Lighten Up and Get Moving!

It’s bad enough that more Americans than ever are overweight. Is the problem being compounded by an over-emphasis on only one method of fixing it?

The most recent survey published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that 65 percent of adult Americans are overweight, up from 45 percent as recently as 1991. Additionally, 30 percent of Americans are obese.

Children are also increasingly overweight. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Tulane University found that the number of young people ages 5 to 14 who are overweight has more than doubled in 20 years, from 15 percent to 32 percent.

No one is surprised. Another study by the CDC shows that nearly 30 percent of adult Americans (29.4%) report no leisure-time physical activity -- continuing a string of studies implicating America’s sedentary lifestyle for the overweight problem.

Fed by these studies, and perhaps by the growing "Fit and Fat" movement led by such authors as Glenn Gaesser, author of Big Fat Lies, the bandwagon touting exercise to the exclusion of diet is suddenly getting crowded. Newsweek’s cover story of April 21, "Does It Matter What You Weigh?," offers this purported insight: "As dieting slinks off under a cloud of disrepute, exercise moves confidently into the spotlight." The article calls exercise the "cornerstone" and the "key" to healthy weight.

Many health experts think it’s time to reintroduce ourselves to that other pillar of healthy and successful weight maintenance -- dietary change.

A recent poll conducted by Shape Up America! found that 78 percent of obese and overweight adults had abandoned diet as a means for reducing their weight -- far higher than the 30 percent not exercising.

"This anti-diet sentiment is very disturbing and provides a renewed sense of urgency that educating Americans about weight control cannot wait," said former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, Shape Up’s founder.

Diet and physical activity -- combined -- is the best way to lose weight. That has been the sound advice of the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Sciences, the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the American Heart Association, and just about every other health group in America for years.

As the American Dietetic Association says in such clear terms: "Managing your weight plays a vital role in achieving and maintaining good health while enhancing the quality of your life. The key is to achieve and maintain your realistic healthy weight through proper food choices and regular physical activity. By making changes in your habits -- including eating and physical activity -- you can help achieve long-term health and lifelong weight management."

Copyright © 2007 Calorie Control Council

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