America is having an obesity crisis! At least, that’s what we’re told. The number of people overweight in the country is said to be at a crisis level. Americans are infamously fat; mocked around the world for being bloated. But is that true? When you read or hear the word obese, what does that suggest to you?

 Most people think of someone really overweight, with rolls of fat; the kind of person who is seriously unhealthy.   According to a recent Associated Press report, about 5% of Americans are “morbidly obese,” which is defined as more than 100 pounds over weight, while a full 33 % are just plain obese.   That sounds just awful, but what does “obese” mean?