  But maybe the stress of a national election and the looming
“Mayan Apocalypse” caused a spike in obesity that would set us
down the projected path of catastrophe? According to Gallup’s
annual Healthways survey, that spike is about as real as the
December 21 doomsday. Obesity and overweight rates barely
changed, and Gallup announced that the “Obesity rate [was]
stable in 2012.” The chart below tracks the survey results since
2008.   This finding makes sense in light of the evidence that
shows a leveling off of obesity. A study by the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) of low-income New Hampshire kids found
fewer were overweight or obese, echoing a similar national
finding. Several cities have seen declines in childhood obesity.
And the CDC found last year that the trend of adult obesity was
flat since 2007.  There’s little solid evidence that obesity is
increasing. Projections may suggest it, but they aren’t borne
out by data and are susceptible to “Garbage in, garbage out”
modeling. Instead, they serve to ge