UUronL

In all seriousness, I have been on both sides of the battle. I have been my "high-school" weight (lighter actually) for about 3.5 years, but had struggled with weight for about 10 years prior to that.

In the US, you have really great distances between things - so most people drive everywhere. This is in stark contrast to nearly every other large developed nation.
The few who are lucky enough to be able to live in an urban setting get a lot of walking for exercise. This is similar to how other cultures live, and it benefits them greatly. The lack of daily walking is one huge US problem.

The second problem is that the majority of people don't truly understand nutrition, and even if they do - they grossly overestimate the size of a single portion. Then there are many who just simply don't care what they eat.

Third, the US has adopted a culture of working out to negate the effects of poor eating habits. In other countries, there is far less working out, and far less eating. If there's one thing I have taken away from my travels, it is that people in other countries eat like birds. Adopting that tactic has been beneficial. You can't always find the time or opportunity to work out, but you can always eat moderately. The American fitness paradigm is predicated on a continuous and time-consuming regimen of activity... often breaking down when people become overworked.



Lastly, and this is a warning to all... researchers are now beginning to link internal fat deposits to health risks. These internal deposits can even be found in skinny people who are not overweight. The term SOFI (Skinny Outside Fat Inside) is now being bandied about in the medical community. Not being overweight simply isn't a guarantee that you won't fall victim to heart disease or other ailments. Live right and stay healthy!