How Did Americans Get So Heavy?

Today, 65 percent of American adults over age 20 are overweight or obese.

That's a pretty scary statistic. Just look around and you’ll realize you’re not alone in needing to learn weight management. How did so many people get so heavy? The answer is simple: Most of us are eating more calories than we are burning.

The problem of an overweight population comes from a combination of factors:

• Increasing portion sizes,
• More processed foods with fewer nutrients and
• A more sedentary lifestyle.

We're eating more food. Portions have increased dramatically in the last 20 years. The average daily intake of adults rose by about 300 calories between 1985 and 2000. That means we have to work a lot harder to burn the extra calories that those larger portions add.

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