It’s admirable to set goals for oneself, but when I saw an article detailing the desires of New Jersey native Donna Simpson, I was taken aback. Simpson’s dream is simple; she hopes to one day hold the title of world’s fattest woman. To reach this goal, Simpson has to push herself to the unfathomable total of 1,000 pounds. (Unfortunately, that was not a typo.)
In her pursuit of this lofty goal, Simpson spent two hours eating Christmas dinner, and in the process consumed over 30,000 calories. She ate two 25-pound turkeys, two maple-glazed hams, 15 pounds of potatoes (10 pounds roasted, 5 pounds mashed), five loaves of bread, 5 pounds of herb stuffing, 4 pints of gravy, 4 pints of cranberry dressing and an astonishing 20 pounds of vegetables.
Wait, there’s more. Afterwards, she made room for dessert where she polished off a salad made of marshmallow, cream cheese, whipped cream and cookies.
Disgusting.
This story is an extreme example of the obesity problem in this country. Though we may not set goals like Simpson, our daily diet, in conjunction with a lack of exercise, suggests that many of us are content to wallow in our fat.
So if that’s the case, then be a man or a woman about it, and publicly go for it like Simpson. Don’t lie to yourself … and don’t set New Year resolutions if you don’t intend to even try to keep them. While I’m thinking about it, you should also refrain from spending money on a gym membership that will go unused.
In 2011, our motto should be “don’t talk about, be about.” So what side will you be on? The side with Simpson, and others like her? Or the side where you work hard to preserve your body? I know which side I’m choosing. –djr
