"Honey, we're killing the kids"...

[Ultimategurrl79]

has anyone else seen the commercials for this new show on TLC?

it's called, "Honey, we're killing the kids" - and the premise says, "offers a startling look at the causes of America's childhood obesity epidemic and issues a critical wake-up call for parents."

i'm NOT promoting anything here - but if you're interested - cuz i keep seeing commercials for it and it looks GOOD...it premiers on april 10th (check TLC.com for more info)...

but FINALLY a show that really does talk about what parents are doing to kids today.

[fitgal2]

I have seen the commercials and i agree, looks good. its about time we had shows that will give our society a wake up call!

[4rabbit]

Hi,

I saw some shows of this (can't anymore because it is on a pay channel that I do not subscribe to now), and it is truly horrifying to see what the continuation of bad habits would do to the kids in terms of health, happiness and lifespan. It is really really good, you should watch it!

Rabbit

[Clareh]

We've got our own version in the UK.

Scary stuff- the things that people do to their children through lack of knowledge of forethought. All of the parents were truly horrified and made some great lifestyle changes for their kids.

[happytx]

I saw that and hubby and I both want to watch it. I heard an interesting thing the other day, it was, would you give your dog a donut everyday???? It was pointing out that we make sure our animals are healthier than our kids!! It really made a point for me. I dont have kids, but I would never feed my dogs anything unhealthy, I make sure they exercise, and eat proper amounts and that they have good quality food, and I give them treats of carrots, but I dont know thats what I would do if I had kids, I hope that I do especially now that I see it like that, like I said it really made me think, and open my eyes.

[Ready2ShedLBS]

I want to watch it too. I dont feed my kids anything that I wouldnt eat myself. That means they get no fast food, very limited candy. Lots of fruits and veggies. No soft drinks ect.. However, my fiancee his son lives with his mother and all he is fed is crap food, so I am really glad this show is airing so people will quit filling their kids full of crap.

[Tampaquillowner]

Oh I am so ready to watch this show, it looks great. Being a nanny and working with children full time I see the way these kids eat.

It horrifys me! We placate our children with food, and then wonder why they are heavy or unhealthy.
I tell people that it may be "okay" for a four year old to eat mac and cheese and two hotdogs everyday for now but what happens when he gets to be older and his metabolism slows down?

I am fighting now the bad habits that my parents and (southern) grandparents instilled in me (you mean cheese grits arent healthy?).

I have very strong convictions about how my children will eat. I havent been to a fast food restaurant in years, and my kids wont either. Candy isnt necesary on a daily basis, as a treat its fine. My dog is the same way, she eats the best quality food and although she does get treats its not too many. She especially likes carrots and frozen peas.

Anywho I am excited to see what this show is all about. I think most parents would be shocked if they kept their kids on a caloric diet or even just thought about what their kids eat!

For example a child I nanny for has in a typical day:

B: A bowl of high sugar oatmeal with honey and milk added. Then some white bread with margerine, and maybe some fruit. Also a big glass of sugar filled fruit juice.

L: Usually CHIK FiL A fried chicken fingers and fries (and he thinks this is healthy and asks me for a "treat" if he finishes it all!)

D: Mac and cheese, Hotdog, pizza, etc, etc. Then for dessert he might get ice cream or a popsicle!

Vegetables do not touch this child's mouth and when did this type of diet become acceptable or normal? I find it very very sad.

