Can a Size 18 Surgeon General Inspire a Fat Nation?

After 30 years on the rise, rates appear to be stabilizing

(NEWSER) - After rapidly rising for three decades, obesity rates in the US are apparently stabilizing—finally, the Los Angeles Times reports. New data shows just a slight rise in obesity rates since 2005, and many experts say this flattening reflects the success of efforts such as healthier school lunches and nutritional information on food packages. Of course, as one nutrition expert notes, "The bad news is we still have obesity rates that are just astronomical." Specifically, 35.7% of American adults were considered obese in 2010. More»

Holidays, relationships, and quitting smoking among the dangers

(NEWSER) - With Americans continuing to get bigger and bigger , we need all the help we can get to stay healthy—so the Daily Beast offers a warning on 15 things that might cause you to pack on the pounds:

• Holiday season: With all the food, stress, and booze associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, the holidays account for 51% of all weight gained during the year.
• Quitting smoking: Men are especially at risk here, with an 8% chance of adding more than 28 pounds after giving up tobacco. Women get off easier, with just a 6% chance.

Americans find hefty politicians hard to swallow

(NEWSER) - Is Chris Christie too fat for the White House? His extra girth could serve him well in an election—to a point. It makes him look like one of the gang, if the gang is the growing number of obese Americans. And his pounds prove he's a guy not listening to the diet nags of the "nanny state," a plus for Tea Party fans. It's also ... different. "People want something different, something out of the ordinary, someone who is willing to stand up and confront problems," political consultant John McLaughlin tells ABC News . "Being a picture-perfect candidate I don't think is as important anymore." More»

Her outpatient center calls story 'premature'

(NEWSER) - Lap-Band surgery appears to have claimed another victim. A woman in Orange County, Calif., died earlier this month after undergoing the procedure, the fifth to expire since the 1-800-GET-THIN advertising campaign started two years ago, the Los Angeles Times reports. Paula Rojeski, 55, was 5 foot 5 and weighed around 180 pounds when she underwent the stomach surgery to discourage overeating. More»

...they want to keep their hair nice

(NEWSER) - In a move that some are calling bizarre, the surgeon general has set her sights on ... women's hair. While visiting a hair trade show this month, Dr. Regina Benjamin spoke about what Anahad O'Connor, writing for the New York Times , calls "something of a pet cause": Her belief that women aren't exercising because the don't want to mess up their hair. "Oftentimes you get women saying, 'I can’t exercise today because I don’t want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet,'" she explained, pointing to women's concerns, in particular those of black women, that the time and money spent treating their hair will go to waste. More»