Obesity on the Rise—Duh!

We just keep getting fatter, at least according to the research group the Trust for America's Health. (Just who are these people?) They found that obesity rates climbed in 31 states last year, and no state showed a decline. While New Hampshire raked pretty well (38th) and Massachusetts even better (50th!), the poor states of Mississippi, West Virginia, and Alabama came in the unglamorous numbers 1, 2 and 3.

So it would seem we just keep getting bigger, which is amazing to me when you consider the fitness and dieting crazy our society has experienced since the 1970s. It's even more amazing when you realize Americans spend an estimated $30 billion a year on diet programs and products.

Of course, as I wrote in my column this past January, of the approximately 50 million people who go on diets each year, only about 5 percent will keep the weight off for the long term. Most will regain part or all of the lost weight.

On the other hand, as my friend Eileen pointed out the other night at dinner, sandwiched between all of those weight loss commercials we see each night on television is one showing lobster or king crab dripping in butter, and another featuring a juicy double cheeseburger topped with six strips of bacon.

Between the failure rates of diets and the "eat more" messages we get in the media, coupled with our lack of movement, it is no wonder we are gaining weight. That's why we have to get back to the basics of eating, which means listening to our bodies, eating only when we are actually hungry, stopping when we have had enough, and moving more. In other words, getting back to the normal way of eating our bodies are meant to follow. Obviously, the dieting way isn't working.