free, we hope of all the usual lecturing and finger pointing. it is indeed a weighty issue as seth doane will be showing us in our sunday morning cover story. >> reporter: america is 4.6 billion pounds overweight. and our health care system is straining under the burden of it all. >> about 147 billion dollars a year are spent directly related to obesity. >> reporter: later on sunday morning, the obesity epidemic. it's a big problem that's getting bigger. and, yes, size matters. >> osgood: the body of work of many a great artist contains portrayals of the human body. not all of them match our current idea of the well proportioned female form. martha teichner will be our guide. >> reporter: be honor. if you saw women like these three walking down the street clothed, would you consider them beautiful or just overweight? what about these others thought to be among the greatest beauties in all of our art history? none of those figures were skinny. >> none of those figures were skinny. >> narrator: later this sunday morning, art and the body butte beautiful. >> osgood: for many of you the actress valerie bertinelli grew up from a teen on an adult before your eyes. after years of battling with her own weight problem she's sliming down with very public results as tracy smith will show us. >> summer used to mean covering up my body. >> reporter: she dropped 40 pounds and most of her clothing but she isn't done yet. where do you go from a bikini? >> i don't want to say it outloud because i'll have to do it. >> reporter: the real skinny on valerie bertinelli. later on sunday morning. >> osgood: if you're watching your weight, one word you might want to avoid on the menu is fried. you may want to cover your eyes if you ever go to the event our bill geist attended. >> reporter: a question on the minds of americans this sunday morning, should the u.s. pull out of the war on obesity? >> fried bacon right here. >> reporter: we found little support for this battle at the state fair of texas. an insurgent stronghold of deep fat fried foods. >> oh, man. these are good, bro. >> reporter: you might want to take a swig of pepto bismol before you watch this piece later on sunday morning. >> osgood: also ahead serena altschul asks whether the food industry itself is making us fat. david turecamo considers the mcdonald's at the louvre in paris. lucy craft offers a new view of japan's sumo wrestlers. those reports and more. but first to jeff glor in news room for the sunday morning headlines. >> reporter: good morning. it's july 18, 2010. we're hearing cautiously optimistic assessments on day 90 of the gulf oil spill. the coast guard says a tighter- fitting new cap on the well appears to be holding. b.p. today resumes piping oil up to ships on the surface. suicide bombings claim dozens of lives overseas this morning. in iraq at least 46 people were killed in baghdad. most of them sunni militiamen standing in line for their paychecks. in afghanistan, four people died when a suicide bomber targeted a coalition convoy in kabul. president obama will be back at work today after a weekend get away. the first family returns to washington this afternoon after a visit to the coast of maine. his first order of business, getting elena kagan confirmed to the supreme court before the senate's august recess. zsa zsa zabor is hospitalized in serious condition this morning after suffering a fall at her home. the husband of the 93-year-old actress said she broke her hip and will undergo emergency surgery. director roman polanski took in a performance by his wife at the montro jazz festival in switzerland last night. it was his first public appearance since being detained nine months ago on charges relating to a 1977 child sex case. no matter where you're having your morning coffee this morning, today's forecast can be summed up in a single word: hot. hot in the east, west, north and south. some storms will rumble through the nation's mid section. the week ahead will bring more of the same. climate experts say the first six months of this year were the warmest on record. >> osgood: next, scaling back. and later diet tips from valerie ♪ [ male announcer ] progress. progress for new york city cab drivers, like ossman ali is being able to carry people, who aren't carrying cash. meaning more convenience for passengers, and more business for cab drivers. all thanks to the ease and freedom of visa digital currency. now that's progress. visa. currency of progress. visa. >> osgood: it's a weighty issue in more ways than one. the obesity epidemic affects adults and kids across america and those extra pounds that weigh us down as individuals are all adding up to a big health challenge for our country. our sunday morning cover story is reported now by seth doane. >> reporter: look around. temptations are everywhere. with so much glorious food, odds are good that if you dare to step on the scale this morning, you are not going to like what you see. it's gotten so bad that the centers for disease control now estimates that one-third of american adults are overweight. another third are obese. why is obesity such a concern for you? >> the health data is so alarming. >> reporter: it's an epidemic that is causing concern at the highest levels of government. kathleen sebelius is the secretary of health and human services. >> it has an impact at every step along the way. on cost. on quality of life. on a productive work force. we are really putting ourselves at a huge disadvantage in a global economy by having a nation that is vastly overweight. >> reporter: but this is not the first time the federal government has sounded the alarm. >> we have addicted ourselves and we're now addicting our children to a sedentary lifestyle, diets that are high in fats, salts and sweets. >> reporter: dr. david thatcher was one of the first to say there was an obesity epidemic in america. >> anybody physically active? >> reporter: that was nearly a decade ago when he was u.s. surgeon general. >> obesity increases the risk of diabetes dramatically. it increases the risk of heart disease, of stroke, of hyper tension. increases the risk of many forms of cancer. and when you think about the cost of health care and the role that chronic diseases play, obesity is a major factor in all of those chronic diseases i've just listed. >> reporter: those costs are staggering. >> about $147 billion a year are spent directly related to obesity and the underlying health conditions related to that. that compares with all the cancers that people have across america which costs a little under $100 women i don't know a year. one-and-a-half times as much money is spent. >> reporter: obesity is determined by your body mass index. a rough calculation of body fat based on your height and weight. so if you're 5'10" like i am and tip the scales at up to 173 pounds your weight is considered normal. 