A report released today by the United States Department of Public Health (and another U.S. Agency, but I forget which) and to be published tomorrow, reinforces the fact that OBESITY is a greater health risk to us than cigarette smoking.

While cigarette smoking has not lost its place as a killer, the report today states that overweight and clinical obesity cause far more health risks than were previously given credit. We know it causes hypertension, heart disease, diabetes; gall bladder disease, joint and other musculoskeletal disorders; additionally, it makes it harder for simpler health problems to be diagnosed and cured. Surgery is much riskier, as are many procedures commonly performed.

So, now obesity ranks up there with smoking as a public health risk....

I watched a report on obesity the other night on the Discovery channel - it said for they first time, the number of overweight people equalled the number of starving people in the world. Both groups suffer from malnutrition. Really makes you think -

Absolutely. And the statistics have really changed in the United States, where we have the highest ratio of overweight IN THE WORLD! iN 1962, when Jean Nidetch started WW, one person in 5 was overweight. Now, 40 years later, 1 person in 2 is overweight. Horrible. Read a book called, "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. It's a real mind bend on how the fast food industry really controls our caloric intake, and how it literally manipulates our taste buds with artificial flavorings to enhance the taste of their salty fatty nutrition free tasteless foods.

And who that affects the most is children - the special also said that 65% of children now have a weight problem. However, children are still as cruel and unaccepting as they were when I was a fat kid (and grow into unaccepting adults). When I started having a weight problem (4th grade) it seemed like I was the only one - now it's over half! It talked about how if a parent is overweight, a child had a 75% chance of ending up an overweight adult - soon, I guess everyone will be heavy. Then what will we do?

http://www.booksense.com/chapters/schlosserfast.jsp

Here is an address if you are interested in reading the first chapter of the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.

I also sat down and watched the Discovery special the other evening. While I am not saying I learned anything new, it did make me think. In the last couple of days I have made it a practice to observe people at the dr., mall, grocery store and one thing that does hit home is that there are a whole bunch of fat people out there. I am one of them, but working hard at it. I used to hear others say that if they put goodies in their carts they felt like people were looking at them. Now I find after 1 1/2 months at Weight Watchers, I do the same thing. I would never say anything to anyone about their food choices, but the Discovery special sure did make me think!!!

Elaine

Elaine - Did you watch the one that was on after it about appearance? It was too late for me - I had to go to bed! I thought it was so sad that the little girl and her mother dropped out of the program. Having been the "only fat kid" in my class, I know how hard it is. Besides all the name calling, children (and adults) tended to treat me like I was just not as smart as other kids and like I was incapable of doing just about anything - all because I went through puberty a little early and had baby fat! Now, at 43, I am still dealing with self esteem problems - like I'm not good enough, so why try? And I know that although it's not all heridity, I do think a lot of it has to do with your childhood environment. My mother was quite heavy (still is) and never did anything about her appearance - I still battle feeling guilty any time I think about how I look or think I look pretty good. Compliments still have me running to food - to "punish myself" for thinking I or anyone else could see me as attractive (or even just not a blob). My father lifted weights and ran when I was young, and his big thing was talking about how much all the guys could eat at the buffets - the ability to eat huge quantities of food was seen as something to be proud of. I still sometimes when binging tell myself I'll stop when I'm full - but full never comes.

Gosh, didn't mean to go on and on - I guess that special really brought up some issues with me too!