Scary Stats on the Weight of Americans
We have all heard of the super-sizing of Americans. Well if it keeps going at the rate it has been going for the past 30 years, we can expect almost 90% of Americans to be overweight* or obese by the year 2032. In 1976, 47% of Americans were overweight. By 2004, 66% were overweight. The group of people who are severely obese (100 pounds or more overweight) are the fastest growing group of overweight people in the U.S. The proportion of severely obese people are 50 percent higher in 2005 than in 2000.
Why are our waistlines expanding so rapidly? Here are several possible explanations:
Increased portion sizes. Our portions both at home and outside of the home have increased by up to 50% in the past 20 years. Check out this portion distortion quiz.
More eating away from home. We eat at least 1/3 of our meals outside of the home. In NYC, I find we eat out even more than this. Breakfast and lunch are usually eaten on the run. Dinner is frequently take-out or eaten out in restaurants. Eating out usually means eating more due to jumbo sized portions.
Decreased exercise.
More technology. We move less and burn off fewer calories.
*Being overweight is classified as having a BMI of 26 - 29 and obese is over 30. What is your BMI?
Share ThisNo tag for this post.
How to subscribe! 
