I wonder if 15 or 20 years from now, when the kids who are being raised with this paranoia about obesity are hitting college age, if there will be some kind of major health problems - weak bones, bad teeth, metabolic problems.

I mean, I'm fat and I know it, my mother put me on a diet for the first time when I was 12 and I've been struggling with my weight ever since. But it seems that thin has become the primary gauge of whether a person's healthy and the standard for thin enough seems to be becoming thinner and thinner.

But it seems that thin has become the primary gauge of whether a person's healthy

The problem is that thin is being equated with good health and healthy habits, and, conversely, overweight is being equated with poor health and crappy health habits. And neither one of those correlations is automatically true.

Man, this is making me nostalgic for the 1970s, when my family was viewed as freaks because we drank 2% milk....as opposed to whole milk.

I had this idea that only Protestants drank non-whole milk because my best friend's family did (her father was a Methodist minister) and nobody else I knew (pretty much all Catholic) did.

It's the puritan work ethic applied to food - if it tastes good, it's sinful.

I had this idea that only Protestants drank non-whole milk because my best friend's family did (her father was a Methodist minister) and nobody else I knew (pretty much all Catholic) did.

Total Liberty Heights / Barry Levinson flash right there.

re: diabetes

When Hubby was first diagnosed, his sugars were all over the place. He once got down to 17, according to his meter. Granted, he had just passed out in the street and was curious as to why he felt weird. In any case, his doctor swore he had a bad meter, so Hubby offered to test it on the meter of Doc's choice. Pre-meal number--32. 35 on a second meter. Hubby smiled and continued his then-standard breakfast of a pint of Haagen Daz, which would get his blood sugar up to a blistering 140.

The metabolism. It's weird.

aha! I knew I'd seen a story about (under)feeding toddlers!

It's the puritan work ethic applied to food - if it tastes good, it's sinful.

Wrod. And Hubby has to beat me about the head and shoulders (metaphorically) to get me to a doctor, because I've somehow acquired the belief that a worthy person wouldn't have these ailments (ie, only slatterns and low-lifes are as fat as I, so it's only just that I should be suffering from ailments, and the doctor will give me the look of Unclean! if I ask for help).

Unfortunately, connie, you might get that - there have been a number of stories about doctors who look at someone overweight and immediately say that all you need is to lose some weight.

I knew I'd seen a story about (under)feeding toddlers!

I read that blog all the time. She's excellent with her research, and pretty rigorous.