[Suzanne 3FC]

Thanks! It looks fascinating! I just checked the TLC channel and it starts tonight. They'll rerun the same episode all week, so it should be easy to catch one.


http://tlc.discovery.com//fansites/honey/honey.html

[sarahyu]

Speaking of what we feed out kids, I rode the bus with a lady who had 2 small children 2 and 4 years old. In the mornings she'd be yelling at them for not eating breakfast while feeding them frosted flakes or something chocolatey and washing it down with Mountain dew. (won't even get into the omg, you're eating on the bus? You can get a ticket.) In the evenings after work she'd be dragging these kids back on the bus and they'd be whining and hungry and she would yell at them that they couldn't have anything to eat now becasue they woudn't eat their dinner when they got home. Then after about 5 minutes of them promising to eat their dinner and crying Mom would whip out a can of Mountain Dew and some candy for them to eat. Every single day! How hard would have been to have some healthy snacks in her bag? raisins, nuts, small juicy juice boxes, cut up veggies, an apple? or ask the baby sitter to give them a heatlhy snack later in the day. When I was small, my mother always had something in her bag to keep us quiet- cheerios, nuts, raisins, fruit. It was never soda and candy.

[Quirky1]

I am looking forward to this show.

Since my husband and I started a healthier lifestyle in January we have noticed such a change in our oldest son. He dropped 10 pounds without even trying. He is just looking so strong and healthy now. Just his loss alone gives me incentive to keep trudging along and acquiring new good habits for my kids' sake. I hope this show will help to give me more inspiration to keep saying "no" to all the junk food that my kids want. (It's kinda hard sometimes.)

[futuresurferchick]

I watched this show tonight. I thought it was decent, but I wasn't that enthralled. Maybe it will be a wake up call to some parents who watch though, and that would be great.

Did anyone notice how when they did the computer transformations, showing the parents what their kids would look like at age 40, at the beginning of the show they had them with horrible haircuts and ugly glasses and just generally looking unkempt? The little boy even had tape on his glasses during the computer morphing! Then at the end when they showed their updated "futures", they had nice hairstyles and attractive glasses! :lol: I know they were just trying to maximize the difference between "before" and "after", but it does show how your weight is connected to a perception that you don't care about your looks and have no aesthetic taste.

[Ultimategurrl79]

Did anyone notice how when they did the computer transformations, showing the parents what their kids would look like at age 40, at the beginning of the show they had them with horrible haircuts and ugly glasses and just generally looking unkempt? The little boy even had tape on his glasses during the computer morphing! Then at the end when they showed their updated "futures", they had nice hairstyles and attractive glasses! :lol: I know they were just trying to maximize the difference between "before" and "after", but it does show how your weight is connected to a perception that you don't care about your looks and have no aesthetic taste.


that is DEFINATELY something i noticed...i really liked the show - i don't have any kids yet - but i already know that if i don't change my lifestyle BEFORE i have kids, how can i expect to BE a good healthy mom and raise healthy kids when i DO have them? but - the thing about fat=unnattractive...i DEFINATELY saw that in the before & after pics. i mean, granted, being fat & unhealthy is NOT a good thing no matter what, but I DO know many overweight people who are NOT ugly and unnattractive - of course, unfortunatly there's also too many that ARE - but there's also THIN people who are unnattractive as well.

you have to admit though - that's a stigma in our society that "fat=ugly" it's extremely sad. :-(

but i did enjoy this show.

[mauvaisroux]

I watched this show last night! Boy was the oldest kid ever obnoxious! :rolleyes:

The one thing that I thought was silly was the fact that the first night's dinner was such and extreme - no wonder they didn't like it! You can't expect people to switch over from eating pizza and takeout to eating tofu and bok choi stir fry overnight - that was just way too hard for the kids - hey I couldn't do it either:p I think it would have gone smoother if they had just made healthy versions of something familiar, like wholewheat spaghetti with homemade sauce that included extra veggies like carrots, mushrooms and peppers in it or even home made healthy pizzas.

It must have been weird for the parents to watch their kids grow up before their eyes :lol: and yes they did not look attractive in the first morph but I find that if you don't feel good about yourself (emotionally) then you tend to not look after yourself as well (hence the unkept/scruffy look) - also eating badly will eventually affect you skin, hair, nails etc.

