How is it that a nation so obsessed with counting calories, cutting carbs, and dieting is so incredibly overweight? The United States is by far the heaviest country in the world. Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese (“Statistics…”). That’s a lot of fat in a country of 281,421,906 inhabitants (“Question…”). On the surface, it is simply mind-boggling why America is in such a state, because this country is made up of people from the rest of the world. However, Eastern and Western Europeans, Asians, Africans, South Americans, and Australians do not face half the number of weight-related health problems that Americans experience on a daily basis. Other countries are nowhere near as overweight as America: 5% of people in France are considered overweight or obese (“ObEpi 2003:…”), in Germany, less than half the population is overweight and only 11% are obese (“Quickfacts…”), in Japan, around 20% are considered overweight (“Quickfacts…”). Criteria…”) and in England, 20 percent are overweight (“Tackling…”). So why are Americans so tall? I can think of a number of reasons as to why this is the case. Above all, Americans worry too much about unimportant things. They worry so much about swimsuits, fitted clothes, and losing weight to look good, that they lose sight of the real issue, their health. Followers of fad diets face the harsh reality that they are no better off than they were before they started Atkins, South Beach, etc., and often gain more pounds than when they started. a number of disorders and conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension...... middle of paper ......ureau. August 3, 2004. “Quick Facts: Company.” German Embassy, ​​Washington DC. August 4, 2004. “Statistics Related to Overweight and Obesity.” NIDDK Weight Control Information Network. 1 August 2004. “Tackling obesity in England”. House of Commons – Public Accounts – Ninth Report. August 4, 2004. .Worley, Mary Ray. “Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance.” » July 28 2004. .