I just read a post by Mark Hyman, MD that I found so compelling I just have to promote the link and encourage everyone to read it.

The post is called "Skinny Fat People: Why Being Skinny Doesn’t Protect Us Against Diabetes and Death"

Here's the link:

Being Skinny Doesn't Protect Us from Diabetes, Death

And in case you're short on time, here's a couple of pithy paragraphs from the post:



I'm just starting to hear about this new HBO Program - "The Weight of the Nation" - designed to educate our nation about the pressing problem of obesity.

You don't need to have HBO to see the four programs. They are available at that online link.

Anne, from my limited understanding, it's the sugars in particular that are killing us. Not just because they fatten us, but also because they do things inside us that are bad. Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, doesn't matter -- we eat way too much of it and it's killing us. Plus, we now have fat young women who are getting pregnant and passing a lot of their own negative metabolic processes to their unborn children. People laugh about their dinners of french fries and chicken fried steak but it's not funny.

And somehow, even the people who scream about how bad the government is expect their healthcare plans to pay for their bariatric surgeries. We're all in this and we just need to get off. Eliminate sodas and chips, drastically cut down on starches, and concentrate on lean proteins, vegetables, beans, and fresh fruit.

And you know? There's nothing new about this. We already know what we should be eating, but it's just so easy to go and get more of that ice cream.

You are right, Ellemm,

And ever since I was a small child, my father has always preached that the easiest exercise to do is to push yourself away from the table.

But as you implied, people no longer eat just at the table. we eat at our desks, in our cars -- even at places where we are supposed to be getting exercise. (For example, at my local golf course, there is a woman whose job it is to drive around in a cart that dispenses drinks and snacks to the golfers on the course. And at my gym, which is in a hospital, there are vending machines near the changing rooms. And they're not just selling water and fruit.)

I'm not one to pontificate here, I need to get more exercise myself. I'm just saying it is getting harder to get away from the opportunities for bad food choices.