I liked the way they came together as a family at the end. Although I'm sure it wasn't smooth sailing after the cameras went home they did make improvements in their personal relationships. :)

I think it is important that when one person goes on a healthy eating plan that the whole house does too. It doesn't hurt for your entire family to eat better and to limit treats. And you can have fun exercising together by playing basketball or going swimming together.

[Quirky1]

The one thing that I thought was silly was the fact that the first night's dinner was such and extreme - no wonder they didn't like it! You can't expect people to switch over from eating pizza and takeout to eating tofu and bok choi stir fry overnight - that was just way too hard for the kids - hey I couldn't do it either:p I think it would have gone smoother if they had just made healthy versions of something familiar, like wholewheat spaghetti with homemade sauce that included extra veggies like carrots, mushrooms and peppers in it or even home made healthy pizzas.


I so agree! What a way to turn kids off of healthy eating all together by making them eat tofu the first day. I haven't even gotten brave enough to eat tofu yet! (someday, someday.... lol) There are so many healthy meals that the kids would have liked. The show almost seemed like a punishment to the kids for being overweight. Why couldn't they have made healthy eating and exercise a little fun at least?

In my opinion, a big "thumbs down" for this episode. Hopefully this show will improve in the future.

[Amy8888]

I was basically appalled by this show. I agree that it took a very punitive view of eating healthy, like eating healthy=eating gross food. If they even just cut down on the fried food and beefed up on salads, veggies, etc. as side dishes instead of french fries, it would have been a vast improvement over what they did. And tofu? That's just ridiculous. And I also agree that the projections were terrible. I am not at all a Fat Rights Activist, but the images perpetuated the stereotype that fat people are also generally lazy and unkempt, and that really offended me.

It seemed like a Fox reality show. I was disappointed in TLC for airing this.

[Cafe Ole]

Ugh -- I am sorry but you can't even make me eat Tofu. I am trying to incorporate my healthier eating to my oldest (who unfortunately is built just like me) -- trying is the word. She is a tween with low self esteem (probably also got that from me) trying to get her to do anything is like pulling teeth. I would like to tape this show just so she could see it, now programming my VCR is another issue LOL

I do agree though that the show took it a bit to the extreme!

[mauvaisroux]

Yeah, although I found the kids kind of bratty I'm not surprised they rebelled - it did seem punitive-. I'm hoping the next show will be a bit more positive.

There is a show in Britain that is similar but with three families competing to see which family loses the most - ugh! The intro is horrible - very stereotyping of overweight people and I found it really offensive - the trainers were really rude too! Same with the You Are What You Eat program - the show is good but the doctor is really rude and hurtful and I know it's their job but find that part to be unneccessary.

I just don't see how bullying, berating and making people feel bad about themselves is going to help them to learn to lead a healthy lifestyle. :shrug:

[CLCSC145]

I just caught the show tonight. I defiinitely think parents need to ensure they are passing on good habits to their children, but the flip side is being restrictive doesn't necessarily solve the problem.

My parents never allowed nutritionally-poor food in the house. They got me into sports, limited TV, etc., but it all just forced me "underground." I became a closet-eater, stole their loose change to buy junk food at school, hid food under my bed, and got creative with turning the healthy foods in the house into binge food (soy nuts, almonds, fruit, etc.). They tried hard; I tried harder.

As an adult, I'm now trying to learn why I "needed' the food so badly and what I was/am trying to compensate for. I have great parents and had a very stable childhood, I just have always had a VERY dysfunctional relationship with food. I guess my long-winded point is that it's not always just about bad habits, but the emotions underlying them.

P.S.- Dittos from me on the slobby appearance of the first age progression shots! Grrr... :mad:

[_bees]

I watched this show and I think it has its problems, but over all it has really important information that the public needs to hear. I don't think it was necessary to make them eat tofu. I don't know many young kids who like that sort of thing, especially ones who are used to processed foods. There must have been ways to improve their diets without making it so traumatic for everyone involved.

