Fat is costing america a fortune . We would do well to attribute that cost to the source. That source is choices made by the individual. The individual is the only one who can make the change to eat healthy. So if there is in fact a war on fat I hope fat people join it. And quit expecting others to pay for their poor choices. We are too well infornmd to keep writing this off as Big bones or a glanular problem.

Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are what's costing America a fortune. If they can't make a profit, they have to find a group of people to point the finger at. People who are addicted to alcohol and tobacco drive up the cost of insurance as well, but everyone wants to "help them" with their problem. But not the fatties - oh no! Unlike food, which everyone needs to survive, and yes some people are addicted to, you don't need alcohol or tobacco to sustain life. Just as no one's holding down a person making them overeat, no one is holding down a person making them smoke or drink, either. Let's face it, we are driven by a very different cultural standard in this country than in other places in the world, and prejudice against fat people will, as some have indicated, be the last prejudice to go away....if it ever does. Look past the detritus and try to see the good in people. And point the finger back at insurance and pharmaceutical companies and tell them to get their crap together just like other corporations have to do, instead of allowing them to drive up the cost of health care.

Here is a great idea! Stop focusing on morphology. Cocaine will give a person a nice girlish figure. I am a normal sized dude but keep pounding on folks who don't fit the size 2 shrink wrap and you'll get nowhere!

There are some people who are overweight that may have emotional issues, or eat the wrong foods and should cut back. However, there are also people who are "overweight" that have hormonal issues, that are on medications for other health issues and the meds cause weight gain that has NOTHING to do with eating.

I do not think it is right to single out a group of people and attack, mock, or accuse them of costing America a fortune.

Really?

Then we need to go after skinny, bulmic women and girls, who are also not well,even though skinny. With the attack on anyone overweight, we will probably have more young girls and women becoming bulimic. That will be great.

Why don't we pursue those who really are hurting Americans? Terrorists, drug dealers, make tougher laws for them and for drunk drivers and for rape and murder. That will keep America safe. You are not in any harm if someone walks beside you and is 30 lbs overweight. If we are targeting...let's target those that can harm our families, and take take our lives or emotional health away.

Yes, we all need to eat healthier. It starts at home. It starts with schools serving good tasting healthy food, it starts with restaurants serving good tasting, affordable healthy foods. It starts with our food manufactureres. Go after them to use natural sweetners instead of fructose that causes weight gain. Target those that need targeted and don't use this as an excuse to verbally beat up on someone that just might make a great friend, coworker or neighbor, despite thier "disability".

I recently found a BMI calculator that asked for additional info (age range, waist measurement) and then showed me how I compared to other women in my age range (5-year increments). No wonder my health insurance premiums are so high!!! I am in the bottom 2% for women in my age group. My BMI was 20.7 and waist 26". That means that 98% of women have higher BMI than I do; I'm going to guesstimate, based on what I observe, that nearly all of those other women are either overweight, obese, or morbidly obese based on their BMI's. And in my age group, we can rule out body builders with skewed BMI results. Wake up, women! How many of these women are on diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart medications? Control the weight = control the weight-related poor health and control our health care costs.

I think the most upsetting aspect of the rise in obesity in the USA is: Children. So often you will see that the issues is also one that the parents are dealing with. I guess that could be described as: Example, or just poor eating habits. Everyone of these people that is seriously overweight is a position to develop any number of chronic conditions that will require serious monitoring.

It's not only the obese people that are hurting the health care system. For the people who do have insurance, some of the companies are charging outrageous amounts for the copays. Some people do not go to the doctor for checkups or other things, because they can not afford the copays or deductibles, let alone come up with the money for medication. Why do people just assume that if a person has medical insurance then they are fine. They may be covered, but it is costly, especially for family insurance. Sometimes it's harder to hold family insurance, the deductible and copays cost people more. There are a lot of people who are struggling from payday to payday just to pay the rent and monthly bills. Where is the money suppose to come from for the proper healthcare. Health problems run in family, they can be genetic - so is that everyone's fault too. How do we change this?

Being overweight is not always a simple choice of choosing the right things to eat. Some parts of our population because of lack of income or lack of knowledge eat the wrong types and quanities of fatting foods. Some also can't or choose not to get a proper amount of exercise, which is also necessary for weight loss and control for most overweight people. Still, being overweight has more to do with addiction and selfcomforting actions than anythng else. It has the same dymanics as a person who is addicted to smoking or drugs. The overweight person is always trying to feed some other problem than hunger. I know I have been overweight most of my life, and for various reasons depending on the stage of my life. If you do not have a weight control problem or work with people who are trying to control their habit you could not possible know what it is like.

to lindakay -

Being overweight is often NOT a deliberate "choice". I walk 6 miles per day, I lift weights (I bet I can lift way more than you can, and I am 57!), my heart exercising rate is that of someone half my age, I bike and hike, I have never smoked, I eat properly, I NEVER watch TV, I garden, and I am overweight. The big reason? I moved to 6000 ft 15 yrs ago, and almost immediately went from perfect blood pressure, good weight etc to dangerous bp. The medicine started and my weight shot up. For yrs I was told that the altitude, and the meds, had nothing to do with my weight gain.Now the drs agree that both factors have affected me. Anyway, I kept exercising, then I had a heart attack 2 yrs ago (partly hereditary reasons) - I should have died but did not. There is a 3% survival rate from my particular heart issue, and I am still around! My cardio guy told me I had obviously put this off for years because of my lifestyle. Now, of course, I am on more meds. I hate them, but what can I do? I think positive thoughts, I have a wonderful family and friends who support me emotionally, a job I like - but, as the saying goes, I could not choose my grandparents. I truly never thought I could ever be this heavy! We eat organically as much as possible, little meat, no sweets or snacks, never sodas or processed foods. My personal opinion is that many people in this country have been exposed to so many chemicals and hormones in the food, air and water, that it is no wonder we are getting bigger. And no, we cannot move to a lower altitude at this time. I agree with you - I do not want to pay for others' poor choices, either. But don't paint all of us with the same brush.