I'd like to read it. Paris posted this interview with the author over in the Media forum.

BW, there are so many of us that think that way. You're right that you don't have to be 330 lbs to feel it. I think it's a symptom of our society.

(Warning: you got me thinking. Rant to follow.)

I believe food addiction of varying severity is way more common than anyone wants to admit. There are those who refuse to believe that food is addictive. Well, anything can be addictive when you're searching for a way to hide from your problems, but carbage has been pretty solidly verified to alter brain chemistry. It increases serontonin. It makes you feel better. Anything that alters brain chemistry, especially to make you feel better, can be abused.

Now, it's relatively easy to avoid heroin and cocaine. The potential dangers of alcohol and cigarettes are taught to youngsters. But we (in general) raise our kids on junk food. Now throw in the fact that the pushers - I mean, the food industry - is so highly competitive with one another. Notice how they're constantly reinventing their products, increasing portion sizes and altering their packaging. I believe there's a "big food" that's about as honest as "big tobacco". We are absolutely *barraged* with carbage. It's everywhere. Ask a European who comes to North America for the first time; they're amazed that we have crap not just in stores, but movie theaters, vending machines, even movie rental shops. They're amazed at the sickeningly huge portions.

At the same time, Big Food cries, "it's not our fault people are fat." Yes, I know, we are the ones responsible for our bodies, but what are we supposed to do? Buy their products and not eat them? Put your money where your mouth is, Big Food: if we ate your products "responsibly," you'd have a minimum 50% cut in your revenue. Does that sound good to you?

The icing on the cake? The great double standard. Western society endorses this massive food consumption, while at the same time, it's a "moral crime" to be fat. That's why so many of us need support such as this forum.

If restaurants served normal portions of relatively healthy food, if junk food wasn't thrown at us from every direction, if junk food was considered a rare treat and not a part of every meal, this WOE would be a breeze and more of the 10,000 people who actually registered here would be successful. We are swimming upstream against quite a current.

I do not believe in the myth of the magic thin person who eats whatever they want. Maybe they have a high metabolism, but that doesn't mean they're healthy or won't pay for it down the road. It doesn't mean they don't calorie count or starve themselves when you're not looking. The thin people I know eat like thin people. I believe there's no such thing as escaping the consequence of freely over-consuming North American crapola food.

...and that is why it feels so unfair. 'cause it is.

Ha. Did I have too much coffee this morning or what?