CNN

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

There are now more obese Americans than those who are merely overweight.

A new Federal report says that 34% of Americans are now obese.

A new Federal report says that 34% of Americans are now obese as compared to the 32.7% who are overweight. More than one third of all Americans, 72 million people, are obese.

Among the objectives set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services for the year 2010 is to reduce obesity to less than 15% of the adult population. To say they've got their work cut out for them is a gross understatement. It's now 2009 and the numbers are moving in the wrong direction.

The rising rates of obesity aren't new. As a nation, we've been getting fatter and fatter for years. Health officials have warned us that obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other illnesses. The message is clear, eat healthy and exercise. But we don't listen and rather than shedding the pounds people are putting more on.

Here’s my question to you: What does it mean that more than a third of Americans are obese?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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A new study says that by 2030, 86% of adults will be overweight, with 51% obese.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Put down that burger and fries and consider this: a new study says that every American adult could be overweight in 40 years. We're actually not so far away now with two-thirds of the population already overweight.

Researchers say that if the trends of the last 30 years hold up… by 2030, 86% of adults will be overweight, with 51% obese. By 2048, they predict all adults could be overweight.

Certain groups – like African-Americans and Mexican-Americans – are expected to suffer the most from weight issues. In fact, all black women and almost all Mexican-American men could be overweight in less than 30 years.

And it's not just the scales we'd be tipping. The study shows that health care costs related to all this weight will double each decade, reaching $957 billion in about 20 years. Or even more.

Some experts doubt that all of us will be obese or overweight in 40 years, but they agree the problem is getting worse. Others say it just might happen if Americans keep eating more and moving around less. Researchers call for major efforts to improve lifestyles in this country along with social changes, like healthier food choices and making neighborhoods more pedestrian-friendly.

Here’s my question to you: What should Americans do so that all of us aren’t overweight in 40 years?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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