“Think” — for Yourself.

“Think” is the iconic business motto adopted by IBM’s legendary Thomas J. Watson. This article’s title includes my presumptuous addition “for Youself”. Here’s why …….

Last night as I watched a segment of CBS’ Sixty Minutes on “Obesity”, I had to force myself to listen objectively to the “expert” guest’s entire presentation. Click on;

https://www.google.com/search?q=Cbs+sixty+minutes+jan+1st+segment+on+obesity+youtube&oq=Cbs+sixty+minutes+jan+1st+segment+on+obesity+youtube&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160j33i299.40210j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a0be56f9,vid:31YwU4sK_IM

If this issue interests you in the least, listen carefully to the interview. Right from the start, her very first sentence, the speaker grossly skims right over volumes of contrary facts and jumps to the conclusion which a vast majority of obese people want to hear, “it’s not my fault”. I have a “disease”! I need a drug.

I’m going to share a real story , an anecdote demonstrating how wrong and totally misleading the speaker was.

It’s 2005 and I am a member of a Small Business owners’ networking group. One of the presentations is a weight loss program using a regimen of reducing calorie intake, and a simple nasty tasting appetite suppressant. An exercise regimen of your choice is recommended but, not required.

I, along with about a dozen other people, sign on to the program. One month later, my weight has dropped by about 15 pounds. Other members of my family adopted the program and achieved similar results.

Here’s the punchline. About 2 month’s later, a gentleman in the business networking group with whom I’ve established rapport, is telling me how great the program has worked for him, and, he added “not only have I lost weight but, my diabetes went away”. It “went away”?

Buddy! You never had diabetes. Diabetes, “type 2” is largely a hoax, a hook for people to hang their destructive-life-style hat on and, a gold mine for “Big Pharma”. “I have a disease. I need a drug!” “It’s not my lousy behavior!” and here I get back to the speaker’s opening comments on “60 Minutes” — just like the non-existent diabetes type 2, “I weigh 320 lbs. due to malfunctioning genes, I saw it on CBS”.

— and yes, once again,

I need a drug!

Right here I would like to emphasize how totally un-scientific\anecdotal the “60 Minutes” story was. That’s a critical fact because right now, the day after, millions of Americans are sharing these baseless conclusions with their friends, family, and co-workers.

“Yes, I’m obese but it’s not my fault — it’s my genes!”

In my effort to remain objective and calm in my response to CBS’ gross journalistic negligence, let me offer a simple challenge to their programs’ producers:

Randomly, ask 2000 real people who are 6′ tall, or less and, weigh over 300 lbs. to voluntarily record their food intake for 10 days. Compute the average daily calorie count.

With a simple “yes” or “no” response, ask these same real people if they exercise regularly to the point of raising their heart rate to 100, or more.

Of course, in the real world, a major news network will never question itself. The interviewer last night was was so totally ill-prepared to challenge anything her guest was saying such as;

For example;

“please tell me why America’s obesity rate is among the world’s worst” at 37%.”

“how do you account for India’s obesity rate of 3%.”

I really don’t expect to see that kind of factual discourse to occur on American television. I’m not that naïve.

What I hope for is a more inquisitive and informed American public. More Americans are educating themselves on nutrition facts, especially younger families. And, avoiding “added sugar” products.

Yesterday, Tampa Bay’s quarterback, not a football fan? Google Tom Brady who, at the age of 48 turned in another phenomenal performance. He doesn’t eat sugar. Make your own conclusion, or don’t. I’m ‘just sayin’.

Finally, for comparative purposes, let’s look at the history of small pox. The world was aware of small pox for about 1200 years before a British doctor, Edward Jenner, developed a vaccine to prevent small pox and announced it in 1801. The last person to die from small pox was Janet Parker in 1978. 177 years later!

Today, thoughtful, educated people around the world know how to avoid or reverse obesity. Without prescription drugs. It requires education, behavior modification —- consistent behavior modification,

It will take time. Hopefully, less than 177 years.