174 to 208 pounds you're overeight. and 209 pounds and upward qualifies as obese. and adult obesity rates have doubled in the past 30 years. why? some of the answers may be familiar. instead of sitting down for that home cooked family meal, we'll grab something on the go. maybe we'll super size it for good measure. whatever the reason, on average we're consumering 300 more calories every day than a quarter century ago. and we're not burning them off. today we spend less time walking and more time driving, sitting in front of the computer or tv. so a question. is it simply a matter of personal responsibility? or do food retailers play a role too? subway which touts a menu that includes low fat sandwiches has even more u.s. locations than mcdonald's. >> we're trying to respond to the need for better choices that people are demanding. >> reporter: in their millford connecticut test kitchen, this staff dietian regularly reviews calorie counts for new products. you talk a lot about offering healthier items but there's some very unhealthy items on the menu too. isn't that a contradiction? >> i don't think so. our whole thing is we want to offer choice. >> reporter: how do you make healthy choices when they simply do not exist? lucinda hudson and holland brown led a 12-year battle to bring a grocery store to this philadelphia neighborhood. >> it was horrible to say the least about our community, as big as it is to have no supermarket. >> reporter: jeff brown owns this shop rite franchise. he opened four locations in the inner city thanks to grants and loans. all part of a pennsylvania program designed to encourage healthier living. >> what were the options in the community before you opened up shop in. >> small bedegas. they did not have a lot of fresh food. their prices were very expensive. we have a situation that the poorest of us had to pay the most. >> reporter: success here is tallied in the receipts. this store sells the same amount of fresh foods as its more affluent sub urban counterpart. and even if fresh costs more, regina brown says it's worth it. >> it's going to cost you one way or another. it's going to cost you healthwise or it's going to cost you moneywise. either way you pay. i would rather pay this way. >> reporter: pay on the front end. >> yeah, on the front end. >> reporter: those back-end health care costs may only get bigger. >> in children obesity rates are about four times higher than they were, say, 40 years ago. >> reporter: this doctor chairs the nutrition department at the harvard school of public health. >> part of the problem is we don't see the full impact of obesity until many decades later. so the children who are now growing up obese, 20 and 30 years down the road, are going to have horrendous problems that we've really not seen before. >> reporter: what can be done? willet advocates taxing sugary drinks like soda as washington state has done since april. but the beverage industry has successfully fought such a tax in several other states. meanwhile at the white house, the first family is leading by example. >> we've got the most famous vegetable gardener in america, michelle obama. >> we need a wheel bear owe. >> reporter: and the first lady has made fighting childhood obesity her signature effort. with her "let's move" campaign. which encourages kids to get more physical activity because today one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. with ballooning health care costs and the threat of crippling disease, secretary de we'll use says we need to act... soon. >> we have a generation of children alive today who may live shorter life spans than their parents. first time in 200 years. and the major cause for that is obesity. >> osgood: ahead, is this a picture of health? which body type do artists consider picture perfect for their body of work? martha teichner has a surprising answer. >> reporter: the naked truth is that more often than not, the women considered the most beautiful in all of western art would qualify as plus size. >> they're not skinny but they're very beautiful. >> reporter: is that the point? >> that's the point. >> reporter: the way to address this subject is with our subject undressed. >> this is a great joyous celebration of a constancy of beauty that will hold for eternity. >> reporter: it's renoir's large bathers painted in the 1880s. >> these were women and mod hes who really looked like this. >> reporter: joe is a senior curator at the philadelphia museum of art which owns the picture. and other full-bodied renoirs. >> in the back of his mind art is also about art going back to an chept beauties in greek sculpture. >> reporter: think venus demilo. the greeks set a standard that's inspired artists for a couple of thousand years and counting. fast forward to, say, 16th century italy. look at tischian. or rafael. or the three graces by the 17th century phlegmish painter reubens. you've heard the term reubenesque. >> there's no doubt reubens wants you to experience these women as beautiful because there were different ideals of beauty in different time. >> reporter: richard is "time" magazine's art critic. >> there's a sense of prosperity there. that sense of abundance is associated in people's minds with power, with happiness, with pleasure. >> reporter: not in 19th century america. here artists dared to paint the body full figured or otherwise at their own peril. >> the body in america has been a contested zone for centuries. partly because it is the source of the desires that we have that can be identified as vices. at the same time those same desires can be understood as pleasures. >> reporter: how is this for weird? models actually wore masks to hide their identities. the sketches by kenyan cox, who also did this in 1891. when the critics saw this painting, what did they say about it? >> they were strongly criticized for its representation of the nude. i think they found it really vulgar. >> reporter: bruce weber was co-curator of reconfiguring the body in american art. an exhibition at the national academy museum in new york city. >> it was too realistic. it wasn't beautiful. in the classic or traditional way that people at that time thought of beauty. >> reporter: but sometimes beauty isn't the issue. >> in african art very often the purpose of a work is to create a religious figure its to express a certain kind of power symbolically. >> reporter: consider the scrawny figures, female and male, painted by the austrian artist around world war i. >> he's making the body express the anxiety and tensions of his own time. >> reporter: same for alberto. metaphorically reacting to the horrors and deprivations of world war ii. now meet big sue, the art world's nickname for the subject of this startling variation on the classic reclining nude. if you saw that woman in a shopping mall, you would potentially make a moral judgment about her heft. >> and $16 million to start. >> well there's a difference between pictures and people. i'm not when i look at this woman thinking about her dietary practices or her health. i'm being invited to think and look at her as an image. >> reporter: an image of actual flesh that the famous british painter lucien freud creates by luxuriously laying on paint. >> he's associating the pleasure of the paint with the pleasures of the flesh. >> reporter: you might come away amazed when you find out that this painting sold for $33.6 million last year. the highest price ever paid for work of a living artist. >> which shows that the standard that this painting expresses finds acceptance in this culture, in this market culture that we have. >> reporter: columbian artist smoking woman sold at auction last fall for more than $1.1 million. so in a country obsessed with being thin but getting fatter every year, is the art market some kind of reality check? >> osgood: coming up, chewing the fat with fast food foe dr. david kessler. while i was building my friendships, my family, while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. ask your doctor if crestor can help and go to crestor.com to get a free trial offer. