Jon I read that book not too long ago. It was such an eyeopener for me! I'm not much of a fast food type of person but after that book I was less so.
Ok, the issue at hand. I think that thinness is prized so much because it's increasingly rare. If indeed 60% of adults are overweight, that means that thin people are in a minority. Many of my friends are from other countries and the amount of driving we do as opposed to walking astounds them. Our suburban type towns aren't really designed to be pedestrian friendly, for one thing. Also the type and amount of food we eat is highly unhealthy. Think white bread, fried foods, red meat, white sugar, butter, processed food, ice cream etc. Eastern diets tend to be more veggie based and European diets tend to have smaller portions. That's why the French eat so richly yet stay pencil-slim. I try to model my diet after these two groups and even though I don't exercise nearly as much as I should I manage to stay fairly normal. (5'2" and around 118-123, depending). And as anyone who knows me can attest, I never dare miss a meal and I'm always hungry!
