British Comedy Guide

60 stone teenager

Stuff like this makes me angry, not so much with the obese person but the feeder. There always seems to be a feeder, in this case it's obviously the mother. She's killing her son. I have a friend with a seriously-overweight toddler and she makes me furious the way she constantly shovels food into her child's mouth. She says she does it because she can't bear to see her child hungry. I think there's a deeper psychological reason and that she needs help.

Any thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S30ooGg65E&feature=channel

I am sure there is a deeper psychological problem, perhaps a jelousy thing, in that your partner is now payiong more attention to a new born baby than he/she is to you? If this was an issue you may want to make the child less appealing?

But it is sad at how ANYONE could get that big! :( :(

I watched a programme on him not that long ago. Was really very sad, but you're right it was the parents.

I'm more outraged that there's now an advertisement before the video.

Quote: Darren Pomroy @ May 27 2009, 2:09 PM BST

But it is sad at how ANYONE could get that big! :( :(

It happens!!!! :)

If obese children were as underweight as they are overweight they would be taken into care wouldn't they?

Not neccasairly and social services do take an interest and have taken kids into care due to obesity.

Quote: The Cool Mikado @ May 27 2009, 3:22 PM BST

If obese children were as underweight as they are overweight they would be taken into care wouldn't they?

Yeah I think they would. I know obviously some people can't help eating and juts put on the weight but there has to surely be a cut off point where you think to yourself 'this isn't right' or the parents must think it?

This is so tricky. I think in the case of childhood obesity, the focus should be on the parents but not in a "You are abusing your child way". When a parent overfeeds their child, a lot of the time it's to do with an internal issue. The most common reason is they see it as a way of showing love. They may have issues with showing affection and use food instead, or they were raised themselves in a difficult home and used food themselves as comfort so when the kids are going through it, they give them food to "help" too. Children look up a lot more to parent than they realise so when they see a parent claiming a bad knee as an excuse not to do an actvity or piling on the junk, they will copy, not realising that the parent is doing it because they lack confidence.

I am torn on this. I was a fat kid so I know what it's like to be a child with a weight issue. My parents made some pretty awful mistakes when it came my diet and looking back, there was stuff they could have actually done to stop it but at the same time, I can understand the conflict that goes on in a parents head of "If I don't give them this, I am a bad parent".

Saying that, I never got to a point of being in a hospital. I had the chance to lose it all before it got that far. There was a case in America where a man weighing 40 stone died in a clinic and the doctors soon found out afterwards that his wife had been sneaking in fast food meals everyday. In no way was she right to do this and she'll have to live with the pain of knowing she played a big part in his death but I also feel bad for her because for her to do that to her own husband, she must have been put under some terrible pressure. True feeders though, the ones that do it for the thrill, are different and need urgent psychological help before they kill people.

I think the NHS fit 4 life campaign is really good in showing parents things they can do to help their child but when it comes to treating an overweight child, the parents need to be treated too.

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