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> osgood: how serious is america's weight problem? who is most at risk? and who is to blame? a look at obesity in america now by the numbers. mississippi has the highest obesity rate in the country. 2.8% according to the government. alabama is second at 31.4%. west virginia is third. 14.6% of low-income pre-school children are obese at last report. that's up more than two points from ten years earlier. among adults 35.7% of african- americans are obese. 28.7% of hispanics. 23.7% of whites. according to one recent poll, 62% of us say we're the ones most responsible for being overweight. 8% of us blame fast food restaurants. while 55% of americans say they'd like to lose weight, only 27% say we're even trying. once we're grown up, we're all individually responsible for what we eat. but what about those people who tempt us with all these delicious no-nos? shouldn't they share at least a part of the blame? serena altschul has been looking into that. >> you want the buffalo wings? >> i love wings. is that terrible? the next time you come down with a case of the munchees, consider calling on dr. david kessler. now all we have to do is eat it. he and i recently made a take- out run to some of america's most popular diping spots. you know, the ones whose ad promise total taste bud overload. >> one appetizers.... >> reporter: we brought back loads of goodies. do you think we got enough food? dr. kessler provided the real food for thought. >> it's half the shug... sugar and salt that has been layered and loaded into this food. if i gave you a package of shug and ago have a good time, that won't do it for you, right? but when you think about it, what is this? it's a multi-sensory experience. it's the roller coaster in the mouth. >> reporter: and in the brain. these are the so-called hedonic hot spots, regions that respond to hedonistic behavior whether it's taking recreational drugs or eating food with complex flavors. do you look at food as if it were a drug? >> it affects the same circuits in the brain. it affects the learning, memory, motivational, it activates those circuits. the food we need to live. we need food to survive. >> reporter: dr. kessler's recent book is the latest salvo in a career-long crusade to improve public health. >> tobacco industry officials have denied that nicotine is addictive. >> reporter: you may remember him from his years as commissioner of the food and drug administration. when he waged war on big tobacco. >> the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> reporter: now kessler's gunning for what he believes to be another culprit. you might call it an axis of evil ingredients: fat, sugar, and salt. so that's the combination is that fat, sugar and salt together make you want to eat more? >> it stimulates you. even though we're talking, your attention is really focused on those buffalo wings. >> reporter: it's true. this has to be one of the more difficult interviews i've ever done. >> it shows you how your brain works. >> reporter: but is it fair to demonize the food industry for selling us treats we're more than eager to eat? after all, strauchbt owners say they're simply in the business of giving customers what they want. >> if you're not responding to our customers we won't be in business very long. if we see the trend toward more nutrition, more nutrition information, more options, more alternatives on the menus that's where we're going. >> reporter: michael gibb bons is chairman of the national restaurant association and a restaurant owner himself. he points out that americans now get one quarter of all meals from restaurants where healthy choices are becoming more prominent on menus. and so are calorie counts which are now required at big chains by this year's health reform bill. but will all this be enough to change our habits? a lot of people will say why isn't will power enough? what's wrong with good old will power? >> once your brain is activated, if you just try to fight it, you're going to end up wanting it more. >> reporter: to the restaurant association's michael gibbons, when it comes to avoiding temptation, common sense is the best prescription. >> i don't like to think of us as being helpless to resist. i'm not a scientist. i'm not a doctor. but i believe i can make my own choices. i think i'm independent. i have the ability to reason and make choices that i think are wise. >> reporter: as americans continue to get more and more meals from restaurants, the question of mind over mozzarella sticks will grow ever larger. and if we're not careful so will our waist lines. >> osgood: still to come, a portrait of a loser. valerie bertinelli. but next food for thought from our man in paris. >> can you say... look inside a more than 17 billion dollar investment, and what do you see? at at&t, we see the dreams and ambitions of everyday americans coming true. we see an economic recovery taking root as businesses grow and prosper and add jobs, thanks to the amazing power of an open internet that works. america needs an internet that is always getting faster, safer, and more secure. at at&t, our investment last year of more than 17 billion dollars in the wireless and wired networks of tomorrow is what's fueling innovation today and creating jobs and opportunities now. we invest because we know the internet works. it's working for our children, our families, our economy and our future. and if there were ever a time to stick with what works, now is it. the future has always been our business. and the future begins now. >> fried butter in there. >> osgood: well, julia child it most certainly is not. there's an opening at louvre that's become the talk of the food world. here's david turecamo, our man in paris. >> reporter: okay. so we know the french complain about a lot of stuff. but this time they got a real beef. specifically on a bun. because right here at the louvre museum, a mcdonald's. >> where? in the louvre? no! >> reporter: here in the food court already filled with quicky dishes from all over the world. >> so what do we have to do to protest. >> reporter: they're americans but something like bernard doesn't even consider mcdonald's to be a restaurant. >> reporter: a lot of his countrymen might say au contraire because today after the united states france is the largest consumer of mcdonald's in the world. >> reporter: of course there's another perspective. for instance, this gallery is filled with the works of the phlegmish painter peter paul reubens. you may recall meeting him earlier on sunday morning. these paintings hold special appeal for this woman. meet velvet. >> the only thing they're missing is cell uwe light. >> reporter: velvet is an american who has been living in paris 18 years. she's now a successful model and photographer. >> i just try to think is there anywhere i can find a positive image of someone with my body type? and this was the only place. >> reporter: well until the day she was eating a muffin in that food court and a