Well, AMERICANS ARE GETTING FATTER!  Just walk downtown for a while and look at the people passing you on the sidewalks, in the cars, and on motorcylces.  The vast majority of them, even the younger ones, are overweight.  Did you know that 2/3rd’s of all Americans are either overweight, obese, or, what we now call, superobese. WOW!  Did you get the 2/3rd’s part?

When’s the last time you ran into a friend at the movies who has lost weight?   What you usually find, in America, is that people are fat or on their way to being fat.  Americans assume that as you get older, you get fatter.  This is not part of the natural plan.  In fact, being fat ages your body!

When you speak to people, you discover that they either 1) do not know they are overweight, 2) do not care that they are overweight, 3) are proud that they are overweight, or 4) a combination of all these.  Proud that you are overweight?  Come on!

The other day, my wife, Nancy, and I were strolling down Broad and a young, obese guy was walking along in back of us, wearing a shirt that proudly proclaimed, “XXL.”  Guess whose health insurance premiums are going to pay for his hip or knee replacement, heart attack, stroke, or high blood pressure?  YOURS!

You might be asking, “How can’t you know you are overweight.”  In our culture, today, it is getting harder and harder for the average person to realize that he or she is overweight.  Our society is starting to use the overweight person as the norm.  BAD NEWS!  For example, all the clothing sizes have been increased (men’s pants marked 40 just a few years ago are now marked 36, today’s women’s size 10 was actually women’s size 14 in 1940).  Seats in theaters and on buses are getting wider and, if the majority of your friends and family are fat, then FAT becomes a norm for YOU!

It is easy to determine if you are overweight.  You need to know your correct height, your correct weight and then, calculate your BMI.  Go to http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/   and put in your weight and height and calculate your BMI.  If your BMI is over 25, WATCH OUT

Now, what is the problem with being fat?  Isn’t it just a cultural or personal preference?  NO!  Does it all simply boil down to our society being prejudiced against fat people?  NO!  Choosing to be fat or obese is also choosing a very hard life.  Did you ever watch an overweight person walk?  Did you ever notice how overweight people seem physically uncomfortable so much of the time?  Clothes don’t fit, moving is more difficult and is a lot more work.  Did you know that, for the first time in the history of the U.S,. there are now more OBESE people than overweight people?   Did you know that your child’s life expectancy is SHORTER than yours?  This is a first in the U.S.  Did you know that we can’t say “adult diabetes” anymore because it has become so common in overweight children.

It is easy to explain why you are fat.  You eat too much and move around too little.  It is as simple as that.  So, to get down to a healthier weight, you have to eat less and move more.  Where does one begin on this seemingly impossible task?  The best place to start is with moving.  You must get into the habit of taking a walk for at least an hour EVERYDAY.  If you can’t commit to this, then the chances of you loosing weight, long term, are not very good.

It is autumn and we have some beautiful walking weather.  If you work in downtown, you can walk to 15th street, cross the bridge, walk down to the Greeneway and walk around the brick pond.  Say hello to “Alex” the gator and the turtles when you are there!  More advice will come in future columns.

by Dr. Warren Karp  - "No-Nonsense Nutrition Advice"