"Who wants to be fat when you grow up?"

Last month I had the pleasure of speaking to two 8th grade health classes at Islander Middle School. My opening question was, "Who wants to be fat when you grow up?" Amazingly, no one raised their hand. (Well, actually one joker did to get a few laughs.) Yep, no one wants to be fat when they grow up- or even as a middle schooler. So why is 68% of America overweight and half of that population obese?

Would you believe me when I tell you that much of our weight gain problem is not because of our lack of control?- it is because portion sizes have gotten bigger, bigger and bigger. Take the bagel. When I was growing up, a bagel was a cute little thing- about an ounce and a half and held a reasonable amount of food on it. Nowadays, a bagel is often three times larger (you are now eating three bagels!) with three times the filling on it! One reason we gain weight is because portion sizes have gotten out of control.

Buying your food at Costco? Watch out for the Warehouse Syndrome, as described in one of my favorite books: Mindless Eating, by Dr. Brian Wansink. http://www.amazon.com/Mindless-Eating-More-Than-Think/dp/0553384481/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286888189&sr=8-1 He describes real-life experiments proving that if you buy larger quantities, you cook more and eat more. If you cook up a two pound bag of spaghetti instead of a one pound bag, you will likely dish out and eat a bigger portion.

A great way to get your portion sizes under control is to go to a Weight Watchers meeting, embrace the program, and learn how to eat all over again! I have two nephews who are in their twenties, and both experienced success with Weight Watchers. One did the program online and one is nearing his goal (27 lbs. gone) by attending regular meetings. Perhaps people in their twenties grew up with bigger portion sizes and thus had to "learn to eat all over again."

Do you need to learn how to eat all over again? If you do, try ordering Dr. Wansink's book or join up with Weight Watchers. Actually, doing both is a terrific idea.