This is a very common and complex health topic. Most Americans are heavier than their optimum weight, so in that sense they are overweight, but most are not obese, which I would define as being overweight to a degree that clearly increases our health risks. Being overweight could also be defined in terms of what we think and feel about ourselves, as the psychological attitude toward our weight is so very important. Some people, mostly young women, may think that they are overweight and eat sparingly, when they are actually malnourished and underweight.

Most "overweight" people are very fickle about their weight-control regimens. They will try any and many programs, mostly short-term crash diets that focus on calorie restriction or a single food group, such as the high protein diet. The up-and-down weight syndrome may lead us to the path of lifelong obesity.

Quick weight loss is not the aim of this program. That is relatively easy to do time and again. The only healthy and effective long-range weight reduction plan is to have a balanced and healthy lifestyle such as described throughout this book, and to find the diet and eating habits that allow us to reach and maintain our "right" weight.

Working to change our dietary habits and following the many guidelines and diet suggestions discussed here can really make a difference. With moderate to active regular exercise, we can all be close to our optimum weight. We must realize, though, that this optimum weight may not be quite as low as that of the body we idolize or even as low as that listed in the ideal weight charts. Heredity, conditioning, and metabolism, as well as percentage of body fat, will influence what is ideal, or healthy, for each of us.

Significant excess weight—more than 30 pounds—and more extreme obesity are some of the bigger health concerns of the Western world. The over-intake and under-utilization of food and the storage of excess fuel in our body as fat and waste create a serious nutritional disease. This problem contributes to many more serious diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes—the three most life-threatening, chronic degenerative conditions in our society. Obesity is an important risk factor in all of them; in addition it causes a general decrease in longevity.