Fat? Not Me

Fat people think they're healthy.

That's according to a survey, reported here, that finds the following:

Overall, 29% of American respondents were actually obese, with a body mass index of 30 or more. More than half of the obese respondents surveyed (51%) considered themselves to be healthy and 43% thought their diets were good. 

So half of America's fat people think they're doing fine, thank you very much.  Hey, if I'm breathing, I'm healthy.  At least compared to the alternative. Says an expert:

"There is a startling disconnect between what people know about the risk factors associated with diabetes and what they are actually doing to protect themselves from a health and wellness standpoint," said Peter Goldbach, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Health Dialog. 

I've often written here about what people know vs. what people think they know -- the paradox of perceived knowledge vs. actual knowledge -- the above example is more a case of the paradox between what people know about what's risky and how they choose to live.