Balancing the scales

From recent headlines, you might have concluded that the United States is exporting our high tech and manufacturing jobs, plus much of our national wealth to China in the form of Treasury Bills.

Now, it turns out that we’re also exporting our lifestyle woes: China is experiencing a staggering increase in the national obesity rate, especially among children.

According to new research reported by BBC News, more than 25 percent of adults in China are now considered overweight or obese. And the news is getting worse.

A national symposium has determined that one in five Chinese children is overweight. The causes? An increasingly Westernized diet, overindulgent parents, and lack of exercise. Most of those changes started coming about twenty years ago, when economic reforms were introduced. The changes led to a gradual straying away from the traditional Chinese diet of simple rice, vegetables and protein. Now, KFCs can be found everywhere; McDonald’s is in the process of infiltrating urban Chinese neighborhoods. And—gack!—even Starbucks has started a caffeine invasion, opening 66 stores in Beijing alone.

Ah, yes—how did the Chinese ever live without access to a Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème on every corner? At 680 calories a cup when loaded up with whipped cream, it’s a real girth buster.

In the wake of the western invasion by KFC, McDonald’s and Starbucks, has come news of the next logical franchise to take root in China: Weight Watchers. Last spring, Weight Watchers International announced it had signed an agreement to open a weight management business in China. The program will use the Weight Watchers' program for weight loss, which includes weekly meetings and weigh-ins.

With a population of 1,330,044,605 in that country, there’s plenty of room for market expansion and growth. So to speak.

Of course, they'll probably have to tweak their program materials a bit. For example, how many Weight Watcher points does one calculate for fried seahorses-on-a-stick, the popular national snack?

By the way, any of you weight Watchers out there--what's your most points-efficient snack? Mine is currently the cranberry-mango-blueberry Zen muffin, which we have around LA. Tons of fiber, and it's supposed to be just 3 points (if it's more than that, I don't know if I want to know (grin)).

Holidays can be murder

Why does Santa Season beat down your diet and exercise resolutions like a peppermint stick battering ram?

I was doing pretty well until yesterday. That’s when the UPS man delivered his annual installment of Texas treats, sent to me by relatives who have long since left the Lone Star State, but who reach out with the sugary arm of temptation, once a year.

So of course I had to dive into Gus’ Gourmet Pecans, which come in a gorgeous gold tin. The pecans are glazed in yummy flavors such as Cinnamon Toast, Chocolate Fudge, and Praline. (If you would like to spread the temptation, their web site is http://www.allpecans.com/).

The fruit cake also arrived. Don’t laugh—I actually love fruit cake. I usually yield in short order to the fruitcake from the Collin Street Bakery, which has been making them since the 1800s (http://www.collinstreet.com/).

Of course, a price must be paid for all this sweet mayhem. For those of you who will continue to forget for another ten days, the Season of Regret kicks off on January first. That's when, as a nation, we will rediscover old friends: Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Curves, et al.

Out anti-chubby buddies are sitting back right now, biding their time. Waiting for us. Not to be a seasonal spoilsport, but here are their web sites, too: http://www.jennycraig.com/, http://www.weightwatchers.com/, http://www.curves.com/

Happy New Year.

What about you? Do you have any holiday diet-busters that trip you up, year after year? Or do you simply ignore the "D" word until January?