Facts on Dieting and Weight in America:

In 1980 one out of four individuals was considered obese or overweight.. Now in the year 2,000, it is one out of two. What are the two main factors contributing to this increase?

In 1970, the diet industry was a $10 billion industry. Today, it is a $33 billion industry. The fatter the diet industry, the fatter the American population, the fatter the American population, the fatter the diet industry.

On any given day, 48 million Americans are dieting.

Each year, 65 million Americans choose from 30,000 diet plans.

In 1992, the National Institute of Health held investigatory hearings and concluded that diets do not work and may even be dangerous to your health.

Why?

Are there any positive aspects of dieting or are there cases in which they might help?

Recently the Institute of Medicine found that those who lose weight on diets regain two-thirds of the weight they lost within one year, and almost all of it within five years. Why?

In 1994, Consumer Reports did a study that demonstrated that more than a quarter of dieters in commercial weight loss programs did not meet the medical criteria for even moderate overweight.. Why is this happening?

The average fashion model is 5’9” to 6’ tall The average American woman is 5’4” tall

The average fashion model weighs 110-118 lbs. The average American woman weighs 142 lbs.

The average fashion model is 17-26 years old The average American woman is 44 years old.

In 1992 Americans (mostly women) spent:

$1.75 billion on cosmetic surgery

$33 billion on diets and diet products

How has this thinness/dieting mania impacted our lives?

More than 1 in 3 Americans weight at least 20% more than their ideal weight.

27% of children 6-11 and 22% of teenagers also weigh more than the ideal on standardized charts.

One out of 200 girls aged 12-18 is anorexic.

1 out of 4 college woman are bulimic.

6.7% of 8^th –10^th grade girls buy over-the-counter diet pills.

In a study of 4^th grade girls, 90% were on some type of diet.