The age progression thing... hmm.. do less healthy/overweight people naturally gravitate towards growing mullets and not grooming their unibrows? They even gave one of the negative outcomes an earring! How did they get that?

[mauvaisroux]

I watched the show again on Monday. I find the doctor/nutritionist whatever she is to be wholly unpleasant. I know they are taking a hard approach to people but I don't like her way of talking to these people at times.

I agree that the program could be done in a less traumatic manner but then I guess that doesn't make for good t.v. :lol:

I can't believe that they made a family who never eats fish/seafood eat the stuff three nights in a row - not fair at all. Again, why can't they just show them how to cook healthier versions of things they like? :shrug:

I'm finding the age progression thing a bit annoying too and totally agree with _bees opinion.

[CindyBGood]

I had been really anxious to watch it and finally caught it the other night and was pretty disappointed. That whole aging thing is so ridiculous - I mean honestly after 3 weeks how can you really do that meaningfully and the big smiles on the 'after improvement' pictures were completely stupid!!

BUT I totally agree that good habits make for healthy lives and there are so many people so out of control. I am terribly proud of my teenage sons choices in food and eating - not that they are all healthy all the time, but they appreciate the right things and are so fit and slim. I always have believed in a family dinner with real food and the boys even get to lighting the candles, they appreciate the event as much as the adults.

And yah, there is a middle zone between potato chips and tofu. LOL.

[mauvaisroux]

I watched again last night hoping this would get better - it doesn't :p

I don't like the format of the show or the doctor/dietician - she isn't very personable although she may be a pleasant person in real like the show makes it look like she is a dragon lady :lol: I find the aging process photos silly too.

However it does show that people can change their habits and learn to enjoy exercising (the kids loved the Karate classes and the parents got into the family bike rides). What is nice is that not only did it wake the parents up to their bad eating habits it helped them cut back on t.v. time, establish routines and spend time together as a family. Last night the dad realized that he was missing out on his sons' childhoods and vowed that he would spend more time with them. :)

[anyothername]

I have major issues with this show. When i saw the previews, I thought "excellent, a show that will show that healthy lifestyle changes will make a difference."

In the first episode, I believe, there was a little boy who was starting to closet eat, he stole food from the pile, hid the wrapper,and got punished for eating it and belittled for it. It pretty much told the kids "you can never have your favorite foods again, watching tv, even on a rainy day is always bad, and there is something fundamentally wrong with everything you enjoy."

The better approach, asmentioned would be teaching the family to prepare healthy meals, based off a profile of their favorite foods. Love chicken sandwiches and fries from fast food places? Teach them how to make a tasty marinaded chicken breast, slap it on a whole wheat bun and have a small baked potato with low fat toppings. I don't think most of these family's will be able to maintain their prescribed lifestyle for long because it was quite restrictive.

They failed to address the emotional issues that the child might face while being overweight. i liked that the kids got to take a class doing something active though. Also, they didn't focus much on nutrition education.

Last night, the lady told a husky boy, that eating hot dogs would increase his chance of getting diabetes! No, first, there are healthier hot dogs with like fifty calories a dog, and on a diet hot dog bun or lite piece of bread, its like a 100 calorie thing! Second, I have yet to see a study that showed a correlation between enjoying a hot dog and diabetes. Scare tactics are never ok, especially not with kids.

[mauvaisroux]

Yes, some of the reactions from the kids seemed like they were acting out because they felt they were being punished for their bad eating behaviours. Mind you I'm sure the producers show only the most harrowing and dramatic scenes and we don't get to see some of the footage.

The mom on that last show was exhausted and frustrated from all the cooking she was doing, ended up getting really crabby and took it out on her kids :( One meal ended up taking 3 hours between preparing and cooking. Not fair on anyone!

All three episodes have given the families what seem like hard to make meals with ingredients they don't normally eat (clams, squid, tofu,etc.) and that are too extreme a change.

