Congratulations America! You are officially the fattest country!

America has been the most out of shape, obese country for awhile now. What is strange is all the ads in magazines and commericials on T.V. for weight loss pills and programs. It's not for sure, but America may also have the most fitness facilities and gyms. So why is America so fat?

Maybe it has to do with all the fast food Americans love to eat on a regular basis... Many people have seen the popular, Super Size Me documentary, where independent-film maker, Morgan Spurlock, goes 30 days surviving solely on McDonald's alone. He records his physical and psychological changes on video and ends up gaining 25 lbs, he raised his BMI from 23.3 to 27 and had a 13% body mass index increase. Spurlock says his main motive behind the documentary was the "increasing spread of obesity throughout U.S. society, which the Surgeon General has declared 'epidemic,' and the corresponding lawsuit brought against McDonald's on behalf of two overweight girls, who, it was alleged, became obese as a result of eating McDonald's food. Spurlock points out that although the lawsuit against McDonald's failed (and subsequently many state legislatures have legislated against products liability actions against producers and distributors of 'fast food'), much of the same criticism leveled against the tobacco companies applies to fast food franchises, although it could be argued that fast food is not physiologically addictive in the same sense as nicotine."

It's become obvious over the years that if people eat junk, they are going to feel like junk, thus, end up looking like junk. So why do people keep eating fast food? With the increase of working mothers in America, home-cooked meals seem to be almost extinct. Most of the time a home-cooked meal is going to be considerably more healthy than a meal from a restaraunt or a fast food joint. Eating out is usually going to put on the pounds veruses eating at home.

Another reason America is so fat may be the popularity of video games and T.V. shows. No kids want to go outside and play anymore. They all just want to play the lastest video game with all their friends, which will keep them occupied for hours on end, but keep their body sedated for hours on end at the same time. As technology improves, so do the super cool toys kids will want to play. It's hard to encourage a child to go play tag outside when he has Rockband or Guitar Hero sitting in the living room or Nickelodeon in the next room.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/21/eveningnews/main509689.shtml

With alcohol being so popular at American colleges, it's no wonder the typical freshman gains 15 lbs. Alcohol is definitely a factor to blame for obesity. Many people don't realize how many calories they are consuming as they knock back drink after drink. One light beer can contain 100 calories or more, and regular beer or one shot of liquor can range from 140-220 calories, and while wine is usaully a bit lighter, it still can range from 70-160 calories. College students may find it particularly hard to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle while partying at college.

Bigger portions in America is making bigger people. The normal size portion in America is 25% bigger than more French portions and 72% more than Chinese portions! Geez, no wonder our obesity rate is triple everyone elses! Also, many countries don't rely on cars for their primary transportation method. Many people walk or ride bikes to school and work, while American rely primarly on cars and buses. Walking only two miles everyday would burn at least an extra 200 calories. 200 calories just five days a week equals 48,000 calories a year! That's 48,000 extra calories Americans don't burn just by driving to work every weekday.

The typical nine to five, five days a week job may be getting the best of Americans. Being stressed and not getting enough sleep are proven factors in weight gain. Europeans have a 35 hour work week, while most Americans work at least 40, some work up to 60 hours a week! Europeans get four weeks paid vacation by law, whereas Americans usually only get two... Maybe if America stopped working so hard, and took a break once in awhile, we could be less stressed, get more rest, and be healthier. Since Americans work too much and don't get enough sleep, they are more likely to gain weight than Europeans, with their more less time demanding work schedule.

A small summary from my reasoning on why Americans are so fat: Americans eat too much fast food, many American moms are working parents and don't cook as much, Americans (especially kids) are watching too much T.V., playing too many video games, and not getting enough physical activity, Americans drink too much alcohol on a regular basis, we eat triple portions of other countries, we drive too often to where we need to go, instead of walking, and we work too much and are more stressed and get less sleep then other countries.

A Summary from the summary above: I think I need to move to Europe!