Thoughts about life and current events from the perspective of a retired guy with too much time on his hands.
5/11/2012
Obesity is the new Tobacco
An opinion piece this week in the Boston Globe by Derrick Jackson quotes a prediction that by the year 2030, 4 out of 10 Americans will be obese (i.e., more than 100 pounds) over their suggested shelf weight.
I hate to brag, but once again I am ahead of the curve. They say that bragging, like eating, is addictive because it makes you feel good. Apparently, talking about one's self excites the pleasure center of the brain. I suppose this is why blogs and social network apps like Facebook are so popular.
My doctor thinks people should try to maintain the same weight they had when they were age 21. Sure, doc, I'll just stop eating bacon and drinking beer, and start getting more exercise, ha ha ha.
Just thinking about deprivation makes me hungry.
"by the year 2030, 4 out of 10 Americans will be obese (i.e., more than 100 pounds) over their suggested shelf weight."
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean that 40% of 2-year old children will weigh 130 pounds? (They are Americans after all).
Ha ha you got me. The quote was: "This week, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, researchers projected that 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030."
ReplyDeleteThe +100 pound definition apparently applies to teens and adults.