Are We Fat?

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Are Americans Fat?

The National Center For Health Statistics has tracked obesity in America over the last 40 years.  In 1962, 13% of Americans were obese.  The number gradually increased over 4 decades and in 2000, 31% of Americans were obese.  The average woman now weighs 163 pounds, up 13 pounds (152 pounds average) from a decade earlier.  What if our average weight continues to increase 10 pounds every decade?

Weighty Epidemic

The surgeon general has declared obesity an epidemic.  Over 300,000 people die every year due to obesity.  63% of Americans have a BMI over 25 and are therefore overweight. It is estimated that 3.8 million Americans weigh over 300 pounds and that 400,000 people (mostly men) weigh over 400 pounds. (These obesity statistics have also been duplicated and verified by independent studies, such as the IHRSA/ASD Obesity/Weight Control Trend Report.)

Teen & Childhood Obesity

Adults can make choices about their diets, but what about teens and children?  Adolescent and child obesity has tripled over the last 20 years.  Many children today get from 500 to 1,000 calories a day from drinks alone!  (American Heart Association).  That’s more calories than some kids should eat all day, but you know kids aren’t drinking 1000 calories and not eating anything.

Americans vs. Japanese

Are just Americans fat?  What about the rest of the world?  We definitely aren’t alone.  Mexicans aren’t far behind us with 24% of their population being obese.  The other countries with rising obese populations include the UK, Canada, and Greece.

There are still countries however with very low obesity rates–even lower than ours was in 1962.  In Japan only 3.2% of their population is obese.  It’s the same in Korea.  Switzerland, Norway, and Italy are also on the low end.

What’s The Difference?

What’s the difference between countries where ONE THIRD of the population is obese and those where it’s under 5%?  This is just my opinion, but I imagine our diets are drastically different–rice and fish vs. hamburgers and french fries.  Just a guess.

In future posts, I’ll explore the scientific reasons Americans (and UKers, Australians, Mexicans, and Canadians) are obese, how it affects our lives and our health, and what we can do about it!  If you’d like to get started losing weight now, watch my free video about how I lost 35 pounds and kept it off for 15 years.