Weighty Matters

Americans have been obsessed with weight for as long as I can remember - which means I can go back to around 1969 - but it seems like lately we have truly become totally obsessed. Look at all of those weight loss television shows currently glutting the airwaves. 20/20 did a special on two families losing weight which my wife informed was a ripoff of Dr. Phil. The diet food industry that exploded decades ago is still going strong especially with the Atkins diet being the big thing - you ever been around people on that diet? My office is full of people giving it a try so it seems like I'm forever trapped breathing their ketonic breath. I've even started to watch what I eat and I'm exercising more. I don't think I was sadly out of shape or anything, but I do want more energy. The thing that puzzles me is that in a nation so obsessed with weight loss, we continue to get fatter and fatter. It doesn't help when stuff keeps coming in bigger portions, but something seems amiss in our collective psyche on this issue. There's lots of talking but little doing. This is one American who's not going to fall victim to his weight. I'm going to exercise even more tonight - after I watch the latest celebrity weight loss show, eat a bag of chips, and have some beers. Yep that's just what I'm going to do.