to run around and mess around. Anyway, if schools want to encourage physical activity, why do they cut back on recess time and give kids so much homework?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-3000595592911353272007-06-20T17:35:00.000-05:002007-06-20T17:35:00.000-05:00!@#$% and double !@@$%!. Who designed this pyrami...!@#$% and double !@@$%!. Who designed this pyramid, Ann Coulter? That is absolutely ridiculous. And dangerous. Why don't they just abolish school altogether and have the kids run around and play tag all day? Aerobics Uber Alles!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-40548834570080761432007-06-20T17:09:00.000-05:002007-06-20T17:09:00.000-05:00Katy,Would that everyone thought as you do! ;-) I'...Katy,<BR/><BR/>Would that everyone thought as you do! ;-) I've always wanted to rule the world.<BR/><BR/>The biggest reason why schools are going along with this kind of bs: Test scores. Sandy nails it in her blog post of today at junkfoodscience. First it was eating breakfast that would raise test scores a few points, so schools started serving breakfast. I have no problem with that! Now it's "jocks" who do better on tests, so suddenly there's a lot more incentive to push physical activity. Again, I have no problem with physical activity per se--just not at the expense of reading, schoolwork, sleeping (!!) and other crucial but non-calorie-burning activities.<BR/><BR/>I will be on the phone to school as soon as the office opens again. Alas. I am so popular over there at this point.<BR/><BR/>Thank you all for your intelligent outrage. We need more!!Harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09774535311853591028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-38116001717909344492007-06-20T12:49:00.000-05:002007-06-20T12:49:00.000-05:00I just wrote a too-long on the irrationality of th...I just wrote a too-long on the irrationality of this "report card" and lost it. Grr.<BR/><BR/>The main points were, I think:<BR/><BR/>1) Why are schools encroaching on doctors' territory? Shouldn't schools educate and doctors manage health?<BR/>2) Kids, especially girls, who are hitting puberty absolutely SHOULD NOT be made to feel bad in any way about their weight. They shouldn't be THINKING about their weight. What's going to happen when they start gaining weight--quite a bit, which is a VERY normal and CRUCIAL part of puberty--and realize that the whole world views this as wrong? How many will try to change their body and fall into the horrible, health and LIFE threatening trap of an eating disorder?<BR/>3) The health risks of eating disorders (or, as the study on female athletes and bone mass confirmed, sub-clinical undereating and overexercising) FAR outweigh (pun intended!) the dubious risks associated with "obesity," which is arbitrarily defined as the same for everyone AND does not use a weight cutoff that has any relation to any study proving that health risks increase above a particular BMI. (According to the book "The Obesity Myth" those with BMIs in the so-called overweight range live longer than those who are underweight, normal weight or obese. Underweight people die first.)<BR/>4) Why not, instead of teaching kids to FEAR their bodies, teach them to love and trust them? Our bodies do not want to be heavier or thinner than they are meant to be. If you listen, your body tells you what it needs. Sometimes that's spinach. Sometimes it's chocolate. Encouraging kids to strive for a weight that is not appropriate for them individually (indeed, the body types portrayed in the media as healthy/ideal are only NATURALLY attainable by something like 1-2% of the population) leads to restrictive eating. Restricted eating can lead to yo-yo dieting. (Worse yet, it leads to eating disorders. Which KILL.) Yo-yo dieting= damaged metabolism. Damaged metabolism+overeating when the body is starved through dieting=weight gain. Ergo, dieting=obesity. But (this is sarcastic!) we should diet more, because we're all too fat and undisciplined and obesity is a horrific problem (despite scientific evidence to the contrary). Plus, if something doesn't work the first (or second, third, twelfth, ninetieth) time, it makes sense to do it again. The same way.