Commentary: Americans are losing the obesity battle        Maj. Thomas Hundley Moncrief Army Community Hospital

As a personal fitness trainer, I have heard every excuse in the book for why people are overweight. Here are some statistics from the American College of Sports Medicine that may amaze you: –– Americans eat 5 to 10 percent fewer calories than 20 years ago, yet weigh approximately 5 pounds more.  –– In the U.S., 50 million men and 60 million women ages 18-79 are overweight, more than 12 million are considered severely obese. –– 20 million adults in the U.S. are dieting to lose weight. –– Ninety percent of all dieters regain lost weight within one year and 99 percent within five years. –– One of five children ages 5-17 is obese. –– Americans spend twice as much to treat obesity-related conditions as they do to prevent it.  Research indicates obese people don’t necessarily eat more calories than their peers, they simply move less. As a result, they burn fewer calories and store more fat, which causes their fat cells to expand.   How many retirees do you know who have packed on the pounds after retirement? The first one who comes to my mind is my father, retired Sgt. 1st Class Thomas M. Hundley.  A year after I made him salute me at my commissioning ceremony, he retired and gained a whopping 50 pounds. He now suffers from chronic knee problems and severe back pains.   Losing one pound of weight actually takes four pounds of pressure off your knees. So in my dad’s case, that amounts to 200 pounds of additional pressure on his ever-aging knees. If this sounds familiar, then it’s time to do something about it. Here are some of the major contributors to obesity and recommended solutions to combat them:  Eating Too Many Calories Back away from the food buffet. I don’t care how hard you try, it is almost impossible not to go back for seconds and thirds at the all-you-can-eat joints. We go in with the mindset that we are going to definitely get our $6.85 worth. Within 30 minutes, you consume more than 3,500 calories at one meal. Houston, we have a problem! Be mindful of how much food you eat daily. Most importantly, know when to stop. Eating Too Many High-Fat/High-Sugar Foods Did you know that it takes 10 minutes of jumping jacks to work off one Oreo cookie? Even I know you can’t stop at just one cookie. Imagine eating a whole row of Oreos.  High fat foods are a menace to our waist lines. My recommendation is to try the 100 calorie variety snacks. When choosing a beverage, I recommend choosing the ones with a sugar substitute like Splenda, or just drink my personal favorite, good old H2O. Let’s cut the fat and reduce the sugar.  Living a Sedentary Lifestyle Believe it or not, this may be the No. 1 reason why Americans are overweight. With the invention of the remote control, we don’t even have to get up to change the channel. With the invention of cable, we don’t even have to get up to turn the antenna or pole. With the invention of Nintendo, we don’t even have to go outside to play. South Carolina is too beautiful a state to be inside on a couch. Get up, get out and get active. Let’s stop making excuses for our present conditions. Today is the day that we can make a positive change in our lives. We can all make America stronger and healthier than ever. That change begins with you. Let’s get fit!