How Much Does the Average Person Eat Every Year?

Believe it or not, over 1.7 billion people in the world are obese. That's one of every four people alive. 312 of these people are clinically obese (more than 30 pounds of the recommended weight). People are going to great lengths to protect themselves from the West Nile Virus, Bird Flu, SARS, AIDS and more all while ignoring this reversible threat to their health.

Obesity Costs

Experts estimate that being obese is like aging 20 years or more, that is that it speeds up the onset of chronic medical conditions and results in medical costs that are over 75% higher than average. Fact is that obesity can more than triple your risk for heart disease, stroke and related cardiovascular problems.

Quick and Easy Weight Loss

Everyone wants to lose weight quick, easy and painlessly. There are a lot of people out there who believe they can do it without changing their eating habits, exercise regimen or lifestyle. Take this pill or drink this shake and watch the pounds disappear. So, Americans spend more than $33 billion every year on weight loss pills, supplements, shakes, foods and weight loss programs that promise fast results. The real problem here is that this approach simply doesn't work.

There aren't any easy answers when it comes to weight loss. Every person is different. Weight loss and management requires reducing the calories you consume, exercising vigorously for a minimum of 30 minutes each day and doing it for the rest of your life. If you return to your old eating habits or quit working out everyday once you reach your goal weight, soon the extra will come back and sometimes you may gain even more. Healthy weight is only obtained with lifelong effort.

Taking Charge

Obesity is the biggest reversible health problem in the world. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have predicted that 40% of all Americans will be obese in just six years. This is obviously going to have a significant impact on the quality of people's lives and life expectancy.

How does the extra pounds affect your life? It's difficult to say, exactly. Unless you take action, the crystal ball does not show a positive outlook. Now is the time to take control of your life and your health. It won't be easy and it probably won't be quick either, but the changes you make and stick with, will save you money and contribute to your health in the future.

What We Eat Every Year

If you saw the movie, Super Size Me, you have an idea of why we are getting fatter already. A large part of this is our diet. Portion sizes have nearly doubled since 1970. How bad is it? I found these figures in a CNN.com article published at the beginning of this year, Unfortunately, the article is no longer accessible on CNN.com, but they are due the credit for this alarming study.
The average North American consumes in a year:
18 pounds of french fries
42 gallons of soda ( nearly 500 cans)
156 hamburgers
30 pounds of cheese
53 pounds of bread
46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza
60 hot dogs
35 dough nuts
6 gallons of ice cream
3 pounds of butter
68 quarts of popcorn
12 pounds of chocolate (about 28,000 calories)
27 gallons of coffee
64 pounds of sugar

This information is astounding, so stop spending your money on obesity and take charge of your health and the world's weight problem today!

-Sources=CNN.com, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and free handouts, Super Size Me the movie and the compilation of advice and comments from doctors and nutritionists from Umass Memorial Medical Centers throughout Western MA.