First Rule of Fat Club is ...

OK...so maybe the rich are cannibals?

It is American culture that makes (some of) us fat. Travel around the world to where we all (except native Americans) came from and you don't see much obesity. So besides native American what are we? English, Irish, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, African, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Belgian and so on: go to any of these countries (or continents) and practically nobody is obese. Come here, and a significant fraction of people of those heritages are obese. You can see the transition in immigrants: off-the-boat = thin, first generation Americans = in between, second generation = getting fat. Genes don't change that fast but culture does. We losing the culture of our ancestors and replacing it with American culture. Less emphasis on family and friends and doing things together and more emphasis on work and earning and doing things alone and eating alone and on-the-run and eating prepared food which is never as good as whole food prepared fresh at home. That and zero health care in the US (we don't maintain health with our system - we make last-minute interventions to disease and almost always treat it with drug$ rather than lifestyle changes). Well, that is what I think.

Well said, Leo! I'm sure I throw away more food in a week than some people eat in a week in other parts of the world. I'm not proud of it, but I bet it's true.

However, I would not blame McDonald's if I were fat.

Right on Leo! Very well said. We are Americans and we have unfortunately set our own standards.... good and bad.

Yes, they're our standards, all right.

I just hope one of those standards doesn't become "I'm fat because of all these fast-food restaurants!".

I agree Leo, but I also think we have to stop blaming places like McDonalds it's choices we make, it food we eat, we are not forces to eat it, we choose to eat it and lots of it! We super size, we have fries with that. Those are our choices, we also all know it's not good but do it anyway, because we can get diet pills, or tummy tucks, or bypass surgery to fix us. And we will never have to alter our life style or be inconvenienced. I know I'm fat, and I know how I got fat, I put a fork in my mouth and ate a lot of food! It isn't gene's, it isn't society, it wasn't peer pressure... it was me and only me, I did it! And so did everyone else, that is overweight.

*stepping down off of soap box, quietly walking away!

Night Folks

if you want to solve the obesity issue, don't outlaw cheap food, figure out a way for people to earn enough money that they can have some time in their lives to buy fresh food and prepare it and spend time with family rather than having to work two shifts.

have you been to a fast food restaurant lately? i happen to eat a lot of taco bell these days because when the rockies cover seven runs - win or lose - you can get four tacos for a dollar.

at mcdonalds and burger king you can get a burger, drink and fries/salad for three bucks.

the food is cheaper than you can buy at the store and someone fixes it and you dont' have to do dishes.