By Michael Koberlein
Adults in Utah are not far behind the national trend in obesity rates.
According to a recent study on the Utah Department of Health Web site, 67.1 percent of adult males and 49.5 percent of adult females were reported to be overweight or obese in 2004. The trend of more males being obese than females has been constant since 1989.
If the trend continues, an estimated 73.5 percent of males and 55.4 percent of females in Utah will be overweight or obese by the year 2010, according to the report.
Merrill Christensen, BYU professor of nutritional science, said the problem occurs when people stop denying themselves everything they want.
?We live in a society where self-denial is looked down on,? he said. ?Our society teaches us we shouldn?t have to deny ourselves anything. That?s why people go roaring into debt; that?s why people sleep with whomever they want.?
If people would start eating when they?re hungry and stop when they?re not, and be a little more active, obesity wouldn?t be a problem for most people, Christensen said.
?Yeah you can have a doughnut, yeah you can have a Big Mac, but if those are two of your four food groups you?re in trouble,? he said, stressing the importance of staying within daily caloric recommendations. ?A guy could eat a bowl of cereal the size of a satellite dish and think that?s his daily serving, when may only be three cups.?
Although Christensen said it?s oversimplifying the matter to say the problem is completely attributed to lack of self-denial, with nearly five percent of obesity cases reported as hereditary, he did emphasize that people do ultimately choose what and how much of what they eat.
The department of health report stated the overweight and obesity trend ?is attributable to consuming too much food (poor diet) and a decrease in physical activity. The average American is consuming more high-fat foods; is drinking soda instead of milk; is consuming dramatically more cheese; is consuming few fruits and vegetables; is eating more meals/snacks outside of the home; and is moving less.?