Self-Regulation

Some frightening statistics: 2/3 of the US population is overweight or obese.  The percentage of young people who are overweight has tripled since 1980.  30 percent of those over 21 are obese. 

Why has this problem gotten so out of hand?  I think one part of it is the American philosophy of individualism.  America is all about the individual: giving everyone a chance (supposedly) in capitalism, and giving everyone a vote in the democracy.  The fabric of our country was woven around independence.

Independence is a nice topic for stories, fables, and philosophy books, but it doesn't really describe how people operate.  I would instead argue that we are all inherently dependent, dependent on the people (or lack thereof) around us.

If people were truly independent, autonomous units, they could just flip a switch, so to speak, and start exercising to lose weight.  But we all know that's not the case, and the statistics I mentioned above merit this point.

Clearly, most people don't have the self-regulatory powers to maintain a healthy weight.  This does not mean that those people who can maintain a healthy weight are superior in some way.  It just means that for the average person, when it comes to he or she controlling their weight, the correct prescription is not, "you're on your own!"

So what's the answer?  In a nutshell, other people helping.  Studies show that various kinds of social support do make a difference for a person trying to lose weight.  Telephone counseling, internet couseling, "buddy" programs, are all effective.  If the government really wanted to help people lose weight, they would set up these types of programs in all communities.