Bad: A more important figure has reached 80 percent: adults 25 and older who are overweight. And the surplus fat is killing far more of us than seat belts are saving, because extra pounds carry greater health risks than most of us know—especially if you’re a couch potato or have a potbelly.
Is your weight risky? And if so, what’s the easiest way to drop the pounds? Here’s what science says.

Is Your Fat over?
Technically, the problem is not overweight but overfat. Some chunky folks really are “all muscle”—although you’re more likely to run into them at a weightlifters’ convention than on the street. Women are overfat when their weight is more than 33- to 36-percent fat; men when it’s over 20- to 25-percent fat. (The lower percentage is for people under 40, the higher for those 60 and older.)

It’s hard to measure your fat percentage, however, unless you own an electronic body-fat scale ($60 to $120). Otherwise, you need a special test. The most reliable involves weighing yourself under water, where your buoyancy reveals how much of you is muscle, skin, and bones and how much is not. Another test measures the fat beneath your skin by pinching you with spring-loaded calipers.

Over the past few decades, Americans have been bulking up in amazing numbers. Since 1980, the obesity rate has doubled and overweight has climbed 40 percent. Two-thirds of U.S. adults are now officially overweight, and half of those are obese. Among major industrialized nations, we are now officially the fattest.
Overweight used to be a mark of poverty and ignorance, but this is changing. Obesity rates have risen faster among the affluent and college-educated. Sex differences, too, are changing. Nowadays, women—especially in middle age—are almost as likely to be overweight as men.

Geographical skews haven’t changed. The skinniest people still live in New England and the mountain states, the tubbiest in the South. As of 2006 (latest reliable figures), the fattest state is Mississippi, with a 29.5-percent obesity rate; the leanest Colorado, at 16.9 percent.

Public-health authorities blame America’s weight gain on three trends:
• Food is plentiful and cheap. Thanks to globalized competition and more efficient farming, processing, packaging, and retailing, the cost of feeding an average family (in inflation-adjusted dollars) is 5- to 10-percent lower than 30 years ago. Meanwhile, the number of items in a modern supermarket has passed 30,000.
• People are busier. A freer labor market compels people to work more hours per week. As a result, they eat oftener in restaurants and out of packages—where the seller, not the buyer, controls the helpings. They also have less room on their schedules for burning off those calories. Three-quarters of adults get no regular exercise.
• Portions are bigger. Because food is cheaper than labor, marketers find it easier to raise profits by pushing bigger helpings than by serving more meals. That’s why “super-sizing” has swept the fast-food industry. But homemade portions are bigger, too. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the average fast-food burger has grown from 6.1 ounces to 7.2 ounces in 20 years—but Mom’s burger has swelled even more, from 5.7 to 8.4 ounces. Meanwhile, the average dessert has risen from 4.2 to 4.8 ounces
An Expensive Problem
Most people know that obesity can lead to heart attack. Many understand that fatty foods contribute to cancer. But obesity carries many other risks. Here’s a partial list:

• • Diabetes • Heart disease • Stroke
• Hypertension
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea
• Asthma
• Cancer
• High cholesterol
• Menstrual problems
• Birth defects
• etc

Your Overall Risk
The American Obesity Association has developed a one-minute “Weight Wellness Profile” that weighs all of the factors discussed above. Most people who score higher than 3 in the profile could benefit from weight loss, additional exercise, or both. To get your profile,
Best Weight-Loss Method
As many studies have shown, quick weight loss and fad diets don’t work. They may yield amazing results, but only for a few weeks or months. In more than 90 percent of cases, the weight comes back. And according to some studies, repeating this cycle may be riskier than staying overweight.

The only way to lose weight permanently is slowly, by lowering your calorie intake a little or burning a few more calories in exercise. Getting more calories from carbohydrate or protein and fewer from fat may also help, partly because 100 calories worth of protein or carbs is a lot bulkier and fills you up better than 100 calories worth of fat.

Lowering your fat intake and eating less or exercising more will take a little effort at first—just as wearing your seat belt did. But in time, it will be a habit instead of a chore. And you’ll be the picture of health.

