by Vic Shayne, PhD

Americans are spending billions of dollars to find out how they can lose weight. That’s a lot of money, but the most ironic thing is that all this obsession over HOW to lose weight is met with the SAD FACT that the United States is AN OBESE COUNTRY.  USA Today reports that 20% of preschoolers are obese. That’s one in five children who are only four years old. MSNBC reports:

The number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are merely overweight, according to the latest statistics from the federal government. Numbers posted by the National Center for Health Statistics show that more than 34 percent of Americans are obese, compared to 32.7 percent who are overweight. It said just under 6 percent are “extremely” obese. More than one-third of adults, or over 72 million people, were obese in 2005-2006, the NCHS said in its report.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and San Diego State University say that a lack of physical activity was the most significant risk factor contributing to obesity in 11- to 15-year-olds.

So how can it be that we as a nation are so diet-conscious while at the same time so miserably overweight? My hunch is that the problem lies anywhere in between these facts:

1. People gain weight then lose it and then gain it, so they become lifetime customers of the swelling (pardon the pun) weight loss industry.
2. Obesity continues to go up, creating an ever-new source of weight loss industry business and customer base.
3. People are more weight conscious than they are health-conscious. It’s an image thing and not a health issue.
4. It’s easier (so it is rationalized) to cycle in and out of weight loss than stay on a steady, healthy course.
5. People are addicted to bad foods.
6. People are less and less physically active.
7. Our federal government allows makers of bad, sickening food to advertise as if they are offering something worth eating

If you want to lose weight, remember these FIVE FACTS first and you’ll be on your way to success:

1. Eat fewer calories (if you eat less, you’ll burn more)
2. Exercise daily: an activity that keeps up your heartbeat and respiration.
3. Eat fewer carbohydrates because carbs that are not used are stored as sugar and fat.
4. Think about health first, weight second.

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