<BR/><BR/>Sorry I keep leaving these long involved ranting comments on your blog, you're just such a voice of sanity in an INSANE world! THANK YOU for this blog. It is a breath of fresh air when I begin to believe the hype. It reminds me that rational voices DO exist, that the scare tactics of the "thindustry" are just that--scare tactics--and that much of the hype about obesity is ACTUALLY about money (I believe I read somewhere that Nabisco owns Jenny Craig. Or some other cookie/cake/chip making company owns some other ridiculous diet company!) and cultural stigma. I wish the whole world listened to you! Reading this gives me hope that we may someday come to our senses.Katyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07840033787641336933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-57920677567376732542007-06-20T11:36:00.000-05:002007-06-20T11:36:00.000-05:00Yes, yes it does Carrie! lolYes, yes it does Carrie! lolmaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05476646540007179475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-56698192211521049832007-06-20T11:35:00.000-05:002007-06-20T11:35:00.000-05:00I'm glad your daughter has a smart and involved pa...I'm glad your daughter has a smart and involved parent. Mine weren't. When I was anoreixic they didn't pay attention, because I was conforming to the script.<BR/><BR/>A similar experience occured with a young family member of mine: after she failed a test, she was punished by being sent out to run laps. My reaction was, WTF?! No tutor, no study buddy, just running around while the other kids pointed and laughed? And I fail to see the pedagogy behind that decision.<BR/><BR/>You are right on with the Kurt Vonnegut reference. "Harrison Bergeron"--everyone should read this story and realize Vonnegut was a prophet. Of course, in Fitness Fascism, reading and critical analysis are forbidden.<BR/><BR/>The future scares me. A generation raised to think appearances are more important than character and skills does not bode well for us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-52212194039984438062007-06-20T11:04:00.000-05:002007-06-20T11:04:00.000-05:00I'm seething. This whole thing is ridiculous. Th...I'm seething. This whole thing is ridiculous. They're putting limits on reading and sleeping?<BR/><BR/>My (someday, potential) child's school would hear from me so fast and so loudly, they could hear me with the phone a foot away from their ears.<BR/><BR/>Do you think moving the phone counts as exercise?Carrie Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02569839838912988783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-27207590691460251192007-06-20T10:32:00.000-05:002007-06-20T10:32:00.000-05:00Wow, that is horrible. Do they have no idea about ...Wow, that is horrible. Do they have no idea about how vulnerable an 11-year-old girl is?!? I think I would be on the phone right now with my child's school, and there would be no more weighing and measuring. I know that my parents demanded that for me in 4th grade after several years of in-class weighing humiliation. Somebody at that school needs to read some Junkfood Science.<BR/><BR/>Of course, I don't suppose this district is any different than thousands of others. I expect this to be a raging battle for years. How scared I am for my own 3-year-old son.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-2098680634109193232007-06-20T10:27:00.000-05:002007-06-20T10:27:00.000-05:00Sometimes I wonder 'who' these so called experts a...Sometimes I wonder 'who' these so called experts are that dictate all our policies and why we parents are not all in the loop. <BR/>I was actually obsessed at one point about different issues in education and found that many parents also felt the same. The ones who didn't have an opinion were the ones who thought of school as a convenient place to get rid of their kids and not a place that has an equal effect on how and what these people who are our future think. Some things are absolutely wonderful and I admire the hard work of many teachers. I know they are working with specific guidelines which seem to be seeking balanced people. In order for changes to be made teachers NEED our involvement and not all of them see us as intrusive if we question policies. In fact they often feel their hands are tied. <BR/> I would love to see parent involvement other than fund raising and cheer leading. <BR/> Harriet, you are a writer. Use your gift and put your opinions in the local newspapers. You will find that the 'cheerleader' parents get defensive but that there are many more who agree with you. <BR/> I am going to try to find out what policies are being used in my neck of the woods and do my part. Little ripples make big waves. Watch out!maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05476646540007179475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30178203.post-91919507743600987262007-06-20T06:56:00.001-05:002007-06-20T06:56:00.001-05:00I think you & I were writing at the same time Mary...I think you & I were writing at the same time Mary!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com