The 2013 F as in Fat Report from the Trust for Americas Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows U.S. obesity leveling off. Before we get too excited and head for the ice cream parlor in celebration, we should note that extreme obesity has grown and the obesity leveling off is at the rate of 36 percent of our population. Extreme obesity is defined as at least 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms) overweight. That classification has grown from 1.4 percent in the late 1970s to 6.3 percent. That is about a 350 percent increase. Heart breaking! The website document provides a great deal of information in addition to the report, including articles on issues, the stats, and a resources library.

If you become tired of the stats and want to get started on number one (that’s you) or even number 2 (helping your loved ones) then you may want to take action to stay out or get yourself or a loved one out of these downer statistics.

• If you’re looking for a place to take the first step in fighting excess fat, stop or severely restrict sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs); you may want to include limiting consumption of fruit juice in your goal. Fruit, yes – juice, not so much.

On August 21, 2013, Harvard’s top public health researchers (Vasanti S Malik, Walter C Willett, and Frank B Hu) and An Pan from the National University of Singapore provided and published data from over 200,000 adults and children, presenting additional solid evidence that consuming SSBs promotes weight gain. The research used only randomized clinical trials; which of course, produces very powerful data when statistically significant. The researchers don’t know for sure what it is about drinking SSBs that causes weight gain. They have some ideas, but this study did not research that question. Some of the current thinking is that SSBs don’t get compensated for by eating less of other things like solid food does. That is, they do not fill you up despite the high calorie load. You keep eating and drinking more. Another factor may be that sugars in liquid enter the body very quickly, raising blood sugar quickly and then are driven into fat storage by the body’s insulin. But those questions are for future studies.

• Let’s say that you and your loved ones have got the SSBs under control, but you still want to take a next step. I’d have to say my next best tip would be to get more veggies into your tummy. If you need some ideas, you may want to peruse one of the articles in this list.

• Although the diet is the most powerful factor in weight management, don’t forget keeping physically active protects or builds your metabolic rate – that’s an important factor in keeping weight off and managing weight. You may get some new ideas in one of the listed articles.

The F as in Fat Report is a great resource to confirm what we see when we look in the mirror or look around us at the market; but let’s not get too discouraged by the over-whelming and heart breaking statistics. Let’s continue to get off the sofa, and get a veggie-laden stir-fry started for dinner.