When she was 17 years old, Jacinda headed for Europe, where she began a whirlwind career as a model for the Storm modeling agency, the same agency that represented fellow models turned actresses, Elle Macpherson and Josie Maran), basing herself out of Paris, France.

In the years that followed, Jacinda strutted her sexy stuff on the runways of the world. Much to the chagrin of men everywhere, she soon got bored of the modeling life and decided to try her hand at acting.

Jacinda’s stunning good looks led to her big break on MTV’s The Real World: London in 1995. Although it was a fun ride, it was ultimately not the type of “acting” Jacinda wanted to pursue. As a result, she decided to take some time off to devote herself to more stringent acting lessons.

Jacinda Barrett enrolled in the British Academy of Dramatic Art in Oxford, England, and her training paid off in spades. In 1997, she was cast in her first film: Campfire Tales.

Fortunately, Jacinda had a talented tongue. Her skill to drop her native Australian accent helped her land more coveted roles in the U.S., most notably in 2000’s Urban Legends: Final Cut.

But it was Jacinda’s big screen exposure (we mean that literally) in 2003’s The Human Stain — opposite Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman — that thrust her into the spotlight. Her nude scene virtually assured that her star was on the rise.

As a result, Jacinda landed roles in the high-profile films Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, opposite Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant, and the tribute to firefighters, Ladder 49 (both in 2004). Interestingly, Jacinda’s 5′10″ height sometimes plays against her; in Ladder 49, she had to wear flat shoes so that she wouldn’t tower over co-star Joaquin Phoenix.

Big things are happening for Jacinda Barrett, as she is set to star in 2006’s The Last Kiss, opposite Zach Braff (of Scrubs and Garden State fame). On a personal note, Jacinda has been engaged twice so far, once to actor Gabriel Macht and another time to actor Chris Hardwick.

The multimedia system and with the use of carbon fiber body parts and light alloy wheels, weight will be reduced by dropping the front differential and driveshafts, the gadgets that raise and lower the rear spoiler. Buyers will be able to opt for a smaller wing or a large wing, both made with carbon fiber.

This is combination of interesting and fun gasses (like Argon) are first trapped inside a plastic sphere at relatively low pressures. An sporadic current, at relatively high voltages are pumped into the sphere via an electrode in the center. This energy causes atoms to be stripped from the gasses,leaving in its wake some positively charged ions and a gorgeous gaseous and electrically conductive environment (aka Plasma). That high voltage served up through the electrode will now arc up through the plasma to the lower voltage edge of the plastic sphere (starting at the top where the temperature is greater). The arcs glow because they are hotter than the surrounding plasma. You can touch the plastic and the arcs will strongly congregate to your touch because you will be creating an even lower voltage jump from the electrode.

With 4 channels receiver, you can control up to FOUR 2.4GHz wireless spy cameras - both video and audio. The monitor has a built-in rechargeable Li-battery for completely wireless functionality, however you can run the receiver/monitor directly from the 5V mains power adaptor supplied.

The recorder has a built in 64MB internal recording space to capture your wireless camera images. The unit is fitted with an SD memory card slot so the memory can be increased to over 2GB allowing for the capture of up to 12 hours of video footage (additional SD card not included).

The unit has a built in speaker for audio monitoring and a “Video OUT” port so that footage can also be recorded using a standard VCR, DVR, camcorder (camcorder must have phono video input) if required.

Mercedes-Benz has already admitted that the SL 65 Black Series will be the most extreme Benz ever built. Power will come from a 6.0L V12 twin-turbo engine producing 670-hp with a peak torque of 738 lb-ft. The engine will be mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission with two Sport shift programs with the second putting out quicker gear changes.

So how fast will it go from rest to 62? According to our friends over at CAR that have the low-down on this beast, the SL 65 AMG Black Series will have 0-62 times of under 4.2 seconds with top speed electronically limited to 200mph.

The car will make its debut later this year with sales to start in the fall. Pricing is expected to be over $225,000. It will have a imperfect production run of 350 units.

It also boasts a self-cleaning function on the surface that could extend the life of the phone. The concept device is nanotech-inspired, and would serve as a normal phone or mini-computer, complete with keyboard and touchpad. Nokia says some of the technology in Morph could start making its way into real mobile devices within seven years. That sounds like a long time to wait for phones that doubles as an accessory.