I'm not sure if this is wise or not but ... I'm just not going to restaurants for a while. I need to get a handle on what my balance of in and out is ... and restaurant food is too 'unknown'. At home I know exactly what I'm getting. Once I get a handle on what I have to do to maintain, then we'll see. I do like food that I don't have to prepare

Susan I did exactly the same thing when I started my program. My first restaurant meal was on my birthday, which occurred 3 months after I had started my program. The next one was months after that. I am now comfortable going out a couple of times per week most of the time, but that came about 2 1/2 years into my program. And, there are still times where I declare a "no restaurant" week just to get back to basics.

I used to eat lunch in my cafeteria every day plus dinner/other meals out several times a week. When I first started my new healthier eating plan, I stopped all that entirely and it was a couple months before I went out to eat and only because my parents came to visit. I feel comfortable going out to eat now but still I only do it a couple times a month which has not only helped me lose weight but save money as well

Hm...I was thinking about this over the weekend...whether the word 'epidemic' applies to the (pardon the pun) swelling numbers of obese people - especially children - that we see more and more often these days.

First off - let's start with the Webster's definition of "epidemic":

I'd say that using the Webster's definition, that the prevalance of obesity certainly does meet the standards of being an epidemic! (and recall that this year, Medicare started defining obesity as a disease, if you need that qualification to use the term 'epidemic'.)

Now, if you feel that using the word "epidemic" causes people to say, 'well, screw it - I'm just going to eat whatever I like because there's no hope' - maybe SOME people have that sort of defeatist attitude, but I would think that the use of the term 'epidemic' might make people SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE. Remember when AIDS first became a newsmaker back in the early 1980's? (since I live in the San Francisco area, I might have heard about it earlier than folks who live outside this area) It seemed as though noone really sat up and paid attention until it was termed "the AIDS/HIV Epidemic". THEN people - affected or not - started doing something about it - researching new medications and treatments, educating the public about protecting themselves, etc.

And like the AIDS/HIV epidemic, or the campaign against tobacco, the focus needs to be on EDUCATION - and on the next generation - the children. It's well-known by now that fat kids all too often grow up to be fat adults - yet, I still hear parents say "oh, they're just kids - they can eat whatever they want, that's just baby fat". The thing is - many of these kids are eating adult-sized portions of food and NOT exercising. When I was a kid, I spent my afternoons after school playing outside in the yard on the swingset, or playing hide and seek or kickball with my sisters and the other kids in the neighborhood. The streets were FILLED with kids riding bikes, skating, going to the parks, etc. These days - the streets are empty and the kids are all inside the house, watching TV or playing videogames...often eating at the same time.

I don't need a study to tell me that there are more obese people - and specifically obese children - today than there were when I was a child. All I have to do is go to the mall, or McD's, or tag along with my sister when she picks up her two kids from school, a birthday party, or a dance to see the proof right in front of me.

Whatever word you want to use - epidemic, outbreak, eruption, rash - it's a sign that SOMETHING needs to be done, and we need to start with the next generation in mind!

Hear, hear, Karen! Great post!

Sad to say, but I agree that the word "epidemic" is justified in describing the obesity problem today. When 65% of the adults in this country are overweight or obese, it's hard to think in terms of "small" words. What kind of crazy world do we live in when being a normal weight makes one a member of a minority group? Fat is the new norm.

I don't have any problem shouting EPIDEMIC from the rooftops if it will wake people up. Unfortunately, the trend seems to be toward accomodating the larger and larger size of Americans rather than focusing on exercise and effective means of weight loss. We HAVE to start with the next generation, like Karen says, if we want there to BE a next generation.

But, like KO, I have a major problem with the use of the word "victim" in this context. To me "victim" implies helplessness and a need for medical intervention in the form of drugs or surgery. That may be true for some, but not certainly not all of us. Many of us simply need to take the responsibility for our food and exercise decisions and learn to make better choices. And as for those who need surgery or medication -- anyone who's had WLS will tell you that you can't just sit back and wait for the surgery to "cure" you of obesity. Nope, you've got to be thinking and planning and exercising and making smart food choices, exactly like people who haven't had surgery. None of us are "victims" -- we're all in control.

I had the opportunity to attend a scientific conference last week that discussed the obesity epidemic and its impacts and implications. Believe me, "epidemic" probably understates the current problems in this country. Karen's right -- something has to be done.