Counting Calories

Joining the U.S. National Debt Clock, we now have the first ever "Fat Clock," which calculates in real time the aggregate amount of weight that all adult Americans are gaining every tenth of a second. (We're well past the 39 billion pound mark, by the way, attributed in some ways I'm sure to the "billions and billions served" by McDonald's over the years.)

This idea is the brainshild of Dr. Charles Stuart Platkin, a nationally recognized health advocate and syndicated columnist, and founder of the DietDetective.com, a Web site which offers tips on health, fitness and nutrition to help people combat their weight problems. The clock can be found in its upper right-hand corner.

I know the purpose of this new device is to bring more awareness to the national problem of obesity -- as well as to bring more viewers to Dr. Platkin's site. But I have to admit, seeing that number kind of grossed me out (no pun intended), and I wonder if it will create the type of interest aimed for. Will knowing the aggreggate weight of America convince people to eat less (or at least better) and exercise more? Or will it cause them to want to grab for the nearest bag of Doritos or Snickers bar, as it did me, to help placate that unsettled feeling in the pits of their stomachs caused by the mental image of billions of pounds of fat rippling in the wind with the American flag fluttering in the background?

Comments

[Sean]

I think this is exactly what Americans need. We need to understand the amount of calories we eat at each sitting. I was recently at a "brand name" restaurant and ordered a chicken fried steak. Upon arriving home, I went to their website and found the nutritional facts of that meal. To my astonishment, that meal was 3500 calories! That's in one sitting. I think we all need that kind of a wakeup call.