The Fattiest Place on Earth...

One thing I noticed during our Disney vacation of a lifetime extravaganza was that the average denizen of the WDW Borg Collective weighed about as much as a small European car. A quick informal poll (admittedly unscientific) showed some 75% of the male guests to have a visible gut hanging over their belts (seriously. I counted 15 out of 20 guys who were noticeably overweight). The electric scooters were lined up as far as the eye could see upon entrance to any of the theme parks, waiting to convey their portly and/or lazy masters to the furthest reaches of Walt Disney's dream...


Now, I'll be the first to admit that I have a bias. Four years ago I'd have been one of those lardasses (although I didn't need an electric scooter). Hard work, sacrifice, and personal motivation have brought me to a place where I no longer get winded brushing my teeth, and I prefer things this way. I'm also more critical than the next guy WRT weight issues - if *I* lose weight, anyone can. I'm also more than happy to admit that yes, there are certain people who, through no fault of their own, have sluggish metabolisms or other conditions that make weight gain a foregone conclusion.

But it's hard to ignore the double cheeseburger, XL fries, and chocolate shake on their plate as the most likely culprit for needed mechanical assistance...

Folks, if you've let yourself go to the point of needing an electric scooter to get around a theme park, it's time to take a long, hard look at your life choices. If you're not suffering from a thyroid condition or other legitimate medical issue, it's time to start cutting back. Yes, it's hard - the triple chocolate brownie dessert is very yummy, and it calls to us, yes it does, preciousssss... Been there, done that, got the stretch marks to show for it.

Mrs. G. had a pedometer that she wore while we were down in Disney. It's part of some "1,000 mile" program where if she walks a thousand miles in a year she gets a free pair of sneakers or something - basically, it's a wellness incentive from her work. We walked an average of five miles a day, most often in 90º+ heat and high humidity. I basically suspended my diet for the entire week, opting to choose healthier meals whenever possible but not skipping dessert and even having seconds at times. And I still managed to lose three pounds - that's what being active can do.

In any case, there's simply no excuse for letting yourself get so heavy that the wheelchair lift on the bus can't get your ample carcass loaded (this really happened). None. It's about damned time we started taking more pride in our appearance; it's time we started making better choices and taking better care of ourselves. And not just for our own personal betterment, mind you; things are going to get very ugly when we get "free" health care from Uncle Sucker and the .gov decides it's going to tell us how to live our lives (like they've told businesses how to operate in the wake of the bailouts...).

Those that have been bloating up nicely for the past few decades are going to have some rough going when it's decided that, since the .gov is picking up the tab for your health care now, you're going on a diet, fattie...

That is all.