"We have a fat enabling society," Dalton says. "We meet our emotional needs with food. We use food for all kinds of things. At the same time, Madison Avenue tells us to look like ironing boards sideways."

The psychological factors of weight gain are further aggravated by the diet industry selling products, food, and body image, says Dalton.

"Obesity also has a metabolic component," according to Dalton, who says heredity and varying levels of neurotransmitters are indisputable factors.

Whatever the cause, America is the world leader when it comes to the number of obese people, just ahead of England and Germany, according to the World Health Organization.

new standards weigh in

Twenty-nine million Americans became fat overnight under new government standards released in June 1998, according to a November 1998 article in American Health for Women.

Though the number of overweight Americans is increasing in real numbers due to actual weight gains, more people are now classified as overweight since the National Institutes of Health redefined "overweight" as a BMI above 25, and obesity as a BMI above 30.

According to the old definition, a 5-foot-4-inch woman could weigh up to 160 pounds and be considered within a healthy weight range. Under the new standards, she would have to be under 145 pounds to escape categorization as overweight.