I set my mum up with my WW materials and planned her meals around foods she liked or healthier versions of those foods so don't tell me they couldn't do that for the families.

Being forced to eat things you don't like will not help you stick to your plan. I know sometimes kids refuse to eat things just to be difficult and test the limits but if the food is making them physically gag then don't force them.

I probably won't watch anymore of the show - I gave it 3 chances now and I still don't care for it. :p

[Less of Lena]

Interesting. When I saw the promos for this show, I got a bad feeling about it. It just seemed like it was going to be sensationalist. I think the title was my first indication (just a tad alarmist, don't you think?).

Then, I saw little snippets (I haven't actually seen a whole show). The age progression part was intriguing, but seemed so biased. None of the after photos showed happy, smiling adults. Instead, they all looked miserable, with bags and dark circles under the eyes. Why not put ratty old bathrobes on the guys and sloppy curlers and dirty bunny slippers on the women? Y'know, just to complete the "loser" image?

Forcing the kids to eat foods that are totally foreign to them? Indicating that if they don't eat "healthy" (which seemingly translates out to boring, tasteless, dull, no-fun), they're doomed to a life of absolute misery? Yeah, that's motivating for a 10-year-old... ((sarcasm off))...

Sounds like the show has lived down to my expectations and then some. What a shame :(

[happydaisy]

I agree Lena. I only watched what I think was the first one - the one with the three boys. They took these kids and switched them straight from pizza to tofu. I thought it was ridiculous in that respect, although they did have some good suggestions, especially for the Mom. There are a zillion ways to make kid friendly healthy food and they seemed to not even attempt that.

[Sassy_Chick]

I have to agree with Amy8888. The food they offered I thought was disgusting, esp. to be "appealing" to young kids! I thought it'd be good to show them how to make some of their favorite foods "healthier". You know like show them how to do a healthy pizza or something that kids would enjoy? Not squid! What kid would want to eat that after eating Pizza, etc? lol.

[Tampaquillowner]

, I have yet to see a study that showed a correlation between enjoying a hot dog and diabetes

It may not be highly publicized but they are there. I am currently reading The China Study. I suggest you go and get a copy at your local library. You will learn a lot. There is a strong correlation between Type 1 diabetes and Animal product intake. There are many many studies out there that show a diet high in animal products and byproducts is bad for you, but most people dont want to hear about them.

I recommend everyone read The China Study by T Colin Cambell.

[anyothername]

First, I haven't read the study, and do see where animal prodcuts would do that, but not strictly hot dogs. Secondly, Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease, such as Lupus and many others, in which the body's antibodies attack the beta cells in the pancreas making it unable to produce insulin. It is in no way supported that this is brought on by diet or weight. It occurs in infants, and most people with the disease are diagnosed by age 15, though there are adult cases that tend to have a slower onset. Type two diabetes is often related to diet and obesity (though not always) in which the body either doesn't make enough insulin or can not use it's insulin effectively. Type two diabetes might be caused by consuming excessive calories with a diet high in meat. They are two different diseases with similar ramifications, but very different origins in the body.

