In January 2011, Food Network host Paula Deen appeared on The View to promote her new children's cookbook. Those who caught it know that it wasn't pretty to watch. Put the sassy Paula Deen and the straight-laced Barbara Walters together, and you get an uncomfortable dynamic. As the ladies of The View sit behind a stupendous spread of fried chicken and other Southern comforts, Paula licks Read more

The obesity rate may be steadily increasing over the years, but it seems that most Americans don't care. In fact, what we think of as our "ideal weight" has also increased over the past 20 years, reflecting a rising acceptance of being heavier. A new Gallup poll of over 1,000 adults found that the average American weighs about 20 pounds more than the average American did 20 years ago. Back in Read more

New studies show that weight shouldn't be the only factor when determining whether or not someone is unhealthy. In fact, the studies show, certain obese people may actually be healthy. The first study surveyed 8,000 Americans and found that not all those who qualified as obese — over 30 on the BMI scale — had health problems. It found that 20 percent of obese participants were what one of Read more

Are you a frequent diner-about-town? If so, it could be making you fat. The USDA has been examining the relationship between restaurant food and obesity, and it turns out that eating just one meal a week outside the home correlates to roughly two extra pounds a year. Non-shocker: in comparison to homemade meals, restaurant portion sizes are larger, higher-calorie, and filled with inexpensive, Read more

The obesity epidemic is not all about huge portions and processed foods — it's a no-brainer that a more sedentary lifestyle is part of the equation. And since most of us spend a good portion of the work day sitting in a chair, a new study published in the journal PLoS One has set about to quantify exactly how much those desk jobs are really hurting us. Turns out a lot; the number of desk-bound Read more

A study that looked at obese vs. normal-weight teens and their "high-risk" behavior (i.e. drinking, sex, smoking, drugs, and suicide tendencies) found weight didn't drastically affect the likelihood teens took part in these activities. The researchers were surprised with these results because they thought obese teens would take fewer risks than their peers due to being stigmatized and isolated, Read more

Even as more and more people become overweight, fat gets a bad rap. Between the ever-thin actresses and prominent healthy-living campaigns, most know that being fat isn't something to be proud about. But this increasing nonacceptance for the overweight is not just in our celebrity-obsessed American society — a recent study found that most people view obesity in a negative light, especially ones Read more

A new report from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that Americans are not moving enough: fewer than two in 10 get the recommended amount of exercise, and more than 25 percent of the American population is considered inactive. This statistic is most rampant in the South and Appalachia regions where it's reported that 30 percent of individuals do no form of exercise at all. Read more