When we decided to write a series of articles on obesity in Chenango County, I expected to find statistics showing that the rate or obese and overweight people in the county was on the rise. I didn’t expect to see numbers that showed more than 60 percent of residents in Chenango and Madison County fell into those categories.

Personally, I am all too aware of the weight issues. For most of my life, I’ve worked to keep my weight at an acceptable level, with varying degrees of success. Sometimes it seems easy. You eat right, exercise more, and you lose weight. Other times, trying to find the time and the energy to cook healthy meals and work out on top of managing work and children seems absolutely impossible. Being healthy takes a lot more energy and effort than being unhealthy.