I'm not sure if you read fully what i said about healthier options. There are healthier alternatives to a typical full fat all beef hot dog. 100 hot dog, which includrd fiber, little fat (from a ff dog or a white meat hot dog), and protien, abit high in salt, with an apple and some veggies for lunch is an okay meal for a kids. Maybe not everyday because it is so processed, but i don't think that it will lead a kid down a path to a life threatening disease which complications include a heightened risk of coronary heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation, in conjunction with healthier choices. Obviously, consuming large amounts of animal fat on a daily basis is bad, therefore eating a full fat hot dog a couple times a day is bad. I really don't think telling a child that eating a hot dog will give him a chronic disease is a good way of handling things. Kids are going to eat hot dogs. Maybe tell him he can have one of the healthier hot dogs. THat would be more effective and create a better transition. If you are going to say stop eating hot dogs, as a blanket statment because they cause diabetes, it would only be logical to cut out all animal products and biproducts which is not what they are doing on the show. I don't tend to read research from books unless I can previously find it in a medical journal, but I will look into it. I agree that it is ideal to cut out meat and animal products, but threatening a child with diabetes is taking it much too far. Animal prodcuts are high in fat, and a diet high in saturated fat is one of the things that are a factor in diabetes. Chances are if he continued his high calorie diet, with or without animal products he would still be at a very high risk for obesity related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Scare tactics do not work and are cruel with children. There are healthier alternatives (turkey dogs, chicken dogs, ff beef franks, veggie dogs) to beef hot dogs, which should be exlored before saying that a kids will get a disease from them. This doesn't just apply to hot dogs, it applies to most "kid" food. It can often be made much healthier than the most available version. Want pizza, take a whole wheat pita, slap some tomato sauce on it, put some low fat or fat free mozzerella on it, veggies if the kid likes, put it in the toaster over, an viola, you have a personal pizza for around 200 calories, a sensible, quick meal.

[mauvaisroux]

I think the problem was that the doctor/nutritionist said if you eat hot dogs then you will get diabetes - which was a blanket statement and there was no explanation as to why. It seemed like a scare tactic. :shrug:

[webweevil]

I watched the show again on Monday. I find the doctor/nutritionist whatever she is to be wholly unpleasant. I know they are taking a hard approach to people but I don't like her way of talking to these people at times.



I've watched it twice now and have to agree with your opinion of the nutritionist. I don't like her. Something about her tone I find unpleasant. The producers should have worked harder to find the appropriate host.

The computer predictions are terrible. What, did these people suddenly stop looking in a mirror? I guess if you are overweight, you are supposed to wear ratty clothes and not brush your hair.

[mauvaisroux]

Yeah, they also forget to shave and get their ears pierced! :lol:

[Less of Lena]

I know they show the "You are DOOMED if you dare eat another Twinkie" age progressions. Do they ever show the "All your dreams will come true if you eat more tofu" age progressions?

I bet those progressions would show the kids as tall, lean and buff (6-pack, heck, maybe even an 8-pack!), smiling with Chicklet teeth, standing on a pile of money and wearing a tiara. :lol:

((sigh))

[mauvaisroux]

Lean- :rofl: If that were the case I would be eating tofu for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

[Tampaquillowner]

First, I haven't read the study, and do see where animal prodcuts would do that, but not strictly hot dogs. Secondly, Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease, such as Lupus and many others, in which the body's antibodies attack the beta cells in the pancreas making it unable to produce insulin. It is in no way supported that this is brought on by diet or weight. It occurs in infants, and most people with the disease are diagnosed by age 15, though there are adult cases that tend to have a slower onset. Type two diabetes is often related to diet and obesity (though not always) in which the body either doesn't make enough insulin or can not use it's insulin effectively. Type two diabetes might be caused by consuming excessive calories with a diet high in meat. They are two different diseases with similar ramifications, but very different origins in the body.