group of americans noticed her. >> they were making fun of... you know, saying god knows she doesn't need that muffin sort of thing. >> reporter: a little while later. >> i think i was sitting here in front of that painting. >> reporter: the same people came up to admire reubens. >> they were standing in front of it. they were, oh, this is beautiful. amazing. >> reporter: the thing is obesity is on the rise in france. almost 20% of children are overweight. the number classified as obese has more than doubled in ten years. health professionals like jeanne paul blanc say fast food is just one of the reasons. >> reporter: it's eye ronic because the french, we've always been told-- especially french women-- can eat anything and never get fat. but the traditional french meal has always been something shared and savored. portions are smaller and meals are well balanced. but in a country hard hit by the recession, it's no wonder that mcdonald's sales here were up 11% last year. >> reporter: mcdonald's may be only a symbol of the lifestyle changes in a modern world. >> no! >> reporter: yep. can you say.... >> hamburger. (laughing) >> osgood: ahead, what really works? >> that's super, tim. 112/60. some people don't like added sugar in their juice. so say hello to ocean spray 100% juice. and goodbye to added sugar. i thought we weren't adding any sugar. oh. okay, nobody use these cranberries over here. when my doctor told me that my chronic bronchitis was copd... i started managing it every day. i like to volunteer... hit the courts... and explore new places. i'm breathing better with spiriva. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for both forms of copd... which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. i take it every day... it keeps my airways open to help me breathe better all day long. spiriva does not replace fast acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, have vision changes or eye pain... or have problems passing urine. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, problems passing urine or an enlarged prostate... as these may worsen with spiriva. also discuss the medicines you take... even eye drops. side effects include dry mouth, constipation and trouble passing urine. now, i'm managing my chronic bronchitis every day. ask your doctor if once-daily spiriva is right for you. >> osgood: doctors and researchers on the front lines of the obesity wars see only the down side of extra pounds. remarkably enough a few people in other lines of work actually managed to see an up side. rita braver has been consulting the doctors while josh landis and mitch butler of the fast draw have been hearing out the contrarians. let's begin with rita braver. >> reporter: so what can we do about it? with six out of ten of us fighting the battle of the bulge and a desperate search for a miracle drug to conquer obesity, it's time to face facts starting with a little help from the experts as one of the nation's leading wet loss programs. the duke diet and fitness center in durham, north carolina. >> as you know, this program is very medically involved. everybody will have an admission history and physical. >> reporter: the man with the answers is draft howard isenson but as you're about to find out for just about every answer, there seems to be another question. how when an obesity gene? >> we thought it might be for a while. looks like it's not that simple unfortunately. there's probably several hundred genes that play a role in body weight regulation. >> reporter: is it fair so say that part of it is about will power? >> i don't think you can generalize and say someone who suffers from excess weight lacks will power because they may have a great deal of self-discipline in many aspects of their life. >> reporter: what's the link between obesity and depression? we put that question to psychologist ruth oliver, director of behavioral health at duke. >> i think you have some people who are depressed because they're obese. some people who are obese because they're depressed. it's one of those things that is also very much intertwined. >> reporter: but if you grew up in an environment surrounded by food? >> my mother always overfed me. >> reporter: that kind of excuse. >> i grew up with that and i have to do a lot of socializing in my work. or my spouse insists on keeping the refrigerator stocked with all kinds of foods that tempt me. ultimately if we're going to be successful we have to take ownership for solving our problem. >> reporter: the program at duke is designed to help patients do just that. there are medical check-ups to monitor obesity-related diseases. >> super, tim. 112/60. >> reporter: patients get counseling on exercise, nutrition and behavior. >> there's a lot of little desserts pre-measured for you. >> reporter: classes teach you how to change everything, even your dishes. >> not very satisfying if you have a little portion on a big plate. so try to invest in some smaller plates at home. maybe using a salad plate for dinner. >> reporter: it is a whole new way of looking at life. >> there is no panacea. this is a life-long condition that people have to manage over and over and over again. >> reporter: the program is not cheap. the average stay is at month at about $8,000. nationally only 20% of dieters say they maintain their weight love after a year but duke says it has around an 80% success rate. still there are plenty of repeat customers. like 71-year-old jim collyer. >> i've come here now three times in three years. >> reporter: you've come to duke. this is your third time. >> third time. in three successive years. >> reporter: collyer insists the third time is the charm. >> i feel this time i've learned to put myself in control and no longer expects others to do it for me. >> reporter: for some patients, doctors discuss a more drastic solution. surgery. having a stomach partially removed or stapled. >> i don't want them to leave here without having heard the facts about surgery which basically are that it's safer and more effective than many people realize. >> reporter: and a new kind of help may be in our future. dr. lewis aroni of the new york presbyterian hospital, wile cornell medical center believes that eventually new drugs could keep us from getting fat in the first place. >> i envision a future where maybe we should be treating obesity like high blood pressure. as they start to gain weight and get to a certain point we intervene with a tiny amount of medicine to prevent them from gaining more weight. maybe that's what we need to be doing. >> reporter: despite promising signs from a new generation of weight loss drugs, now being developed including cunexa.... >> people who continued in this trial for one year lost between 13 and 15% of their body weight. >> reporter: don't expect a magic pill in the near future. >> the program did ramdomize patients. >> reporter: this past week after hearing about side effects, an fda panel said cunexa is still too experimental to put on the market. still the new drugs are beginning to help scientists figure out how to manipulate weight-regulating systems in the body. >> basically they work in the brain to reduce the sense of craving, to increase your sense of fullness, and to increase metabolic rate. >> reporter: as researchers come to understand the disease that