.....OK, put down that BLT, extra mayo and double layer of B, and listen up because there’s more. Being a little overweight is one thing (indeed, according to some contentious studies, being slightly overweight may not even lead to any long-term health consequences), but according to Statscan, although the number of overweight Canadians has risen the last few decades, way more worrisome is the fact that it’s the obese among us that have expanded at the fastest rate - according to Stascan, the number of obese people in Canada nearly tripled between 1985 and 2003. But even worse, the expansion among the number of truly obese Canadians (yes, there are degrees of obesity) was greatest of all.
.....And bear in mind (you may have to put aside your nachos and sour cream to concentrate fully on this) that this report from Statscan is actually a best-case scenario because it’s based on people reporting their own weight, and most studies have found that people, and especially those who are overweight to begin with, notoriously under-report their true weights (yes, Canadians do lie, as pollsters will readily confirm, I’m sure).
.....Anyway, even with the rosiest scenario, the growing number of overly fat Canadians represents a looming health care crisis, and there are really only three things we can do about it.
.....One is to choose the traditional Canadian way, that is, appoint a Royal Commission padded with fat, overly-paid well-connected Canadians from Ontario and Quebec to study the problem and issue a report that no one will pay any attention to.
.....Second, is to pick an equally Canadian tactic and simply ignore the problem. And sadly, that’s what most people with the metabolic syndrome do. Go on, finish that bag of fries and get back to this when your hands aren’t as greasy.
.....The last option is the hardest choice but ultimately the one you really must opt for if you want to evade the consequences: focus on your weight and do what you can to control it. That includes starting with an accurate and honest measurement of your weight (no, not on the bathroom scale that you can tip at an angle to register 9 pounds less than your true weight), your blood pressure, your blood glucose level and your full cholesterol profile (including LDL, HDL, VLDL, and triglycerides).
.....Then, if your results are out of whack, as they will be for many of you, do something about your diet and your exercise level. What should you do? Easy. Eat less. Eat better. Get more active. Most of you will benefit greatly as a result. .....(Unfortunately, a few of you will not get the weight off your middles no matter what you do – you’re genetically programmed to put weight on around your belly – but you still have lots to gain, and nothing to lose, by eating right and exercising).
.....By the way, wanna bet that very few of you do anything with this information?
.....You know, maybe my mother-in-law was right.

Dr. Art Hister can be heard on CKNW and other Corus Radio Network stations on House Calls on Saturdays at 10 AM, as well as seen on Global TV news on Saturday mornings at 9:20.