I'm not sure if you read fully what i said about healthier options. There are healthier alternatives to a typical full fat all beef hot dog. 100 hot dog, which includrd fiber, little fat (from a ff dog or a white meat hot dog), and protien, abit high in salt, with an apple and some veggies for lunch is an okay meal for a kids. Maybe not everyday because it is so processed, but i don't think that it will lead a kid down a path to a life threatening disease which complications include a heightened risk of coronary heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation, in conjunction with healthier choices. Obviously, consuming large amounts of animal fat on a daily basis is bad, therefore eating a full fat hot dog a couple times a day is bad. I really don't think telling a child that eating a hot dog will give him a chronic disease is a good way of handling things. Kids are going to eat hot dogs. Maybe tell him he can have one of the healthier hot dogs. THat would be more effective and create a better transition. If you are going to say stop eating hot dogs, as a blanket statment because they cause diabetes, it would only be logical to cut out all animal products and biproducts which is not what they are doing on the show. I don't tend to read research from books unless I can previously find it in a medical journal, but I will look into it. I agree that it is ideal to cut out meat and animal products, but threatening a child with diabetes is taking it much too far. Animal prodcuts are high in fat, and a diet high in saturated fat is one of the things that are a factor in diabetes. Chances are if he continued his high calorie diet, with or without animal products he would still be at a very high risk for obesity related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Scare tactics do not work and are cruel with children. There are healthier alternatives (turkey dogs, chicken dogs, ff beef franks, veggie dogs) to beef hot dogs, which should be exlored before saying that a kids will get a disease from them. This doesn't just apply to hot dogs, it applies to most "kid" food. It can often be made much healthier than the most available version. Want pizza, take a whole wheat pita, slap some tomato sauce on it, put some low fat or fat free mozzerella on it, veggies if the kid likes, put it in the toaster over, an viola, you have a personal pizza for around 200 calories, a sensible, quick meal.

Yes you are correct I was thinking Type 2 and not type one, although the book addresses type one diabetes (although I am having a hard time remembering in what context since i finished the book a week ago). This book and the subsequent studies that he has done show a strong correlation between disease (heart disease, diabetes, and many different factors like cholesterol) are very strongly correlated with all animal protien (vs non animal protein). He seems to be a very distinguished scientist who was very involved in the scientific community and wrote many different articles for different journals. He addresses these issues in the book and I am sure if you check it out of your library you can check the sources in the back if you are skeptical. I am more fully tring to become vegan because of this book, it is by far the healthiest lifestyle to stave off things like heart disease, cancer. and diabetes. But if you dont believe me then by all means read the book! I highly reccommend it!

[Safiyah_is_Fluffy]

any excessive consumption of meat is detrimental to your health....protein sources are best to come from non animal products, maybe 2 or 3 times a week for one meal each is ok.., meat takes a long time for your system to break down and draws energy from your body to do so...

this may explain why alot of heavy meat eaters are frequently tired, same goes with too much fats.....

there are alot of veggie substitutes for the meats people favor, try em out, its generally low cal and yummy.....

[freiamaya]

My personal pet peeve is how they "age" the kids. On their current path, the kids wind up with bad haircuts, glasses, and frowns at 40. Most of the boys become bald, and they all dress like bums.
On the "right track", all the boys have shiny heads of hair, great clothes, fabulous teeth seen with their great smiles, great haircuts, and no glasses. I don't think that male-pattern baldness can be stopped with nutrition, or else my husband would be really, really hairy (he's 40, 6foot, 180-183 lbs, and an athlete, and has been all his life)!
I absolutely HATE the association they are making - that people with weight issues don't dress well or take care with their appearance, or even wear contact lenses.
This drives me NUTS!!!!

[Libby1972]

I agree about the nutritionalist. She's a meanie. But I do think the premise of the show is good and important.

[Paleogal]

I've quit watching that horrible show.
I don't like the way they make the overweight children look sloppy and unkempt when they computer age them. I do not like the doctor/nutritionist and I dislike the scare tactics they use with the kids and don't even get me started on the force feeding that goes on with that program.
I also was not happy with the first episode when all the junk food was put in a pile in the hallway and left there to tempt the kids. Totally unfair to the children as well as the parents.
I'd rather watch better weight loss shows such as Taking It Off, X-weighted or The Biggest Loser.

[SES]

I got a diet from this company that sells diet food online and their diet plan follows that promoted in "Honey, we're killing the kids" and it does work! I felt good when I was on the diet (more energy) and I lost 20 pounds in one month and I am in a power wheelchair because I have muscular dystrophy. Getting any exercise at all is very hard for me because of my condition, but others I talked to that did the diet who were just overweight and didn't have a chronic health problem like I do were losing 30 and even 40 pounds in one month. My suggestion is, follow their suggestions, they worked for me. Which makes sense, after all, they are promoting good healthy eating. We as americans eat way to much processed foods and it is making us fat.