is now the nation's second leading preventable cause of death after smoking, they also understand that there is no such thing as one size fits all. >> in the war on obesity, we think we know the good guys from the bad. >> it's true. that long-term, obesity takes a major toll. >> but short term there's an up side to all those extra pounds. our expanding waist lines have helped expand the economy. >> eric finkel steen is an obesity economist. in his book he says increased consumption is ironically a sign that businesses have become lean and mean. >> obesity is essentially a by- product of an expanding economy. so as the economy expands and we create all this technology, people become more sedentary and they tend to consume more food. >> reporter: how has overeating helped us? for starters, spending on food. americans spend half a trillion dollars on food every year. they cut back on calories billions in profits and taxes would be lost. then there's the billions people spend trying to lose the weight they've gained by overeating in the first place. the diet industry is huge. last year americans spent an estimated $60 billion to lose weight. >> what if you simply ate less, go for a nice walk like doctors recommend? you're not buying food, not watching advertisements, not buying gas for your car. that walk may be good for you but you're not doing much for the economy, my friend. down the road health care costs will do the economy no favor either but in the here and now those extra calories are like money in the bank especially in a time of recession. >> finkel steen says the economic factors that increased obesity are a good thing. we just have to trim the fat. >> on net i would argue we're better off as a society but we do have this artifact of obesity that we need to address. >> if your waist line is growing cut yourself some slack as you let out your pants because obesity in its own strange way is both a cause and effect of the american economy's success. >> ask not what your country can do for you. ask what you can eat for your country. ♪ [ male announcer ] progress. progress for new york city cab drivers, like ossman ali is being able to carry people, who aren't carrying cash. meaning more convenience for passengers, and more business for cab drivers. all thanks to the ease and freedom of visa digital currency. now that's progress. visa. currency of progress. >> osgood: the real skinny on maintaining the proper weight may be hard for some of us to swallow. just ask mo rocca. >> reporter: when i was growing up, there was no one skinnier than me. i could eat anything i wanted to and i would not put on weight. as a result, i never learned how to eat. this is my refrigerator. some tropicana. some amsdel light. cottage cheese 2% milk fat and you of these (singing) activia. and mar sheen owe cherries. this is about three days hold. takeout. so nice to meet you. could this explain why i'm not so skinny anymore? clearly it was time to get some serious thought for food. >> ready? >> reporter: yep. >> you can step away. >> reporter: kathy isoldi is a registered dietian and nutritionist. >> 72.5 inches. >> reporter: at the wile cornell medical college in new york city. >> 185.4 pounds. we suggest for most people to have a body mass index which is just a function of your height and your weight. we would like that 25 or below. do you want to guess what your bmi is. >> i am 23? >> your bmi is 24.97 so we'll call that 25. >> i am on the cusp of being overweight. >> yes. >> reporter: a big, fat surprise to me. >> right now i'd love to get your waist circumference. >> reporter: if the scale didn't profit, the tape measure did. >> let my gut hang out. >> reporter: that's right. >> viewer discretion advised. believe me. this hurts me more than it will hurt you. >> at ease, soldier. so your waist circumference at your largest portion is 38 inches. >> reporter: what? i wear 32-inch jeannes which could only mean one thing. you're telling me i've got a gut. this was too much stomach for me to stomach. how did i get here? then i had a piece of cheese. my food log told the tale. then i had a protein shake where i put milk, two bananas, a buchblg of ice cubes-- it was 2 rs milk. then i ate a protein and three cookies. i had a piece of cheese. then at lunch i had chicago... (giving all his food) maple slices and then a slab of lasagna. one glass of red white wine and non-chocolate covered almonds. then i went to bed. do you want to know what i had on monday? not surprisingly kathy isoldi took issue with some of my choices. >> i think there were a lot of unhealthy choices in there. >> reporter: she wasn't giving credit for the green vegetable i had added to my burger with thousand island dressing. i didn't know pickles were the enemy. >> they're just not helpful. >> reporter: help is what i need away from fleshy and fat to fit. kathy isold i took me shopping. >> i love the little oranges. this is better than a glass of orange juice. >> absolutely. >> reporter: i'm going to get strawberries. >> and the black berrys are the highest in fiber. as you eat a variety of colors you get a variety of nutrients. >> reporter: we zipped from fruit to nults. show me your unsalted nuts. >> we have them integrated. >> a little handful of raw almonds and a piece of fruit, very healthy. >> reporter: i love meats and i love cheese. i found i can be flexible in my food choices. >> eight grams of fat. >> reporter: to a point. i am not willing to compromise on my cheese. cheese is non-negotiable. >> there you go. that's where you'll get your fat. then we have to make sure you have lean meats. >> reporter: is that lean? >> fill it mig non-. >> reporter: owe that's fill it mig none. perfect. i made some difficult choices. i love balogne. is that okay? >> (laughing) no. >> reporter: and filled in my food color wheel. now that's a lot of color. if i return the oranges can i get this? >> absolutely not. not on my watch. >> reporter: learning how to food shop responsibly really wasn't that tough. >> i have never used this drawer. lettuce. cheese. it required only minor adjustments. i'm ready for some healthy eating. except that i don't know how to cook. that's a different segment. >> osgood: ahead, are they fat? or fit? wcwcwcwc >> osgood: even as countless dieters around the world are going hungry at meal time trying to keep pounds off, sertsly widely misunderstood athletes are routinely packing on thousands of extra calories a day in order to put pounds on. don't call them fat. here's lucy craft in tokyo. >> reporter: sumo is the most unconventional of sports. getting in shape means fattening up. in sumo looks are deceiving. inside those rolly polly bodies are mean fighting machines. the most ruthlessly efficient human bulldozers on earth. >> sumo involves smashing into your opponent. you need a body that can take this punishment. >> reporter: they call themselves men of strength. make no mistake. these waddling mountains of flesh are built for agility and speed. essential for explosive matches that often start and end in a matter of seconds. >> you have no idea how fast it is. they are not lumbering giants at all. >> reporter: sumo commentator doreen simmons says they tip the scales on average at about 400 pounds. yet intense training renders them as supple in some ways as ballerinas. >> of course