FAT IN AMERICA?

[RakiaTaylor]

Thin ppl can be unhealthy.....
I think healthy is a way of life and you have to want it.  Getting skinny is just the result of adopting healthy habits.  (my opinion)

[ptfunds]

I agree with so much that I read here in prior comments. I think our focus in the United States should be more on health and less on size. We have created a generation of young girls who have terrible issues with healthy eating habits as a result of the national focus on being model thin. Everyone has a natural body type and weight. Good, healthy food choices and regular exercise (even if it's just walking) would net us a much healthier nation. The focus on "thin" as created more problems than it has solved. Health should be the only concern, not appearance.

[diala84]

We tend to look outwardly to see when people are suffering from an illness or disease. People who are obese are easy to spot therefore we tend to pick them out of a crowd easier. However you can be unhealthy even at a average or below average weight. It is actually fairly common for average and skinny individuals to have type 2 diabetes normally associated with weight. It actually is quite difficult for doctors to treat these people because they look healthy and tend to dismiss the fact that they need to eat a healthier diet. Whereas people who are obese usually know they have a problem it is just difficult to fix.   

When you carry a lot of your weight in the stomach area then you have a higher risk of heart related illness. Fat can build up around your organs making it more difficult for your body to do everyday tasks.

Genetics play a huge role in obesity as well because when our society was more hunting and gathering we had to be able to store fat for later energy. We may have times of famine and times of plentiful food supply and our bodies are designed to store anything that isn't currently needed. It was a great trait to have when we lived in a world like that but now we have so much less activity and so much more food that our body is working against us.

[vickysue]

I am a little overweight, but i am still very healthy. So i don't consider myself as over weight, but overly short. Not really i am average height, just most of the family are a lot taller. Such is life. Yes  there are lot of people out there are way over weight. But before we judge do they have a medical problem,if not then maybe.