Ten Interesting Things about Fatness in America

“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.”
-Thomas Jefferson

Odds are if you’re reading this you’re probably fat.  Not because mostly fat people read blogs called “Ten Interesting Things about Fatness in America.”  But because America is full of fat people.  I know that’s not politically correct.  Let’s just look at the numbers…

1.        More than 80% of American grownups and kids don’t get enough exercise.  Kids now average over 7.5 hours a day in front of a screen!

2.       Over 69% of my grownups over 20 are overweight and over 35% are obese.  I have more obese grownups than the number of people in Canada and Australia combined!

3.       In the past 30 years, my number of obese kids (and teens) has tripled to a robust 12.5 million.  Almost a third of my kids are now overweight.

4.       About 360,000 Americans die each year from diseases related to obesity and unhealthy livin’.

5.       Americans spend $60 billion a year on dieting and exercise stuff.  We spent half that twenty years ago…when we were skinnier.

6.       There are over 103,000 diet books on Amazon.

7.       Kids should get 60 minutes of physical activity each day. 

8.       The gubment recommends 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week for grownups (with 2 or more days of strength training).

9.       Fitness magazine’s ten healthiest foods on the planet are:  lemons, broccoli, dark chocolate, potatoes, salmon, walnuts, avocados, garlic, spinach, and beans.

10.   Despite everyone knowing that to lose weight you have to eat better and exercise more, 95% of diets still fail.  Try these five tips from Health.com expert, Heidi Grant Halvorson:  be specific with your goals, define foods that are all right to eat, monitor your progress, be optimistic (and realistic), and practice staying strong.

Not sure if you’re fat?  Click here for a BMI calculator that lets you know if you’re underweight, just right, overweight, or obese.  And then let’s get real, get some goals, and get ourselves in shape.  We can do this!

Comments or questions?  Contact me at DiaryOfAmerica@gmail.com.