it hurts. the human body isn't meant to do that. but unless they can do that, they're going to get injured. >> reporter: replete with pageantry and ritual sumo dates back 1500 years. the japan he's people won their island according to legend in a sumo bout of the gods. >> the rules are very, very simple. the loser is the first man to touch down inside the ring with any part of his body. or to go outside the ring. with any part of his body. >> reporter: the traditional sumo training diet is low fat and practically vegetarian. a savory fiber rich stew with just a little meat or fish, it washes down the huge bowls of white rice needed to build body mass. retired wrestler now coaches his own men. >> rice is our staple. you don't need high calorie food to bulk up. we don't eat things like american hamburgers. >> reporter: at japan's oldest sumo stable, the coach says mental toughness trumps waist size. >> big doesn't always mean better. we have no weight classes in sumo. so everyone stands in the same ring. >> reporter: the strong men of sumo prove that under a strenuous and exacting regimen fatness and fitness can go hand in hand. >> i haven't worn one of these in almost 30 years. >> osgood: coming up actress valerie bertinelli. down sized. [ sighs ] morning! mor-ning? i'm your genie. you're wishing for a deliciously, nutritious fiber cereal. i am. well, you don't want that one. new kellogg's fiber plus cereal®. the delicious taste of berries, plus yogurty clusters, plus 40% of your daily fiber... plus wait for it... antioxidants! so, two more wishes. mmmm. maybe later, then. [ female announcer ] new kellogg's fiber plus cereal®. positively delicious. [ female announcer ] new kellogg's fiber plus cereal®. boss: hey, those gecko ringtones you put on our website people love 'em! gecko: yeah, thank you sir. turned out nice. boss: got another one for you. anncr: at geico.com, it's easy to get a free rate quote, manage your policy, make payments or even file a claim! boss: now that's a ringtone. gecko: uh yeah...it's interesting.... certainly not the worst ringtone i've ever heard... ♪ ringtone lyrics: a-ringedy- ding-ding-dingy-dong, ringedy-dong-ding-ding... ♪ gecko (to himself): yeah, that might be the worst. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. >> who are you calling a jerk, jerk sn. >> i'm calling you a jerk, jerk. >> size matters. a special edition of sunday morning. here again is charles osgood. >> osgood: valerie bertinelli won many fans some years back on the tv series "one day at a time." more recently she's been before your eyes losing weight one pound at a time. tracy smith charts her progress in this sunday profile. >> reporter: she's a winner for losing big. actress and author valerie bertinelli made a big splash by going on a diet, dropping 40 pounds, and making her achievement... well, public. >> action, valerie. >> reporter: the by kinney was fitting in a way as the latest chapter of a life spent in front of a camera. >> i made the team. i really d i'm the only girl on a team. >> reporter: bertinelli's career really took off in 1975 ♪ this is it >> reporter: when she was an insecure teen with cuteness to burn. >> you know, pom-pom girl. >> reporter: playing opposite mckenzie phillips on a cbs sitcom. ♪ one day at a time > you were 15 when you got one day at a time. barbara cooper was every young man's crush. i mean you were it. >> i didn't know that then. >> reporter: did you have this same insecurities as the weight issue. >> goodness, yes, yes. definitely. i was next to mckenzie who was thin as a rail. i thought was, you know, very sexy. she had the personality. she knew how to speak to people. yeah, i was very insecure. >> reporter: the spotlight got even brighter in 1981 when she married rocker eddie van hailen. but the marriage which lasted more than two decades had some built-in problems. >> ed and i were never best friends. i was madly in love with him. i believed the same from him. but we became... i think because we were never really friends that it was much easier for the relationship to fall apart. i know it took us a long time. i think we were both stubborn. >> reporter: when her insecurities got the better of her, she found comfort in food. with predictable results. >> i was so unaware and so unconscious. i was just feeding an empty pit of despair. i mean it was really that bad to a certain point. i was really low, low, low. i used to argue with ed all the time. i said you're an alcoholic. you don't have to drink. i have to eat. that's not fair to an alcoholic because they feel they need it. >> reporter: but it's a good point. >> but it's a good point. you don't have to be a drug addict. gambling addict. a shop alcoholic. you cannot do any of those things? but eat? you have to eat. >> reporter: and seat she did. >> just give me the numbers. how much did you weigh? how tall are you. >> i'm 5 if 4". the highest i ever got when i was 176. i started the program at 172. >> which is really not that big. >> for me it was big. my knees hurt. i couldn't breathe. my asthma was out of control. it wasn't good. >>. >> reporter: enter jenny craig. in march 2007 bertinelli signed on with the weight loss company as its spokesperson. by december of that year.... >> i've reached my ideal size. >> reporter: she was 40 pounds lighter. and a huge hit. >> i have my very own personal consultant laura who has helped me lose over 60 pounds. >> reporter: of course, a diet, any diet is only as effective as you make it. former generaly craig spokesperson krirs tee alley lost 75 pounds. >> have you called jenny yet. >> reporter: only to gain it back. it worked for you. you're living proof. we have other living proof that it doesn't always work. >> only you can do it. only i could do it. people weren't putting food down my mouth. i was doing it. if you want to take care of yourself-- and i want to take care of myself-- i have to stay vigilant and be aware of what i'm puting in my mouth. >> reporter: for the rest of your life juror to the rest of my life. >> what made you choose chief andover sfla. >> gosh, where do i start? you know, in l.a. everyone is so thin and perfect. it really starts to mess with your self-esteem but here i feel great. >> reporter: now fat can actually be funny. bertinelli is the co-star of the hot new sitcom "hot in cleveland." >> here you can relax, you know, and let yourself go. >> reporter: kidding aside, keeping extra weight off is a marathon, not a sprint. for valerie bertinelli, it's unclear when or if she'll ever cross the finish line. >> you can lose the weight but then you have to start figuring out what the hell got you in that space in the first place. why you were so miserable? i'm still trying to figure it out. i'm three years into this and i'm still trying to figure out what is going to keep me sane. (laughing) got any clues for me? >> osgood: coming up, the fittest place of all. while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol. and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. ask your doctor if crestor can help and go to crestor.com to get a free trial offer. announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. since our beginning, we've been there for clients through good times and bad, when our clients' needs changed we changed to meet them. through the years, when