Why We're Fat

A Yankelovich Preventative Healthcare Study from a couple of months ago reveals that, although 72% of Americans are overweight, with more than half of them--39% of the total population--obese, few of us are making a huge effort to get the weight off. Why is that? According to Yankelovich, which surveyed 6,000 consumers, the two main barriers are motivation and education. In other words, we don't want to lose weight, and we don't know how anyway.

To anyone who's slept too late on the weekend or had an extra couple of pieces of pizza or glasses of beer, the motivation part is easy to understand, but what about the lack of education? Surely we know how to do it, we just don't make the effort. Apparently not. When asked to identify the top ten ways to be healthy, respondents put the following factors at one through three: "maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness" (identified by 64%), "maintaining a positive attitude" (identified by 58%) and "maintaining/cultivating good family relationships" (identified by 53%). Diet, named by 39%, came in at 13, with exercise, listed by 34%, following at 17.

I'm inspired. I'm going to see what I can accomplish for my health by eating whatever I want, lazing around watching TV, and maintaining a positive attitude.