A Fat Man's Dialogue

The Lincoln paper recently ran an editorial article discussing America's alarming obesity rate. At the center of the article was a report from the Trust for America's Health, which showed not a single state reporting a drop in its obesity rate in 2006. To the contrary, 31 states showed an increase. The Trust largely blames the federal government for not doing enough to combat what it refers to as an epidemic, and has suggested a so-called National Strategy to Combat Obesity.

As a person who has battled obesity nearly my entire life, I feel more than qualified to say this: Enough already! The government has saturated our culture with literature, education, and tools for becoming a healthier society, almost to the point of overkill. It doesn't take a lot of searching to find all kinds of suggestions, opinions, and helpful advice from government agencies eager to change America to a healthier country. I think the government has done about all it can in the way of providing the education, and the rest is up to us. As the article states, "...possibilities for government intervention could be more intrusive. Some communities already have banned trans-fats. What's next? A ban on funnel cake at the Nebraska State Fair? Ration cards for peach cobbler?"

Government can, or at least should, only intervene so much, and the rest is up to each affected individual. We, the obese, know that proper diet and exercise are vitally important to healthy living. We've been told over and over and over and over. We've been obliterated with statistics, facts, case studies, and countless dieting options. Now it's up to us to as to how to process all of this good information.

If anything, it's time the government tone down the education efforts, and take a harsher stance on forcing food manufacturers to come cleaner with the kinds of effects their products have on the human body. For instance, a bag of potato chips that purports to be a healthier choice ought to clarify that it's really only a healthier choice amongst all chips, but not necessarily a healthy choice overall. I don't know what the government can do in the way of regulating prices, but I do know it's not financially easy to eat healthy. The healthier the food, the more consumers pay for it. Unfortunately, this makes it hard to stretch a dollar when buying food for a family, which may partially explain why there is an obesity epidemic. I wouldn't mind seeing some obesity percentages of folks who are financially well-off. I'm betting the numbers are quite different than what the Trust has cited.

The battle of the bulge no longer rests squarely on the shoulders of the government, if it ever did. It's time Americans stood up and took charge of their individual health, use the resources given to us by our government, and avoid the Big Macs, Whoppers, french fries, and cheesy puffs.