some lost their way, we led the way with new ideas for the financial challenges we knew would lie ahead. this rock has never stood still. and there's one thing that will never change. we are, the rock you can rely on. prudential. ♪we are, the rock you can rely on. everyone wants in on the petperks super summer sale & sweepstakes. use your petperks card and save up to 20% on hundreds of items... ...plus you'll be automatically entered in our sweepstakes which will award hundreds of prizes. petsmart. we love to see healthy, happy pets. as we told you earlier mississippi has the highest rate of obesity in the land. the state with the lowest rate is colorado. why? well, there's one clue. dean reynolds takes us on a field trip. >> reporter: in colorado everybody seems to be on the move. ♪ i feel good > it's like they can't sit still. or catch their breath. ♪ i feel good > this is a city park in colorado springs. and dina spends a lot of time here. a lot. how often do you get out here? >> every day, yeah. >> reporter: she's not alone. >> everybody is out. there's always someone to ride with, to hike with. >> reporter: little wonder that according to the centers for disease control, colorado is the least obese state in the country. here in colorado springs in the shadow of pike's peak, fit beats fat. just ask hiker amy cox. >> here you just come out. you enjoy the beauty and the solitude. you can talk with folks or a lot of folks on the trail. you can put on your i-pod and just go at your own speed. >> reporter: it's not just the air, the weather and the scenery. it's a particular mind set here. university of colorado professor jim hill is a founder of america on the move, an organization that offers advice on preventing weight gain. >> we have a population that values more a culture of health than maybe other places. >> reporter: people here are 100% more likely to go hiking. elliptical trainers are about 50% more popular. weightlifting is 41% more popular. donuts are 65% less popular here. >> there is a lot of peer pressure here. to be fit, to get out and enjoy the outdoors. who went for a run? who went rock climb something who went mountain biking that day. >> reporter: in colorado springs there's a tenth of a percent sales tax that raises $6 million a year specifically for trails. open spaces and parks. >> parks are tremendously popular here. >> reporter: indeed, according to parks director paul butcher, any new development in this town of 400,000 must contain a park. by law. >> it's why we have 124 neighborhood parks. ♪ i feel good >> reporter: dina spends half her day in the office, thinking about the outdoors. ♪ i feel good >> it means the world to me to be able to walk out the door literally and have a trail 50 feet from my office. >> reporter: in colorado springs, they certainly make the most of what they've got. and who could blame them? there's oil out there we've got to capture. my job is to hunt it down. i'm fred lemond, and i'm in charge of bp's efforts to remove oil from these waters. bp has taken full responsibility for the cleanup and that includes keeping you informed. every morning, over 50 spotter planes and helicopters take off and search for the oil. we use satellite images, infrared and thermal photography to map and target the oil. then, the boats go to work. almost 6,000 vessels. these are thousands of local shrimp and fishing boats organized into task forces and strike teams. plus, specialized skimmers from around the world. we've skimmed over 27 million gallons of oil/water mixture and removed millions more with other methods. we've set out more than 8 million feet of boom to protect the shoreline. i grew up on the gulf coast and i love these waters. we can't keep all the oil from coming ashore, but i'm gonna do everything i can to stop it, and we'll be here as long as it takes to clean up the gulf. we've done a good job caring for our mouths. that's why there's a rinse like crest pro-health multi-protection. it helps you get a better dental check-up. so be ready for your next dental check-up. crest pro-health multi-protection rinse. clothing fashioned for the well proportioned has become very much a growth industry. here is michelle miller. >> reporter: no matter how styles change, one thing it seems is always in. thin. even outrageously thin. ♪ i can give you what you want ♪ >> reporter: the internet was abuzz not long ago over these digitally slenderized ads showing impossible impossibly thin ralph lauren models. the company says the release was a mistake. but it struck a nerve. on this topic, says "washington post" fashion editor robin gavan, that's not unusual. >> we react really strongly to the fact that they had this sort of idealized body type that is virtually impossible for anyone else to attain. fashion is constantly saying, come on. you know you want to be this. you know you want to wear this. >> reporter: but the divide has never been bigger between the clothes these models wear and the ever larger customers who buy them. in 1960, the average american woman was 5'3" and weighed 140 pounds. roughly 40 years later, she had grown an inch but now weighed 164 pounds. the average dress size in america today is 14. >> i think we're getting more real all over the place. >> reporter: the figures speak for themselves. increasingly designers like betsy johnson are taking notice. >> let's dress more women because if we just dress our skinny mini-s we'll be out of business. there ain't enough of them. >> reporter: she's launched a plus-size lingerie line. signers like michael coors and calvin klein have plus-size clothing lines. >> the plus-size market is a growing market. >> reporter: industry analyst dane a. >> we're seeing more companies dip their toe in the water in order to gain customers in that size range. >> reporter: sales are up and so is visibility. j.k. penny has decided to use larger minkins. joy johnston is a store manager. >> what that does for the customers when you look at it, it says that's what it will look like on me. >> reporter: glamor magazine has decided to put more real sized women in its pages. it even commissioned this photo of seven plus sized models. >> they're not actually plus size humans. most of them are somewhere between an eight and a 12 which is smaller than the average american woman. >> reporter: cindy is glamor's editor in chief. >> we're celebrating their curves. we're celebrating the fact that, you know, listen, there are millions of different ways to look beautiful. >> reporter: no one is happier to be in the picture than krystal renn at age 14 a scout told her she could be a top model. one catch. >> he said, yes, but you just have to lose nine inches off your hips. i thought nine inches. >> reporter: what size were you when he told you this? >> a size 14. >> reporter: krystal dieted and exercised obsessively until she weighed 98 pounds. >> at my smallest i was a size double 0. yes. meaning basically that the clothing store clothes would call off me. >> reporter: she moved to new york and became a model. being thin worked for you for a while. >> being thin never worked for me. i was very, very very sick. i felt it every day. >> reporter: but it wasn't enough. for her modeling agency. >> they pointed at my thighs and said you need to bring these down. i just snapped. i told them