Obesity

San Francisco is a fit and healthy city. Every time i leave I am reminded of how fat our country is getting. Last weekend I was in Atlanta Georgia for passover with my family. My family is all a normal size, it was the rest of Americans occupying the airports and cities that re-opened my eyes to the problem.

Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese (Body Mass Index or BMI > 30) and 9 million are extremely obese (Body Mass Index or BMI > 40) At 5' 7" and weighing about 130 lbs I have a BMI around 20. Currently on the low end of normal, I would have to gain 70 lbs to reach obese!

It's the overweight children that sadden me the most - they learn unhealthy habits at such a young age making it increasingly difficult to reverse later in life:

The most rapid rise in obesity isn't taking place among adults, who, we hope, can understand the consequences of their decisions. It's taking place among children and adolescents. {NYT} According to the US Surgeon General, in the USA the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980. {WHO}

I remember an active childhood riding bikes, playing sports, climbing trees and being outside. Soda, chips and sugar cereals were not allowed in my childhood home. I grew up eating healthy and staying active. I feel remorse for the youth of today who are being raised on corn syrup, video games, tv, computers and fast food.

Here's an informative website pertaining to the epidemic:
http://www.obesityinamerica.org/

There's more reading for me to do on the subject and i'm sure there will be lots more info in the future. Until something changes we will continue to watch this unsettling trend continue.