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According to the American Obesity Association, 2/3 of the nation is overweight, not obese, and is wildly different than 2/3 being obese. Only about 30% of the nation is obese (which is still horrible, granted, but much better than 2/3).

how it is that the USA can have a 60% obesity rate.

Small nit, but "obese" != "overweight." According to this table (admittedly out of date, but clearly shows the trend), 64.5% of Americans are "overweight." Only 30.5% are "obese." There's a difference.

Participants were asked questions about how they achieved their weight loss, and the researchers who maintain the NWCR found that:
89 percent changed their diets and increased physical activity (10 percent used diet modification only and one percent used activity only).
http://obesity.org/treatment/weight.shtml

I'm with the other poster who suggested that all of you shouting "it's fatso's fault that he's fat" without considering the evidence are just as bad as the ID people who refuse to even consider the evidence.

Similarly, ignoring well established evidence as to the causes and methods of treating obesity, and using rare exceptions as a rationale to avoid personal responsibility is just as bad as the ID people who say "You can't find the link between specimen A and specimen B, so evolution must be false." Diet and exercise are not the only treatment, nor will they be effective for 100% of the population. They are effective for the overwhelming majority of people, but alternative treatment (including surgery) is equally effective at reducing the morbid risks of obesity. http://obesity.org/treatment/cost.shtml

I would argue that we're being too politically correct, and not addressing obesity as the problem that it is. The reason that saying (more reasonably) "you must take personal responsibility for your weight," has been ineffective is not because the words have no effect, but because too few people are saying it, to the point that anyone who does say it can be labled as judgemental and intolerant of others.

Of course, that's only the beginning. Fortunately (and the only redeeming quality of reality TV thus far, IMHO) shows such as "The Biggest Loser" show people effective strategies for affecting their physique and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps equally important, they provide role models that people can relate to; not celebs/models who "are and always were" thin, but normal people who take measures to increase their health.

At this point, we have a clear understanding that:

• obesity causes many major health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease,
  
• obesity causes high level of both direct and indirect health care expenditures, and
  
• weight loss interventions are effective in both reducing weight and in the reduction of comorbid conditions.

Source: Same as above.

Being an ass, eh? are your kids fit enough to be a soldier? are you? About one third of America's children are fat, and that is going to be one fucking massive drain on the country when they grow up. Really fat kids get really phat problems.

For example, those who think they are overweight ask a higher price to step on a scale in front of their peers, than those of average weight.

That may be true, but I think it's only a one-way logic. I doubt you can reverse-deduce the weight of people by asking them how much they'd pay to reveal it. The best proof is that these guys aren't necessarily all obese, and these guys definitely aren't on the skinny side.

Money can't buy away heart disease or diabetes.

Obesity is the second leading cause of premature death.

Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese.

1. USA
2. UK
3. Australia
4. New Zealand
5. Canada
6. Czech Republic
7. Spain
8. Finland
9. Italy
10. Sweden
11. Denmark
12. Switzerland

Whether or not someone can fit through an airplane door or not doesn't make obesity a disability or not. It means that dangerously fat people also fly. Your post is analogous to saying something like: "Actually, ." Yes, in both cases, someone needs some special accomodation; however, that has nothing to do with EO laws or disability in the eyes of the government- which is what is the factor in this case.

Also, the parent said "overweight," not governmentally obese. There is a huge difference. You could be 5 lbs over what the medical establishment has determined to be your "ideal weight," established solely on your sex and height. However, you can still be far from obese, and even farther from being disabled.

Obesity isn't a disability, neccesarily. That is, there is a clinical definition of obesity and a governmental "obesity disaiblity" definition.

The former states that anyone with a BMI over 30 is obese; before BMIs were popular, it was being 30 lbs over one's ideal weight. The latter lists a number of guidelines.

I can be categorized under both words "obese" and "overweight." However, like a lot of fatties, I do not fall under the government's definition of obese.

Interesting you ask this ... since there is a campaign over at obesity.org that specifically mentions this problem.

Even more interesting that the gov't classifies >60% Americans of being overwight ... and >20% of Americans are obese.

Of course, as a side note, obesity is height/body weight ratio ... and the gov't would classify Arnold Schwarzenegger as being overweight ...

I'm very curious where you got the belief that carbohydrate consumption causes obesity. I've heard this before, but never seen proof of it. In fact, a quick search on the web shows the National Institute of Health and American Obesity Association not mentioning a single thing about carbohydrates causing obesity, but mentioning plenty about fat intake and exercise. Also, other websites in fact repudiate the claim that carbohydrates cause obesity. Could you please give us some scientific sources for this claim?