Americans gained over 500 million pounds last year

cnbc ^ | 2-25-2016 | Nicholas Wells

[Citizen Zed]

Weight Watchers reports earnings Thursday, and even if the numbers aren't good, there's one figure that should make investors in dieting hopeful: 582 million.

That's how many pounds Americans gained collectively in 2015. Through births, immigration and overeating, there has been the equivalent of 1,400 blue whales added to the human biomass of our country in just a year, pointing to the need for groups like Weight Watchers to get the country lean and mean again.

Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and weight data collected by Gallup tell the story.

[Citizen Zed]

[pgkdan]

500 million? Is that all? I feel like I gained half of that from the cheese steak I had for lunch.

[Not A Snowbird]

Five of those are mine.

Sorry.

[fwdude]

As people age, they tend to gain weight. It’s just a fact.

So what?

[darkwing104]

Hmmm...I lost weight since last year.

[BitWielder1]

Not even 2 pounds per person. Pfft!

[Sacajaweau]

Weight watchers wants to help you out....of your money...

[needmorePaine]

500 million? Is that all? I feel like I gained half of that from the cheese steak I had for lunch.

Now I want a cheese steak.

[Durbin]

Did Chris Christie amount to a quarter of that?

[Dahoser]

Seriously. What a silly “Oh Noes!!!” story.

[posterchild]

Does the headline imply that we can deport ourselves thin?

[grobdriver]

Oh dear.

Will America capsize?

[posterchild]

Sorry, not headline - the 2nd sentence in the 2nd paragraph.

[toast]

7 are my fault.

[cuz_it_aint_their_money]

Not me. I’ve been on Atkins for 11 months now and have dropped 68 pounds.

[Slyfox]

Yeah, what is their weekly fee up to now? 10 or 12 or 18 bucks?

That would be roughly equivalent to one week of Jenny food and you'd still have to buy food after the WW meetings.

[Tax-chick]

Through births, immigration and overeating, there has been the equivalent of 1,400 blue whales added to the human biomass of our country in just a year, pointing to the need for groups like Weight Watchers to get the country lean and mean again.

I have been a Weight Watchers member for over 15 years, and I will readily affirm that the program can help with weight gain due to overeating or unwise eating. However, it's not going to do a thing about immigration, and the fact that I've had five children since I joined suggests that it does no good at reducing births.

[digger48]

Wasn’t me

I dropped 40 last year.

[Vendome]

[NorthMountain]

Weight Watchers might actually serve to increase births ...