Yahoo! News - Study: We're Eating Ourselves to Death: "Inactive Americans are eating themselves to death at an alarming rate, their unhealthy habits fast approaching tobacco as the top underlying preventable cause of death, a government study found.

In 2000, poor diet including obesity and physical inactivity caused 400,000 U.S. deaths — more than 16 percent of all deaths and the No. 2 killer. That compares with 435,000 for tobacco, or 18 percent, as the top underlying killer. "
----
I was amazed as a child when I learned that dogs could eat themselves to death. (As it turns out, humans can too, though the number of stomach ruptures is actually quite rare.)

In this case, it's not about a single gorge exceeding the stomach's 4 quart capacity... it's about too many calories (mostly carbs) and too little exercise... to the point of developing chronic diseases (heart failure, diabetes, etc) that eventually does the victim in.

I've frequently found myself in a range from 0 to 20 pounds overweight. At some point, I remember that I do have a choice in what I put in my mouth and can find time for exercise if it's important to me. Eating myself to 300, 400 or more pounds seems unbelievable to me, and yet I see it every time I go outside.

Unfortunately, being who we are as American's, rather than doing the right thing (IMO, diet & exercise), we'll jack up health costs with more gastric bypasses and more $100/bottle "professional grade" diet pill solutions, further lining the pockets of the giant pharmas.

It seems that "learning" (i.e., changing behavior) is a very hard thing to do with any level of consistancy.