More than two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and recent research suggests many are increasingly fine with staying that way.

　　最近的研究表明，超过三分之二的美国人超重或肥胖，并且许多人越来越偏好于保持这种状态。

　　Researchers studied data from an ongoing, nationally representative survey of Americans’ eating and lifestyle habits, specifically looking at people who responded to a question asking if they had attempted to lose weight during the past 12 months. The percentage of overweight and obese adults who answered "yes" had steadily declined over the past 30 years, the authors found, even as the percentage of overweight and obese adults likewise rose.

　　研究人员研究了全美国人饮食和生活习惯的数据，特别是针对那些表明自己在过去一年内曾试图减过肥的人。作者发现，在过去30年中，尽管超重和肥胖成年人的比例在上升，但超重和肥胖的成年人中表明自己曾减过肥的比例却稳步下降。

　　The changing trends suggest that, at the very least, Americans’ perception of their own weight has gradually shifted in response to rising obesity rates, senior study author Dr. Jian Zhang, an epidemiologist at Georgia Southern University, told Vocativ in an email.

　　佐治亚南方大学的流行病学家、高级研究作者张简博士告诉Vocativ：这个变化趋势至少可以表明，面对不断上升的肥胖率，美国人对自己体重的感觉已经在逐渐改变。

　　"Paralleled with the increasing prevalence of obesity, more and more adults compare themselves with their friends, coworkers, neighbors with heavier body weight, to maintain a positive image of their own," explained Zhang, for his part, agrees that explicitly focusing on reducing obesity is a fool’s errand for doctors and patients alike, though he does still consider it a public health priority.

　　“与不断升高的肥胖患病率相伴随的是，越来越多的成年人常与比自己更重的朋友、同事、邻居作比较，以尽量保持自己的正面形象。” 张简解释说，“虽然说健康优先，但对于医生和患者而言，过度致力于减肥不是明智之举。”

　　"You cannot stop a train. The problem is hard to fix if it occurs, even identified early," he said. "The best way, most likely the only way, is to prevent it from happening. Let’s do more to prevent obesity at its beginning, among kids, at home and in school. That is the right-time-right-person-and right-place strategy."

　　他说：“你不能阻止火车的行进。问题就在于如果它发生了就很难解决，甚至很早就注定是这个结果。唯一最好的办法就是防止它发生。让我们在年轻人间、在家里、在学校都行动起来预防肥胖的发生。这就是 ‘对的时间—对的人—对的地方’策略。”

　　And even those of us worried about our weight now shouldn’t obsess about the actual number on the scale, he added.

　　他补充说，忧心于体重的我们现在不应该被实际规模上的数字所困扰。

　　"I firmly believe we don’t have to lose weight mindfully; building a healthy lifestyle and having it as a part of routine is the key. This will make your effort less painful and more effective," he said. "My definition of a healthy lifestyle is very simply — eat less and keep moving, period."

　　张简还说：“我确信我们不必刻意去减肥，关键是健康的生活方式，它将使我们的努力不那么痛苦，反而更有效。我对健康生活方式的定义很简单——少吃，多动。”

（编辑：何莹莹）