Many friends and relatives ask me how I lost as much weight as I have. I must have exercised a rediculous amount. No. 90% of the weight I personally lost came from a change in my eating habits. Does that mean I've cut out all of the things we 'shouldn't eat? No, not by a long shot. I usually eat my entire plate when I eat out, and I love french fries and fried chicken. My lunch yesterday was a big hunk of french bread with olive oil. But everything in moderation.

The reason I WAS so overweight is because I didn't really know any better. We have a culture of over indulgence, where you can buy 5 burgers at McDonalds for $5, and it's cheaper than getting a salad. You'd be dumb not to take up a deal like that, except for that fact that it is slowly and inexorably killing our nation (along with most other developed countries.) Making people aware of just how that cheeseburger fits into their daily lives, and the requirements of their bodies can and will help them to make informed decisions, because as has been pointed out, the government can't make them for you.

If we’re going to force the government to play a larger role in insurance, then we also have to expect that they will try to limit the damage.

Umm…far from trying to force the government to play a larger role…some of us are actually trying to get them out of our business completely. And for precisely this reason. Because suddenly, the mere discussion of what role the government should have in our lives & health care has allowed everyone from Bill Mahar to a stranger named "Kory" on a message board to weigh in on everyone's eating habits. That's why most of us know instinctively the health care debate is not about covering the poor, uninsured people…its about giving no-good, busy-bodies a reason to mind other people's business and not their own.

And at 6'5" and 240 lbs., you are still safely in the government's "obesity range" yourself, so I'm going to give you a few tips (so you don't have to wait for the government to confiscate billions of tax payer dollars & borrow from American kids' futures to finance some program to tell you how to get control of yourself.)

Cut out all Cokes…drink water. 6-8 glasses a day and drink one glass at least 10 minutes before each meal.

Cut out chips, snacks, cookies, doughnuts, twinkies, anything that is chocolate covered or has cream filling.

Eat lots of fresh vegtables & a couple of pieces of fruit per day. Don't top your veggies with cheese or butter.

Eat lean cuts of meat in 4 oz servings.

When eating out, never eat more than half of what is served to you. And if they automatically bring bread to the table, ask them to take it away.

Avoid any meal that contains gravy!!

…or is battered or deep fried.

Make sure your last meal of the day is finished at least 12 hours before you intend to eat breakfast. And if you get hungry in between meals, munch on some yummy carrot sticks.

Come back & see us when your BMI is 6-9 points lower than it is now.

The argument that you're using would lead me to believe that you also don't think there should be warnings on cigarette packs or the like. Since the 1950s, the percentage of people who smoke cigarettes in the US has dropped 40%. That's due to educational materials and warnings that have been put out by the government to educate us…there are still plenty of people who smoke, and it's their right to even though we know for a fact that it WILL kill them, and the same will be true for food.

Terrible eating habits will kill just as surely as smoking will, but from heart attacks and diabetes related illness rather than cancer. If people are aware how unhealthy their food is, well then maybe they'll make a change, just like people stopped smoking.

As it happens, it trusts me to do very little on my own.

Make no mistake, poor eating habits cost money, in the form of health care provided to people with higher cancer rates, heart conditions, diabetes, and medical accessories – billions of dollars every year. If making people more aware of what they put into their pie hole saves money, as well as increases our lifespan/quality of life, then the government owes it to us to present us with all of the information we need to make an informed decision.

Personally, I love the taste of junk food and fast food and what have you – I loved it so much that I weighed 300 pounds (at 6'5".) I started paying attention to what I put into my mouth, and now i'm 60 pounds lighter. Information is power.