Levi may be long gone, but his question is probably one that every single person on this board has asked of him/herself at some point. This is an excerpt from a Q&A forum sponsored and answered by the Cornell University Cooperative Extension:

Q. My question is - are there any studies or is there any evidence that the increased availability of bread and refined carbohydrate products (usually low in cost and readily available anywhere) has contributed to the increased incidence of obesity in this country? Also, is the increased prevalence of adult obesity directly related to the increased incidence of childhood obesity here?
A.The relationship between diet and obesity is a tough one. Many people have looked for such a relationship and have been unable to find one. In fact, there are some data showing that obese people eat less sugar and refined carbohydrates than their leaner peers. There is even a debate about calories. Most researchers have not found an increase in caloric intake with increasing body weight. Several researchers, including our own work, have found that intake increases with lean body mass, and not total weight. The only consistent finding between diet and obesity is that obese adults and children eat a high percent of their calories as fat. It is important to point out, however, that this is intake after they are obese. What is most important is what do they eat just prior and during their weight gain. We just don't know.