you have no idea what i'm doing. a diet. i could die. this is the division that i work with. >> reporter: she began eating again sensibly. today at 5'9 and 165 pounds, krystal works as a plus size model. >> my success is much greater than when i was starving myself. i have to say it's really because i have found who i am supposed to be. i am confident. >> reporter: but will the fashion world make room for more krystal renns? when the german women's magazine announced that it will show only real women in its pages, another designer commented no one wants to see round women. and for all her love of curves, designer betsy johnson says sometimes only a skinny model will do. why do fashion designers believe that clothes look better on a size 0 or a size 2? >> i hate to say it. but they do. it looks better on the model. ♪ i can give you what you want ♪ >> reporter: still krystal renn remains hopeful. >> all women in this country are different. they're all different sizes. they want to be represented. >> reporter: like they were at full figured fashion week held just a few weeks ago in new york. a rare moment in the spotlight for women confident the numbers are on their side. >> fashion forward with correspondent michelle miller. >> osgood: now we check in with bob schieffer in washington for a look at what's ahead on face the nation. >> schieffer: arizona's controversial new immigration law. what's it all about? what does it really say? today on face the nation. >> osgood: bob schieffer in washington. and ahead now here on sunday morning, bill geist. >> reporter: chicken fried bacon. >> osgood: fit to be fried. sir? finding everything okay? i work for a different insurance company. my auto policy's just getting a little too expensive. with progressive, you get the "name your price" option, so we build a policy to fit your budget. wow! the price gun. ♪ ah! wish we had this. we'd just tell people what to pay. yeah, we're the only ones that do. i love your insurance! bill? tom? hey! it's an office party! the freedom to name your price. only from progressive. call or click today. after all this talk about the right diet and plenty of exercise, someone had to speak for the loyal opposition. hope you're hungry. here's bill geist. ♪ welcome to the state fair of texas, the capital of deep fried food ♪ >> reporter: the state fair of texas. deep fried heaven. health food hell. >> deep fried bacon, right here. >> chicken fried bacon. >> reporter: where vendors compete to see who can create the most egregious violation of dietary law. >> you want to get fried butter? fried peanut butter jelly and banana? >> no. >> fried coke? they have fried pizza. >> yeah, fried pizza. >> the other day i calculated that we're looking at about probably 500 fried food items at the fair. >> reporter: sue gooding of the state fair of texas. >> just when you think it's over, there will be something else. >> reporter: the fair has a rich, oily history of deep fried food. they say the classic corn dog was invented here in 1942. by skip fletcher's father. >> and nobody would buy one. so we had to.... >> reporter: why not? >> they didn't know what they were. >> reporter: how many corney dogs are you going to sell this year? >> enough that in the end from dallas they would go all the way to the gulf of mx co-. 500,000. >> reporter: we have fletchers on one end of the spectrum. tradition and all that. then there's kind of a new wave of deep fryers. >> absolutely. and that wave really is led by this man. >> reporter: do you have a gift for this kind of thing? >> you know, i guess i do. >> reporter: abel gonzalez jr. is an award-winning pastry prodigy. >> we'll add some of our whipped cream. >> reporter: his cholesterol clogged cullenary creations include deep fried coke. they said it couldn't be done, frying coke. >> got to have more chocolate. >> reporter: and deep fried cookie dough. you don't think a warning label would be warpted for this? >> do you really think anybody that ordered the deep fried cookie dough needs a warning? i think the product says it all. >> really good. >> reporter: for last year's fair abel produced a master piece. this is the star of the state fair. >> this is the star of the state fair. >> reporter: the piece de resistance. deep fat fried butter. these are good, bro. >> kind of messy but really good. >> reporter: abel has concocted far more complex and showy creations but none so popular as plain old deep fried butter. >> very simple. what we do is we take dough. we stuff that dough with butter. >> reporter: deep fat fried butter. another small step for man. these little bombs sold so well.... >> we're here for the fried butter. >> reporter:... about 40,000 orders at the 24-day fair that abel quit his job. >> yeah, i did. isn't that great? i was a computer analyst for 14 years. i was lucky enough that i was making enough money here that one day i went why am i sitting behind a computer? you know? it's so boring. i think i'm going to take a break and just do this. okay. let's see. >> reporter: before the fair even ended, abel was back in his mother's kitchen doing research and development. abel, is this your laboratory? >> absolutely. the mad scientist of frying goes on right here. >> reporter: y'all are the focus group. >> yeah. >> reporter: he tests everything on his family. >> are you protesting? >> no, this is great. >> reporter: this day kathy. taffy. they approved the taffy and moved on to the next experimental food deep fried sugary red peanut pattys. and the jury returned their verdict. >> that was good. >> it was great. >> reporter: oh, that's good. we'll look for abel's deep fried peanut pattys at this year's fair if we're still around to enjoy them. >> thanks for coming to the fair, bill. are you sure you want to eat another corney dog? >> reporter: who is that guy? hi, mom. how was school today? [ girls ] good. ♪ ♪ thank you! ♪ phew! [ ernie ] we make our cookies the way only keebler elves can: with a little something extra. so every bite can be uncommonly good. captioning made possible by johnson & johnson, where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations >> schieffer: we leave you this sunday morning in gainsville, florida. where pot bellyed pigs make no apologies. i'm charles osgood. please join us again next sunday morning. until then, i'll see you on the radio. captioning made possible by johnson & johnson, where quality products for the american family have been a tradition for generations captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org look inside a more than 17 billion dollar investment, and what do you see? at at&t, we see the dreams and ambitions of everyday americans coming true. we see an economic recovery taking root as businesses grow and prosper and add jobs, thanks to the amazing power of an open internet that works. america needs an internet that is always getting faster, safer, and more secure. at at&t, our investment last year of more than 17 billion dollars in the wireless and wired networks of tomorrow is what's fueling innovation today and creating jobs and opportunities now. we invest because we know the internet works. it's working for our children, our families, our economy and our future. and if there were ever a time to stick with what works, now is it. the future has always been our business.