[4boys4me]

Just to give another perspective....
I don't think it would nearly be as effective if they show the children as happy, well groomed, so to speak, overweight adults with a dazzling sense of style. Where would the shock factor be for the parents? I know I don't want to see my children end up with a weight problem, but if I could see what their 'worst case scenario' would look like in the future, I sure as heck would do everything in my power not to let that happen.....

[mandalinn82]

I agree with everyone else on the utter ridiculousness of switching kids from fried chicken to tofu and steamed veggies overnight.

I -know- its possible to have tasty, nutritious, and low-cal versions of your favorite foods. The kinds of things I eat within my 1500 a day calorie limit - meatloaf (its sooooo good and easy), turkey burgers, pasta with faux cream sauce, pizza (homemade whole wheat crust, homemade sauce, little cheese, lots of veggies and some lean protein), oven-fried chicken, and fries (baked, with sweet potatoes). Some of the lowest-cal meals I make are things that taste fairly decadent - "cream" soups that are made creamy with low-cal veggie purees, fajitas (whole wheat lo-carb tortillas, lean grilled turkey or chicken and a ton of grilled onions and peppers, plus a dab of fat free sour cream and salsa). I do NOT understand why the nutritionist doesn't provide them with recipes that the kids have even the barest chance of liking.

My favorite trick is to combine some tried-and-true favorite (like low-cal meatloaf) with something new (quinoa, or kale, or something else super-healthy that I haven't tried). That way, theres a "good" part to the meal. Why not give the kids some oven-baked chicken tenders breaded in panko and then baked until crispy, and serving with something a bit more adventurous on the sides.

Its SO punative! I'm an adventurous eater, and I wouldn't eat most of what they're throwing in front of those kids and expecting them to eat without batting an eyelash.

Honestly, if I were a parent watching this show and we had some bad eating habits in our family, I would NOT be inspired to fix them - I'd be SCARED. Whereas if they showed the parents cooking healthy versions of favorite foods, and encouraging (rather than enforcing/demanding) their kids to get outside and exercise and cut down on TV - the kids wouldn't rebel nearly so much, and the parents watching might think "hey, I can do this" not "oh my god, I could never torture my kids like that".

[DairyQueen]

I think its funny how the idea is that if your son eats sugar he'll grow up to have a funny haircut, wear geeky clothes, and get one ear peirced. But without sugar, well he's the next Ryan Seacrest.

[lilybelle]

I quit watching the show after them having the whole family out in the back yard basically doing a funeral for their deep fryer. This was sensationalism at it's best. The doctor/nutritionist is mean and many times the parents look angry and like they want to smack her.

[mauvaisroux]

I stopped watching after a few episodes too!

There is a great show on the Food Network called "Just One Bite" The host helps parents to find ways to make healthy foods for their picky eater kids. The kids get to play games and discover new foods or different ways of having things they think they don't like. The parents and the host then take their cues from watching the video of the kids and come up with dishes that the family gets to try together.

This involves the kids and is a much more positive way to get them to learn about food, nutrition and trying new things.

Another good show is "Fixing Dinner". In this one the host comes into the families home, figures out what everyone likes to eat, what their schedules are like and helps them to plan meals and grocery shop. Each family member is assigned a night to cook ( or the kid's help night) and they work together as a team to get things done. The meals are simple and healthy and involve foods the family already enjoys. They do a run through of each family members night to see how the manage and are left 1 month's worth of recipes. At the end they do a follow up two weeks later to see how the family is doing.

I see these two shows as being much more helpful and constructive for people. :)

[cardsfan2009]

I've watched the show a couple of times...one thing i have to disagree with are the meals she plans for the kids...some of that stuff...I wouldnt even eat, much less some little kids! If they want the kids to like eating healthy, they should realize that you can be healthy and still enjoy your food.