Our national debt has been in the news a lot lately. But, it’s not the only debt Americans face. Expanding waistlines is a weighty problem that is proving costly to many of us.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there was a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States from 1990 through 2010. It is now estimated that 35 percent or more of the U.S. adult population is obese. It is hard to turn on the television these days without seeing a story about obesity in America, yet many of us may not realize the economic impact.  

The medical costs alone are enormous and include more than just services directly related to obesity. Obesity increases the risk of many health conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancers, high cholesterol, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and arthritis, just to name a few.