Laura on Life

Quality of life

By Laura Snyder

[January 12, 2011]  Obesity is a burgeoning concern of many Americans. No pun intended.

Well, maybe it was. I could have said: Obesity is a concern of many burgeoning Americans, but I didn't want to offend fat people.

You would think that with the number of weight loss clinics and health food stores cropping up all over the nation, obesity would no longer be an issue. In fact, it seems that the more weight loss clinics and health food stores there are, the more rotund people there are.

If the resources for losing weight are already in place, why are we, as a nation, still so... what's a nice word for it?... abdominous?

Because cookies still exist, that's why! Because the average American can get a piece of cake anytime he wants it! It's not just for special occasions like it used to be. It's for anytime you feel like a nice big piece of fat-inducing, sugar-spiking, diabetes producing... CAKE!... which is all the time.

You could eat salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but one piece of cake and your good intentions are flushed right down the porcelain... well, you know what I mean.

Many countries don't have an obesity problem. We can say that's because they don't have a pair of golden arches on every corner beckoning them to come and taste the ambrosia of the fast-food gods.

But let's be honest, it could be that the skinny nations have more discipline.

Americans aren't used to denying themselves anything. In fact, we believe that anything good enough for the gods is good enough for us.

Why should we subsist on dry crackers, grass and tree bark when there is a nice juicy burger with a side of potatoes soaked in fat available for the asking?

Well, because the quality of your life can be severely inhibited by heart disease, diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure -- not to mention, death. Death would certainly affect your quality of life, wouldn't it?

The opposing view can be expressed by asking: How can you achieve quality of life if you must force yourself not to eat the things you enjoy the most?

The answer is, of course, the happy medium. Everything in moderation. Eat anything you want in small amounts. It's not a perfect solution. I've never been able to eat just one cookie, but I don't have to eat a whole bag at one sitting either. At least it's a step in the right direction.

The two extremes -- eating yourself into the grave, or eating as if you were an Ethiopian nomad -- are unacceptable to most Americans. The only solution seems to be to... well... to have your cake and eat it too. Indulge, but not too much, too often.

Is it possible to abstain from the pleasure of a Big Mac for the pleasures of a healthier life? Maybe not every time, but perhaps sometimes, or even many times.

Instead of supersizing, try downsizing. Have half of that Big Mac and save the rest for Fido. Have two cookies instead of your usual four. Try skim milk with your cereal instead of whole.

The results will not be immediate, because we are not going on a crash diet. Those things never work anyway. Over the long haul, though, you'll see the results in the fact that at least you are not gaining weight and it will be easier to close your pants. There is a certain quality in a person who is able to close his pants, don't you think?

We can do this, people! We have to do it!

Let us raise our glasses of sparkling, artificially sweetened water in a toast: Here's to us, and our life of quality!

[By LAURA SNYDER]

Laura Snyder is a nationally syndicated columnist, author and speaker. You can reach her at [e-mail] or visit www.lauraonlife.com for more info.