Diet and Exercise: Problem, solution or excuse?

Everywhere you go, you will see an Atkins friendly menu. Atkins is everywhere. It sounds like the ultimate diet, because you just leave out carbohydrates and eat all you want. The truth is there is more to it than that. This diet isn't for people who can't live without carbohydrates; it is for people who won't miss them so much. The Atkins diet doesn't leave room for cheaters, but it also isn't set up to gorge you either. This diet is all about self-control, as is any other diet. The problem with weight gain and weight lose isn't the type of diet you are on, it is individual eating habits and the amount of exercise you have; it doesn't matter how much or how little you eat if you don't exercise.

We can't sit back and say that it is our parent's fault that we are over weight, or even that it is the fault of the economy.

A diet rich in soy and whey protein, found in prod...

The USDA's original food pyramid from 1992.

English: Typical Atkins diet meal

I live in the state of West Virginia. Here, the obesity level is 23.2% compared to the national average of 20.1%. Is it because nutrition programs aren't available; because we don't know about eating healthy; or because exercise was never introduced to us? The answer is no, no and no. All through school we took physical education classes; as a matter of fact it was required to graduate from High School. I can remember the introduction of the "Food Pyramid". This shows what kinds of foods and how many servings I should eat every day. You know the saying "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"? Well, that applies to anyone who has a problem with obesity. However, I will grant you there are genetic issues that can cause obesity, but they can be dealt with...