Americans are gaining weight at a remarkably fast pace. Thinkback on the days of four square and dodge ball and you’dpredict that everyone would tease the fat kids, even when they turninto fat adults. Instead, society is turning the other cheek, andnot showing nearly enough concern. Suddenly, with the adoption ofsome excuses and politically correct terms, obesity is a”disease.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity is thesecond highest killer of Americans, and it’s gaining onsmoking for the No. 1 position. And now, while we’re lightingup outside the drive-thru, obesity is latching onto children, aswell. This is serious, people.

The majority of the time, obesity is part of a lifestyle. Andlike smoking, obesity can cause multiple diseases. But smokingitself isn’t a disease, and the same thing goes for beingfat. Having unprotected sex, while stupid, is not a disease. But,when your stupidity leads to HIV, then it’s probably going tokill you. See what I’m saying?

Calling obesity a disease implies that once you’ve got itthere’s nothing you can do about it. We all struggle to stayin shape, but now society has begun to accept and sympathize withthe one-third of American adults who make up our grossly overweightpopulation. There is even a National Association to Advance FatAcceptance, which campaigns against weight discrimination and alsoargues that the media distorts obesity information andstatistics.

Nope. That can’t be it. I’ve seen it, andwe’re fat. Sure we shouldn’t be using fat adults asdodge ball targets anymore, but we shouldn’t tip toe aroundthe millions of people eating their way toward death either.

It’s a damn shame. I mean, I’m all aboutlovin’ the skin you’re in, but 300 pounds is taking ittoo far. We use terms like “big boned” and rationalizethat obesity runs in our families, but I don’t thinkMcDonald’s is a genetic trait. And from the looks of it, noone in your family runs.

The worst part is how it’s influencing children. In caseyou forgot, they’re our future. Researchers at DukeUniversity have called childhood obesity an “epidemic”that has practically wiped out the last 30 years of advances inchildren’s health.

If adults want to sit around on their fat asses and eatmayonnaise by the spoonfuls, that’s fine. At this pointyou’re a lost cause, and one of the real diseases that arebrought on by obesity will kill you soon. But if your kids aresitting next to you on the couch, then you’re teaching themyour lifestyle and hurting them in more ways than one.

Obesity greatly increases the risk for high blood pressure,heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease and cancers of thebreast, prostate and colon, to name a few. And as kids pack on thepounds, they’re at huge risk of developing diabetes.

Every parenting book will tell you that the “Do as I say,not as I do” approach doesn’t work. If you’refat, they’ll adopt your eating habits, so the best way youcan help your kids is to embrace a healthy lifestyle and make itmore likely that their parents will still be alive in a few years.Turn off the TV and sit down to a healthy dinner with them. Kidslike flavorful fruits and vegetables, and so does most everyoneelse, but our laziness draws us to the convenience of fast food andvending machines.

Not everyone who is obese eats poorly, is lazy or lets theirbody go. People come in thousands of shapes and sizes, butthat’s also why it’s ludicrous that we have all becomethe same blubbery shape. A natural, healthy body is beautiful,whether it’s big or small, as long as it’s the best ofyou.

But if you’re like my 250-pound aunt who eats the fat offof her steak and will take yours, too, then you’re clearlyenjoying being fat. You’re waddling around soaking up everylast calorie you can, and that’s no disease &-it’s your own damn fault.

Having a larger figure isn’t necessarily unattractive, buthaving an unhealthy appearance is. Like smoking and poor hygiene,severe obesity looks unhealthy, and that looks ugly.

No one will dispute that losing weight is hard work. Butit’s no longer true that the majority of people who loseweight gain it back within a year. A change of lifestyle willaffect you positively psychologically, physically, and socially.So, why not give it a try? It certainly won’t kill you.